I haven't read the whole book yet, but I'm already intrigued by it. An 88-year-old man's first hand experience of WWII by itself is intriguing, I think, let alone the well-written texts (I just read the Prologue on Amazon). When it begins with the death of the man's elder sister when he was only four years old, it felt like the deep and resonant sound from a cello, piercing and with resonance in the innermost part of one's soul, mixed with profound and yet tear-less sadness. It's a book I look forward to read.
Another point to make here is equally intriguing but more on the negative side. I could feel the author's unresolved (perhaps unresolvable?) hatred towards the enemy of himself and his country, but in a rather narrow view. Here's an excerpt from the Prologue:
"...that sneak attacks by little yellow bastards would not go unpunished by the United States of America."
Mr. Mace, and many other like him, fought heroically in the pacific front. At the time of war, this was inevitable, I suppose. How else would you prepare young soldiers heading towards the front line, into the rain of bullets coming from the enemy? So in retrospect, I would like to understand his remark by reminding myself that sneak attacks by evil forces had taken place in Europe, and equally would not, and did not, go unpunished. Pearl Harbor was a trigger for the U.S. to be involved, but Roosevelt and others certainly understood the villains in Europe had to be stopped, too. Bravery was equally evident in the fights half a world away.
The victory in WWII shows that any evil acts will be countered with greater strength and resolve. No matter who did it, yellow or white, little or great, nor would it matter which nation it was done to, be it U.S., Poland, England, Russia, China, or Kuwait for that matter.
With that understanding and my utmost respect, I solute to Mr. Mace, and all those who fought bravely against evil in the great war. They not only served their countries well, but all mankind.
p.s. On a light note, I read Mr. Mace on Reddit and found that he's a delightful man. In answering questions from a youngster about how to cope with the past and the one advise he would give, the answer was the same and had only one word: Martini.
Cheers!
