Konrad RK Ludwig

Memoirs are such tricky things. Memoirs about combat are even harder as the stress involved does strange and terrible things to memory. The problem with memoirs is time. The longer someone waits to write their memoir, the more details are lost or unconsciously changed with the vagaries of memory. For a war time memoir, the war has to end and be over for at least a decade. If the author doesn't wait, he/she runs into a problem with offending those still in the service.

This memoir could have show more waited a bit, as the Colonel in this story is an amalgamation of all the stupid and political decisions that came down from on high. Ludwig is too loyal to point the finger at those responsible for bad decisions, and this memoir suffers ever so slightly in its authenticity.

This is a great memoir, no doubt about it. The author went through hell and it takes a great deal of courage and fortitude to put those events on paper for the world to read.

The best parts of the memoir deal with Ludwig's emotions at the times of great stress. Some of the descriptive language was a bit too much for my taste, but this doesn't suffer from the godawful prose from so many first time writers.

One take away that should have received more attention was the therapeutic value of writing about one's wartime experiences. I hope Ludwig has found some solace in writing this memoir, as the scars of wartime service run deep and beneath the skin.

As a veteran of 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (OIF I), I salute the author.

Always Ready! show less

Memoirs are such tricky things. Memoirs about combat are even harder as the stress involved does strange and terrible things to memory. The problem with memoirs is time. The longer someone waits to write their memoir, the more details are lost or unconsciously changed with the vagaries of memory. For a war time memoir, the war has to end and be over for at least a decade. If the author doesn't wait, he/she runs into a problem with offending those still in the service.

This memoir could have show more waited a bit, as the Colonel in this story is an amalgamation of all the stupid and political decisions that came down from on high. Ludwig is too loyal to point the finger at those responsible for bad decisions, and this memoir suffers ever so slightly in its authenticity.

This is a great memoir, no doubt about it. The author went through hell and it takes a great deal of courage and fortitude to put those events on paper for the world to read.

The best parts of the memoir deal with Ludwig's emotions at the times of great stress. Some of the descriptive language was a bit too much for my taste, but this doesn't suffer from the godawful prose from so many first time writers.

One take away that should have received more attention was the therapeutic value of writing about one's wartime experiences. I hope Ludwig has found some solace in writing this memoir, as the scars of wartime service run deep and beneath the skin.

As a veteran of 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (OIF I), I salute the author.

Always Ready! show less