A Teenager's Journey in War & Peace

The author tells the story of his life from his childhood in New Jersey, his experiences as a soldier in World War II, and his life to the present time. It is mostly about the war. As the author relates his memories of childhood, the reader gets the sense of fate, that this life will be driven towards a purpose involving future events which cannot be foreseen. The young people who served in World War II were for the most part not professional soldiers. Their lives were interrupted, and those who returned home were changed forever. Although for the most part they lived ordinary lives following the war, their experiences informed their beliefs, attitudes, and actions. It was not only the war and its immediate outcome that shaped history; these people lived, saw, learned, and would not forget things which those of us who were born later are not given to fully know. As a Field Artillary Private in Europe, the author's unit is frequently moved from one place to another. Sometimes they don't even know where they are, where they have come from, or when or where they are going next. There are uneventful periods and sudden battles, and none of it is predictable or controllable. The soldiers are being moved around like pins on a map, and their involvement is so close and personal that they can't even see the map. Those who shape destiny are also controlled by destiny. One incident I remember well is when the author describes his being selected to be sent to a recently liberated concentration camp. Since the camp was at that time being occupied by the Russians who had liberated it, and since the author had been ordered not to interfere, the purpose of him being sent there is unclear. Perhaps it was mostly to be a witness, so that the world would know and remember the atrocities that had occurred. The book rises above the level of most autobiographies because the author is telling not only of his own life, but he is bearing witness to something that is important and must still to this day be told repeatedly by various people in various ways. In the final sections of the book the author describes his life following the war. He is no longer a pawn of destiny, but forges his own, as he raises a family and builds a successful business. He experiences triumphs and setbacks, successes and failures, good luck and bad luck, but he makes his own choices in freedom. Life ultimately triumphs. The author's love of life, his optimism and determination in the face of adversity, is inspiring. The experiences of war and of life after the war reflect and give meaning to one another. The author is not a professional writer, but he has a fascinating story to tell, and for the most part he tells it well, with wisdom, grace, and humor.