Book Review: Young Soldiers-Amazing Warriors

This amazing, excellent, critically acclaimed, award-winning book is the true story of young men and officers serving with the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment where deaths were near daily occurrences.

This powerful war story is taken directly from the daily journal kept by the author, Robert Sholly. Page after page depicts dramatic eye-witness recounts the riveting events of their war with stories of boys becoming veteran Soldiers and amazing warriors.  

These battles sustained a great loss of life on both sides as America's young men were tested time and again. As is the case in all wars, there are events many veterans cannot talk about to this day, but they trusted Sholly to get their story told and it has been done with vision and respect.  His Soldiers can be proud of his portrayal of their bravery and sacrifice he so well described in every word of his outstanding book.

Many heroic men battled in the raging bloody and horrific fights and four of them were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions. This book describes the courage, heroism, and valor of these young Soldiers the United States sent to war. Tragically, too many did not come back.

Having read many first-person novels about the war in Viet Nam, I consider this to be among the top five. You get a very good feeling for the life of the Soldier at the squad and platoon level as well as the multiple responsibilities of a company commander. 

I highly recommend this book for those who want to know what it was like being an Infantry Soldier inside of the most highly decorated battalion of the Vietnam war.

Reader Reviews
Young Soldiers Amazing Warriors is a first-hand account of a soldier's daily life in the combat zone during the Vietnam War. The reader is immersed in the youthful courage that permeates our hero's actions and the humor that helps him survive the mayhem. His job is not an ordinary one; flirting with death often happens well "before 9 o'clock when civilians at home were just getting to work." Intertwined with the author's recollections are interviews with fellow fighters and commanders, as well as excerpts from their letters home, completing the picture and ensuring the accuracy of events.
~Catherine Langrehr

Sholly has done a great job. As a battalion commander of the 3-8th Infantry, I participated in some of the same battles. Sholly's real Soldiers candidly describe the way they fought on the ground, without the bluster and braggadocio found in other accounts. This is the way it was and should be required reading for company grade officers and senior NCOs as well as their leaders. This is the best book I have ever read about combat in Vietnam.
~Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Lynch, U.S. Army (Ret.)

This is war. Not many books about combat ever really catch it. This one has, and in a language everyman can grasp. It's a terrific book.
~Dr. William Hammond

I think this book may be the best account written about combat in Vietnam. Put Sholly right up there with Phillip Caputo, James Webb, and Tim O'Brien as far as writing goes, but this is no novel. I don't think anyone can touch him for a non-fiction account.
~Mike Boren

An amazing tribute and legacy to all infantrymen, past, present and those yet to come. An inspirational honor for the families of those who did not return. Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers) wrote so eloquently of combat heroism. Bob Sholly LIVED it AND wrote about it. He has, in this book, immortalized the courage, bravery, and spirit of America's finest. This book should be mandatory reading for every citizen in this country.
~Jack Avant, Colonel, USA (Ret.)

Sholly was a Company Commander and he tells about his first year in country with his command. I'm usually cautious of books written from an Officers' viewpoint. I am very glad I set this prejudice aside this time because the book reads as though he was just a supporting character. The story is really about his men. If I were to teach a Leadership course in any field this book would be on the required reading list.
~HerB, USAID, Asst Inspector General

About the Author
Robert H. Sholly is a retired United States Army Colonel, Best Selling Author, professional speaker and a distinguished soldier-citizen who served thirty-five years in the military with two tours in Vietnam and other conflicts. Among his medals are the Silver Star Medal and three Bronze Stars Medals.

Command and staff assignments included a five-year period with the Defense Intelligence Agency. Other special assignments took him to the deserts of the Middle East, the mountains of Afghanistan and the plains and jungles of Africa.

Sholly is a recipient of the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. His last military assignment was with the Center of Military History which involved the writing of the official histories of the U.S. Army.

Sholly is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, the National Security portion of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Army War College. He earned a Master's Degree in History and English from the University of Texas at El Paso and speaks 5 languages. He resides with his wife, Peggy Touchtone Sholly, in Pearland, Texas and is active in the National Speakers Association Academy, Pearland Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Pearland Toastmasters and other professional and military organizations.

A short two-minute video can be found at:
http://youngSoldiersamazingwarriors.com/

Here are some of the pictures you will find in Young Soldiers Amazing Warriors. Taken by Robert Sholly during his tours in the Vietnam War:
http://youngSoldiersamazingwarriors.com/pictures/