Devotion, Adam Makos, author; Dominic Hoffman, narrator
This is a well written book that is read expertly by the narrator. It describes two men that became military heroes during the Korean War. One was white and came from privilege and one was black and came from poverty. Both men transcended the prejudice of the times to become close friends, in a time when racial injustice was front and center. It was a time when blacks were not accorded the same rights as whites. Even in the service, where they risked their lives alongside their white brothers, they was still a barrier in the places that excluded them.
Jesse Brown was the first black man to graduate from flight school and become a Navy pilot. He came from a humble background and was revered by all those who knew of his accomplishments. He gave others the hope that they, too, would overcome the injustices they faced. He had a quiet dignity that drew others to him and earned him the deep and abiding respect of his fellow soldiers. Jesse had a wife and daughter when he went off to fight in the Korean War. He was paired with Tom Hudner, a man from an upper class background who welcomed the opportunity to serve with him even though there were others who might not have been so honored. The two became fast friends as the months of training and fighting passed. Their relationship was uninhibited by either’s background or color. To insinuate that they were almost like brothers, devoted to each other’s safety, would not be an understatement.
In a war, with unfair rules of engagement that favored the enemy, their task was daunting. Subjected to freezing temperatures and a lack of manpower with which to face the Chinese fighters who entered the Korean war, even as China denied they were there, the American soldiers had a tough row to hoe, and history tells us that this war was not won by the United States. It indicts Douglas McArthur for his terrible judgement which caused the unnecessary deaths of many a soldier while he postured for the press and prompted President Truman to fire him. Although the military fought valiantly, the country remains today divided, neither free nor democratic.
As the story is revealed and the loyalty and love these two men had for each other grew, the author brings the war to the reader. The tension, the fears, the violence and the brutality are very palpable. The reader is at the graduation when they get their wings, at their first meeting when paired off, on the battlefield with them, on the battleship, at the Choisin Reservoir, witnessing the carnage and the celebrations, the rescues and the losses. It is a wonderful book about two wonderful and courageous men who fought side by side and had a fierce loyalty for each other’s welfare. Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery when he risked his own life to try and save Jesse’s. We could do with a few more men like them today. They were a true band of brothers, without color or class constraints.
Jesse was beloved by most for his achievements and quiet sense of courage and composure. Jesse was not about color, he was about character. Told through the eyes of Hudner and his friends, the pages are alive. We the readers are placed right into the thick of things as the war drags on and on. The unspeakable conditions these soldiers were exposed to were highlighted and the incredible patriotism and sense of nationalism is amazing and rewarding to behold.