Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: General George S. Patton's legacy was one of military success and controversy, playing an instrumental role in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany during World War II but also angering his superiors with his tendency to go rogue and anger American allies with his statements to the press. Soon after being relieved of command for the latter, Patton infamously was killed in a car accident. However, this non-fiction book challenges the official cause and suggests it might instead have been an assassination. Review: I came across Killing Patton at a bookstore last weekend and while I didn't purchase it, I was intrigued enough to check it out from the library that following Monday. I finished reading it this morning and it turned out to be a good choice. George Patton is one of my favorite Americans from history but, to be honest, I didn't really know a whole lot more about him than what I learned watching the 1970 movie named after him. And frankly, I never even on...

Synopsis: Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis reviews nine specific naval conflicts in our nation's history and the nine heroes that went above and beyond while facing insurmountable odds. Review: This was in the new books section of my local library a few days ago and, mostly because it sounded somewhat unique (especially since it was written by a retired admiral), I decided to give it a try. I finished it last night and think it was a great choice. While the book doesn't give every single detail about the heroes he writes about, it does a great job of giving a solid and detailed summary of who those people were, what they did and why they deserve recognition. Some of the people he writes about, like John Paul Jones, were people who were familiar to me. Others, like Doris "Dorrie" Miller, were complete strangers but, even if I had heard of the person before, I still learned something new. I especially liked reading Miller's story because Stavridis didn...

Synopsis : This non-fiction book tells the story about the United States' involvement in Vietnam, with an emphasis on "The Year of the Hawk," 1965. The book includes explanations about the country's history and political and military decisions that resulted in one of America's biggest military failures. Review: I hadn't planned on checking out a non-fiction book when I was at the library last week. However, I saw this book in the "new book" section and, after glancing at it, decided to give it a try. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed reading it. I think one of the hardest things about writing about a conflict like Vietnam is finding a way to balance the truth about what happened with the desire not to insult the military personnel who fought and/or died in that conflict. Being the son of a Vietnam veteran, I was concerned the book wouldn't be able to find that balance but, after reading it, I think the author did just that. I personally enjoyed h...

Synopsis: In September 1962, Flying Tiger flight 923 was flying to Germany with 68 passengers when it began to experience engine failure. Unable to reach land, Capt. John Murray was forced to "ditch" the plane in the Atlantic Ocean knowing, even if they survived the water landing and escaped the plane before it sank, they may not be rescued before dying of hypothermia. Review: Fun fact - I hate to fly. In fact, I can feel my anxiety increasing just by being around an airport (with no plans to actually board a plane). So, I should be one of the last people to read a book about a real-life plane crash but I still ended up checking out this book anyway and I'm glad I did. I think the thing that interested me most about this book was the way it described, in great detail, the various things that went wrong in a matter of minutes. In addition to losing three of four engines (one the result of human error), the plane's passengers and crew had to deal with lost rafts, forg...