USS Ranger: The Navys First Flattop from Keel to Mast, 1934-1946

Book Description

The USS Ranger (CV-4) was the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier to be built assuch from the keel up. The RANGER helped maintain the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration’s Good Neighbor Policy, served as a platform for the development of new methods for the operation of carriers and carrier aircraft, continued the Navy’s work in cold-weather flight operations, pioneered director-controlled antiaircraft fire, and trained many naval aviators. During World War II, the Ranger occupied center stage in Operation Torch (against the Vichy French positions in North Africa in 1942) and Operation Leader (against German shipping in 1943), which was the Navy’s only carrier operation above the Arctic Circle during the war. In both instances, the ship’s air group faced the requirement to hit legitimate military targets while minimizing civilian casualties, a problem the United States would confront again in later conflicts. Robert J. Cressman’s emphasis on the human element in both peace and war reinforces his observation that carriers, like people, have multifaceted personalities, represented by not only the ship and its company but also the air group for which it serves as a home.

Customer Reviews:

Almost there.......2007-01-24

While it fills a glaring hole in US carrier history, this book falls down on lack of detail on the ship itself. In the course of the text, things like hull strength and vulnerability to torpedo attacks are mentioned, no real detailed analysis is given of the ship as a design or how her shortcomings limited her to use in the Atlantic.

Sometimes the lack of detail screams. While much information on the planes and crew members participating in the Raid on Bodo is given, I could not find an actual list of what the airgroup accomplished? Were the ships hit actually sunk? What was the strategic response by the Germans?

Good naval books are either heavy on design and shipbuilding detail (Friedman's Design history books) or have a multiplicity of personal stories that flesh out an operational history (Musicant's history of the USS Washington). This book does neither- giving a rundown of air operations and, in my opinion, way too much detail on every little air op mishap that occured. Unfortunately we are unlikely to see another book on this unique ship, so the holes may stay unfilled.

Lots of information on the air group, not much on the ship.......2006-06-17

Ranger was the first large, fast fleet carrier built as such by any navy (as opposed to being converted from an existing hull), and the impressive thing is how much her designers got right, despite the limitations on her size because of funding.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cressman does not really address how Ranger compared to her peers - or at least the other "keel-up" designs - in the IJN (Ryujo and Soryu) and RN (Hermes and Ark Royal); the book is lacking because of it.

Robert Cressmanýs USS Ranger..........2004-01-19

...1934 - 1946 is simply superb. This impressive and sizeable volume devotes as much text to the USN's first purpose built carrier as Norman Friedman devotes to the entire class in his excellent design history, "U.S. Aircraft Carriers." By his own admission, Mr. Cressman has written what is, in large measure, an operational history of Ranger, her crew and her air department at some expense to a definition of the genesis and design of the ship. Otherwise, there must be little in the career of this extraordinarily active vessel which escapes the author's account. In addition, the book is supplemented with over 250 pictures which depict every stage of Ranger's carreer with equal emphasis upon man, machine and event.

The reader is provided with a virtual who's who and what's what of early USN aviation and the development of the US naval air arm in the 1930's. Cheerfully welcomed by planners, officers and pilots alike, Ranger was instrumental in defining and developing doctrine which provided a basis and broad outline for the operational employment of aircraft carriers and aircraft in the coming war. The reader will find a virtual travelogue of naval aviation and experimentation which is lively by comparison with drier recitations found in more conventional histories. Especially emphasized are the operations of the various airgroups and individual aircraft which flew from Ranger's deck.

Ranger's wartime employment is not overlooked by any means. She was quite profitably employed in the Atlantic where she found herself opposed by Vichy and German forces alike. It is a great testimony to her crew and her air groups that so much was accomplished in North Africa and Norway against an often resourceful and enterprising foe. While scarcely on the scale of Pacific operations, Ranger nevertheless acquitted herself well and Cressman's narrative is both exciting and informative. Especially interesting are the numerous photographs found in this section showing air-to-air and air-to-surface action. Cressman's efforts in supplying his book with well-rounded and fresh photography is a particularly encouraging development challenging future historians to similar efforts at providing the reader with something more than the same stale stable of photography.

As noted above, this is no design history but Mr. Cressman does reveal the very serious shortcomings of Ranger and why she was never transferred to combat in the Pacific. While many wonder why, and others speculate that she would have fared well against the Japanese, Cressman's account spares little concerning Ranger's weaknesses. In short, the hostile environment of the Pacific in 1942 would have presented a distinct and serious threat to Ranger. Among other points, Ranger was hampered by elevator characteristics, a weak flight deck, vulnerable gasoline storage, a lack of stability, poor sea handling qualities and weak construction. As Admiral Gerald Bogan pointed out in reference to planned modifications, Ranger would probably be lost to a single torpedo hit and would likely have broken in two following a torpedo hit amidships. This was, as Cressman writes, "...a fact of life..." for Ranger and known throughout the Navy. In this regard, it is amazing how superior the following USS Wasp was on virtually the same tonnage.

Amazon.com

The Texas Rangers have alternately been described as "fearless men of sterling character" and "ruthless, brutal, and more lawless than the criminals they pursued." The truth, says Robert M. Utley in Lone Star Justice, "lies somewhere in between the extremes." The Rangers got their start in 1823, and for half a century they were "citizen soldiers periodically mobilized to fight Indians or Mexicans." They were professionalized in 1874, when they became lawmen employed by the state of Texas. Utley summarizes their colorful history under the leadership of figures like Jack Hays and Ben McCulloch. They came to national attention during the Mexican War, when they fought with distinction under Zachary Taylor at Monterey and also served as scouts throughout northern Mexico. As lawmen, they were noted for apprehending fugitives (the murdering outlaw John Wesley Hardin fell to one of their bullets) and controlling mobs, but they were less successful at putting bad guys behind bars (a problem that the author blames on "a defective criminal justice system"). At bottom, Lone Star Justice is a sober-minded but generally admiring assessment of a unique group of men. --John Miller

Book Description

From The Lone Ranger to Lonesome Dove, the Texas Rangers have been celebrated in fact and fiction for their daring exploits in bringing justice to the Old West. In Lone Star Justice, best-selling author Robert M. Utley captures the first hundred years of Ranger history, in a narrative packed with adventures worthy of Zane Grey or Larry McMurtry. The Rangers began in the 1820s as loose groups of citizen soldiers, banding together to chase Indians and Mexicans on the raw Texas frontier. Utley shows how, under the leadership of men like Jack Hays and Ben McCulloch, these fiercely independent fighters were transformed into a well-trained, cohesive team. Armed with a revolutionary new weapon, Samuel Colt's repeating revolver, they became a deadly fighting force, whether battling Comanches on the plains or storming the city of Monterey in the Mexican-American War. As the Rangers evolved from part-time warriors to full-time lawmen by 1874, they learned to face new dangers, including homicidal feuds, labor strikes, and vigilantes turned mobs. They battled train robbers, cattle thieves and other outlaws--it was Rangers, for example, who captured John Wesley Hardin, the most feared gunman in the West. Based on exhaustive research in Texas archives, this is the most authoritative history of the Texas Rangers in over half a century. It will stand alongside other classics of Western history by Robert M. Utley--a vivid portrait of the Old West and of the legendary men who kept the law on the lawless frontier.

Customer Reviews:

Justice for Texas Justice.......2007-09-16

Until this book the best book on the Texas Rangers was he Webb book. Utley is a modern historian and those who prefer to live in the past in their culture will be disappointed in this book. It is a modern rendition for modern readers. That is not to say it is weak in research or in bringing the past to life. What I mean is this book is written in the now and doesn't adhere to the old rules of whitewash.

A major benfit of this work is the ointroduction to many of Edmund J. Davis, cast as the worst governor in Texas history. A Reconstruction governor responsible for the formation of the Texas Rangers as a force to enforce Reconstruction policy as he saw it and fight the elements that became the Ku Klux Klan.

This is a refreshing and interesting work on the taming of the old west.

Justice Done.......2007-08-02

The book is not only quite detailed in the description of the exploits of the early Texas Ranges, it maintains the air of education without the normally associated dullness or boredom found in many textbooks.
Mr. Utley paints a straight-forward, no-holds approach to telling the facts as he has found them. Gone are the visions that our hero's of old are without fault, quite the opposite, you find that our hero's from this era are simply common men with some interesting virtues and a belief that right is right. It would be rather refreshing to find some of this level or morals in today's society.
The book is an excellent read. One any Texican-file will find quite interesting.

Best Book Ever on the Early History of the Texas Rangers.......2007-02-18

Having just read Utley's second volume on the rangers, Lone Star Lawmen (I read this book when it came out), and found it a worthy sequel to this one, excellent in every way, I decided to see what Amazon readers had said about the first volume, Lone Star Justice. It appears that some folks don't like giving up cherished myth and folklore in favor of real history. And there are one or two who have well-formed PC prejudices against the Rangers, and are equally unhappy when presented with real history; they are like those who condemn an actor for portraying a villain (so to those I say, if you don't like the Rangers, don't take it out on Utley; he's not one, he just tells their story, and it is unfortunate that the truth does not conform to your suppositions). Those readers who appreciate accurate history, well written and meticulously documented, have given Lone Star Justice five stars. So do I. This is an excellent book, rigorously accurate, always interesting, full of dramatic incidents and memorable characters arrayed in their context. If you are interested in the history of Texas, the West, law enforcement, or just a good read, you'll enjoy this book. Better yet, get the set--Lone Star Justice and Lone Star Lawmen, and follow the history from beginning to the present.

Quite imbalanced.......2005-04-26

The problem with this book, aside from the fact that it's just a rehash of the last dozen or so Ranger histories, is Utley's bizarre fascination with racism: namely, all Texas Rangers are evil racists whose actions can only be explained by racism. Case in point:

Rangers are after a Mexican bandit who killed a Ranger. They find two mexicans and try to halt them, whereupon the two take off, then ambush and kill a Ranger. Utley breaks in and says, Oh that's okay. They were scared that the racist rangers would have hung them.

The Brownsville incident, where the black Army troops shoot up the town? Utley concurs that they probably did it--but, the town was full of racists, so they were justified.

Every single event involving the Rangers in this book is written off as racist fervor. This PC attitude, frankly, is just sickening.

Only in the last few pages does Utley mention that we should keep an open mind about the subject; but by then, the reader has probably thrown the book away in disgust, or come out of it thinking the Texas Rangers were the militant wing of the KKK.

A rip roaring account.......2005-01-18

For those who know little of the rangers but are western enthusiasts or simply interested in the American West, this is a wonderful action packed rip roaring account of the Texas rangers. The volume spands the time frame from Texas independence in 1836 through to the 1900s. The Mexican war is covered as are conflcits with Mexican bandits, and the Comanches, as well as the norms of frontier justice. This reads like a novel, but brought to you by famed historian Utley its all true and what more the writing is fantastic. This makes a wonderful present.

Seth J. Frantzman

Average customer rating:

Murder in the Back Country
What a start!
Another Winner
Track of the Cat
track of the cat

Track of the Cat
Nevada Barr
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

A Superior Death (Anna Pigeon Mysteries)
Ill Wind
Firestorm (Anna Pigeon Mysteries)
Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon Mysteries)
Blind Descent:: An Anna Pigeon Mystery (Anna Pigeon Mysteries)

ASIN: 0399138242

Book Description

Anna Pigeon has fled New York and her memories to find work as a ranger in the country’s national parks. In the remote backcountry of West Texas, however, she discovers murder and violence. Fellow park ranger Sheila Drury is mysteriously killed, presumably by a mountain lion. But the deep claw marks Anna finds across Drury’s throat and the paw prints surrounding the body are too perfect to be real. This is the first time Track of the Cat is available on audio.

Customer Reviews:

Murder in the Back Country.......2007-08-03

When the National Park Service puts a bounty on a killer mountain lion, it rubs National Park Ranger Anna Pigeon's fur the wrong way. It's a knee jerk reaction from the Park's leadership: Mountain Lion Attack! Kill the animal first, ask questions later. Or maybe no questions need to be asked at all. Something stinks at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and it's not just the brutal death of a fellow park ranger whose half eaten dead body was found by Anna in the back country. It's the naturalist vs. the politicians. The Park Service, neighboring cattle ranchers and developers all want the mountain lion disposed of. It seems Anna, suspicious of things that are a little too neat, is the only one taking the animal's side.

This is Nevada Barr's kick off novel, and a good one it is. Anna Pigeon, park ranger, is the hero. Unlike most, Anna is a law enforcement ranger. She didn't think there would be much law enforcement to do in this remote park in West Texas. Most enforcement types are stationed in parks close to urban areas where most crime takes place. Anna chose the law enforcement route because the Protective Division does not only the serious cop stuff, but Search and Rescue, where the real action is. When a mountain lion kills a human, it is not a crime, but when the humans make it look like it was done by an animal, yes, no matter if it is in the bedroom or on a city street or the back country, that is murder.

Because of the excellence of the writing, the natural world as a backdrop, and the character of Anna Pigeon, I've read several of Barr's books and have enjoyed them all.

What a start!.......2007-07-15

Nevada Barr begins her series of Anna Pigeon mysteries with this intriguing story set in Guadeloupe Mountains National Park (Texas). Having read A Superior Death first (the second novel in this series) and then Endangered Species and Deep South before going back to read the series in consecutive order of publication, I was wondering how I'd see Anna in Book No. 1. She's not an altogether sympathetic main character, but she grows on you. The intricacies of the plots in the novels seem to grow, but even that in "Track" is full of detail and enticement. For those who are "detailed" people, I'm sure they will find these mysteries alluring. I look forward to reading all 13 of the mysteries.

Another Winner.......2007-06-29

Nevada Barr tells a good tale with interesting characters and setting. I highly recommend her books.

Track of the Cat.......2007-05-15

Good beginning to the Anna Pigeon series. A couple of murders, mysterious only to Anna, but intriguing in their setting: the Guadeloupe Mountains in western Texas. Well written, not heavy, entertaining.

track of the cat.......2005-12-05

The starting of this book is very slow, then it turns into a book you can't put down. The main character in the book is Anna Pigeon, who is a park ranger in West Texas. She is hiking down in the walls of McKiirick Canyon and she find another park ranger dead. The ranger had cat scratches on her. Everone thinks a cat killed her but Anna just can't believe that a cat in West Texas would kill and not eat its prey. Anna start investigating on her own. She uncovers other clues. As she does many other deaths occur. The end of this story is a big surprise. Read it, it's very intertaining.

The Battle of Mogadishu: First Hand Accounts From the Men of Task Force Ranger

Average customer rating:

The Book and the movie are different
A worthy addition to Black Hawk Down.
not very good, and short...
The Battle
Why?

The Battle of Mogadishu: First Hand Accounts From the Men of Task Force Ranger

Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES: True Story of one of the most harrowing in the history of the american military.
The Night Stalkers
Roberts Ridge: A Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan
Night Stalkers: 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (Power)

ASIN: 0345459652
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

“No matter how skilled the writer of nonfiction, you are always getting the story secondhand. Here’s a chance to go right to the source. . . . These men were there.”
–MARK BOWDEN (from the Foreword)

It started as a mission to capture a Somali warlord. It turned into a disastrous urban firefight and death-defying rescue operation that shocked the world and rattled a great nation. Now the 1993 battle for Mogadishu, Somalia–the incident that was the basis of the book and film Black Hawk Down–is remembered by the men who fought and survived it. Six of the best in our military recall their brutal experiences and brave contributions in these never-before-published, firstperson accounts.

“Operation Gothic Serpent,” by Matt Eversmann: As a “chalk” leader, Eversmann was part of the first group of Rangers to “fast rope” from the Black Hawk helicopters. It was his chalk that suffered the first casualty of the battle.

“Sua Sponte: Of Their Own Accord,” by Raleigh Cash: Responsible for controlling and directing fire support for the platoon, Cash entered the raging battle in the ground convoy sent to rescue his besieged brothers in arms.

“Through My Eyes,” by Mike Kurth: One of only two African Americans in the battle, Kurth confronted his buddies’ deaths, realizing that “the only people whom I had let get anywhere near me since I was a child were gone.”

“What Was Left Behind,” by John Belman: He roped into the biggest firefight of the battle and considers some of the mistakes that were made, such as using Black Hawk helicopters to provide sniper cover.

“Be Careful What You Wish For,” by Tim Wilkinson: He was one of the Air Force pararescuemen or PJs–the highly trained specialists for whom “That Others May Live” is no catchphrase but a credo–and sums up his incomprehensible courage as “just holding up my end of the deal on a bad day.”

“On Friendship and Firefights,” by Dan Schilling: As a combat controller, he was one of the original planners for the deployment of SOF forces to Mogadishu in the spring of 1993. During the battle, he survived the initial assault and carnage of the vehicle convoys only to return to the city to rescue his two closest friends, becoming, literally, “Last Out.”

With America’s withdrawal from Somalia an oft-cited incitement to Osama bin Laden, it is imperative to revisit this seminal military mission and learn its lessons from the men who were there and, amazingly, are still here.

Customer Reviews:

The Book and the movie are different.......2007-07-27

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in one week because it was so interesting when I started reading it I couldn't put it down. One thing that really grabbed my attention vividly is that when the troops in Somalia went out on patrol they said that when the Somalian's saw that there were Americians in the streets they would stop fighting each other and turn thier attention toward the Americans and start firing at them!

After I read this book, I couldn't watch the movie anymore because the book and the movie are somewhat different. It's kind of hard to watch the movie and see events unfold that didn't actually happen. For instance, the movie portrays Eversman as being in the stronghold with Kurth and some of the other Rangers all night after securing the Super 61 crash site and maybe I missed it somewhere in the book but I don't remember reading that. From what I read, Eversman went back to the airport after the hostage snatch. The movie is more "Hollywood" I think although the movie is very good but I think Eversman's version is told more accurately and more detailed. I really enjoyed it!

A worthy addition to Black Hawk Down........2007-04-01

This is a nice addition to the Black Hawk Down book and movie. Basically it is the story of six soldiers who were part of the battle in 1993. Yes, this book is not Black Hawk Down, but it does provide additional insight into this battle. I thought the six authors did well in providing their own picture of the battle. All six had different perspectives on what happened and this is shown through their stories.

If you have one book to read about this battle, it would be Black Hawk Down. However, this is a nice addition for those interested in knowing further info on this infamous battle.

not very good, and short..........2006-07-06

the title pretty much says it all. read blackhawk down instead...

The Battle.......2006-07-06

This book is made of many firsthand accounts of soldiers who were there. It is good supplementry reading to Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down.

Why?.......2006-06-07

I don't understand the purpose of this book. The six authors all had their story told in Black Hawk Down already. These stories sound like the boring extended scene versions, whereas Bowden only used the highlights of their actions to better convey the intensity of what happened.

Only one author, Dan Schilling, rose above the cliches and bland writing of the others to write a great story. Interestingly, his chapter is the last one in the book as if the editor knew to save the best for last. His story is the only one with depth and feeling.

I respect these guys as soldiers, but as authors they have a long way to go.

The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook: The First Guide to What Really Matters in Life

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The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook: The First Guide to What Really Matters in Life

Manufacturer: Angus@Robertson Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Official Preppy Handbook

ASIN: 0207145261

Average customer rating:

A Great Author
Believeable charachterizations, enjoyable read
A strong work with a well-drawn protagonist
A good first novel

Hookmen
Timothy Hillmer
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0684813866

Customer Reviews:

A Great Author.......2007-06-13

I thought this book was excellent. It was definately a book that you could feel yourself falling into with every turn of the page. I am very excited that Hillmer has just published a new book and am looking forward to reading the new one because of how good Hookmen was. On a side not, I was also very privelaged to have Mr. Hillmer as a teacher about 8 years ago in High School. Let's hope he keeps up the excellent writing!
Lisa

Believeable charachterizations, enjoyable read.......2000-10-10

This normally wouldn't be my type of read. Mr. Hillmer did a good job of weaving the story lines. Cruz is a very likeable character. The book moves along quickly and you can almost feel the splash of cold mountain water from the Kern. The book rings true to life, and leaves a residue of sadness.

A strong work with a well-drawn protagonist.......1999-09-12

Hillmer does a fine job of creating a credible setting for Roy Cruz's coming-of-age story. The novel avoids cliches, the prose flows well, and the story holds up. Looking forward to Hillmer's next work, whenever it might appear.

A good first novel.......1999-03-01

Timothy Hillmer's novel The Hookmen is a good first novel, and shows promise and potential for the writer. This is the story of Roy Cruz, a young man, who works for the forest service in California on the Kern River. Part of his job is to be a "hookman", to rescue people from the river and, more often, to recover the bodies of drowning victims. Hillmer writes well of the river and the men (and they are all men) who work it, also throwing in a troubled relationship between Cruz and his alcoholic father and a love interest between Cruz and a free-spirited beauty. I do not consider this a "great" book, because parts of the writing appear "clunky" and scenes a bit predictable. Hillmer, though, consistently kept my interest and got me genuinely to care about Cruz and the other river men.

The Official Sloane Ranger Diary: The First Guide to the Sloane Year

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The Official Sloane Ranger Diary: The First Guide to the Sloane Year
Ann Barr , and Peter York
Manufacturer: Ebury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0852232969

Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger, 1968-70

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SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT IN VIETNAM
Great Job Bill. Never Forget.
Great Job Bill. Never Forget.
Like it really was to be a LRRP or Ranger in Vietnam
Deeper Appreciation

Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger, 1968-70
Bill Shanahan , and John P. Brackin
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Across The Fence: The Secret War In Vietnam

ASIN: 0306812738
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Customer Reviews:

SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT IN VIETNAM.......2006-06-06

This is the true story of Bill Shanahan and his two tours of duty in Vietnam. Bill and his co-author John Brackin have created a book that gives the reader a fox-hole view on a unique kind of warfare. In Vietnam at this period of time, the Army and the Marines were all engaged in large operations with big units going into battles. Meanwhile, small Ranger units began to play by another set of rules with the enemy forces. They would ambush and engage the enemy where and when they chose. Sometimes the NVA and VC had greater numbers but these silent and invisible killing forces were able to pull success after success.

The authors give the reader some rich imagery through their wording and descriptions. This story is well worth telling and it will inspire and entertain. Bill was a real hero as were the men he fought with in his Ranger unit. I believe that this book gives justice to what they did.

A highly recommended book to read; it is given our Top Rating!

Great Job Bill. Never Forget........2004-11-02

Excellent view on how we worked. Bill & John did and great job! Lurp Teams were the "Eyes and Ears of the Commanding General". We had many tense situations. I personally slept with my M16 on my left side, my radio phone on my right ear and my 45 on my chest- finger on the trigger & thumb on the safety. Ed Zapata RTO, Team G. Thanks Bill. Never forget you guys, Bill, Dave and Arthur Bell.

Great Job Bill. Never Forget........2004-08-07

Excellent view on how we worked. Bill & John did and great job! Lurp Teams were the "Eyes and Ears of the Commanding General". We had many tense situations. I personally slept with my M16 on my left side, my radio phone on my right ear and my 45 on my chest- finger on the trigger thumb on the safety. Ed Zapata RTO, Team G. Thanks Bill. Never forget you guys, Bill, Dave and Arthur Bell.

Like it really was to be a LRRP or Ranger in Vietnam.......2004-07-08

I think that Bill Shanahan's is one of the very best first-hand accounts written about LRRP operations. His verbiage is not egotistical, but it does reflect the confidence with which he and his teammates and others in his unit carried out their very speciallized and unique operations. They were a fine unit and this book gives testimony to their memorable combat achievements as part of "The Herd", the 173rd Airborne Bde. This books ranks right up there with the best of Gary Linderer's series of books and other great combat narratives of the Vietnam War. He puts the reader right out there "in the bush" and explains tactics and actions in a manner even those who did not serve in a LRRP or Ranger unit can readily understand. He tells what his unit did, where they did it, how well, and "lessons learned", all in a very candid way. It is particularly good considering that this is apparently his first book. I hope more are forthcoming from him. I speak from first-hand knowlege as a former LRRP in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. I would highly recommend "Stealth Patrol" for a valued place in anyone's library.

Deeper Appreciation.......2004-06-20

An excellent read. Told in the first person, this book is very informative, interesting, exciting, and free of unnecessary embellishments. The story of the inception and development of the Rangers as told by a man who actually lived it gives one a profound appreciation of the accomplishments our military. For those of us who remember that era of our history, and how relatively primitive the equipment and weaponry of the Viet Nam era was, it underscores the high degree of technological sophistication that our fighting men and women have in these current times. We should all be thankful that America is blessed with people like the men of the Rangers, and all those who have followed.

"I'll Never Fight Fire with My Bare Hands Again": Recollections of the First Forest Rangers of the Inland Northwest

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This is an outstanding book!

"I'll Never Fight Fire with My Bare Hands Again": Recollections of the First Forest Rangers of the Inland Northwest

Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fire in Their Eyes: Wildfires and the People Who Fight Them

ASIN: 0700606777

Book Description

"Got the fire under control. My knees have scabbed over and feel pretty good today, but my hands are in a hell of a shape. Damned if I'll ever fight fire with my bare hands again."

Typical of turn-of-the-century forest rangers in the Inland Northwest--northern Idaho, western Montana, and eastern Washington--this diarist faced fire and other tribulations far from civilization, often alone on foot or horseback, with little equipment and no means of communication.

In this engaging collection, Hal Rothman has selected and provided context for the best and most informative letters written by early foresters. Highly literate and perceptive, the writers illuminate how they were forced to balance the agency's regulatory impulses with the needs of rural communities that depended upon forests for their livelihood. They reveal much about the challenges they met--autonomous decision-making; fire fighting and prevention; opposition and pressure from local residents; occasional corruption or incompetence; and changing technology and agency expectations. Family life, isolation, and loneliness, they show, could also be challenging.

"It got so lonely my dog couldn't stand it," wrote Edward G. Stahl. "He went down to the Kootenai River and howled 'til the ferryman from Gateway came over and took him across to town."

Facing bitter cold and heavy snow in the winter and often flames in the summer (1,700 fires in 1910 alone blackened millions of acres and killed 80 fire fighters) foresters managed to persevere with limited resources, Rothman shows. They surveyed land, enforced regulations, evaluated homestead claims, inventoried resources, organized timber sales, let grazing permits, built infrastructure, and handled many unusual situations that came their way.

O. O. Lansdale became judge, jury, and undertaker upon finding two dead men on the trail. "It was up to me, acting as coroner, to hold an inquest and bury them. Being all alone, the inquest was easy--just a case of dispensation of Providence. The burial was not so easy. Digging two graves with a piece of cedar board; then, with a rope around their feet, dragging them to their graves with the rope around the saddle horse."

As the century progressed and technology advanced, the writers show, the Forest Service evolved. Locals, who constituted the early organization, were gradually replaced by college-trained foresters, and tourism became more prevalent as primitive conditions were overcome.

"My first realization of this change came one day when I was walking along the road toward the nursery," wrote David Olson. "A large black sedan drew up from behind and stopped. A liveried chauffeur asked if I wanted a ride. Looking into the car, I saw two elderly ladies sitting in rocking chairs. They smiled and one of them said they were seeing the wild West."

This book is part of the Development of Western Resources series.

Customer Reviews:

This is an outstanding book!.......1998-12-28

This is the type of book that should be read by all people lay and professional, because it is largely a first hand account of the Region One's forest rangers and their dedication to duty. Rothman as the editor does an outstanding job weaving the individual accounts together to give a clear view of the early development of the Forest Service in Region One. He does not step on the narratives, but rather provides clarification only when needed. When a reader can actually read about events that occurred by the participants it only enriches the understanding of the subject matter. A must read for all those interested in the early days of forest management.

The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks: A Ranger Leads the Way

Average customer rating:

Lead on buddy!

The First Misadventure of Fragger Sparks: A Ranger Leads the Way
Steven D. Fisher
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1591133955

Customer Reviews:

Lead on buddy!.......2003-12-05

Well, I bought this book last month and I must say I really enjoyed it. I discovered it by accident when I came across the official website at fine-toon.com.
From the outset the action takes you into the far reaches of space and the future, and doesn't stop until the last page - and for that matter, it didn't stop there either - This is just the first book.
Any fan of Harry Harrison should buy this book, you wont be disappointed I promise.
Great characterization, great plot and great settings make this book well worth the read, and I'd definately recommend it.

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