Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers | 
| Authors: Lt. Lynn "buck" Compton, Marcus Brotherton
Creator: John Mccain
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 9128
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6 x 1.4
ISBN: 0425219704
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5421421092
EAN: 9780425219706
ASIN: 0425219704
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
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Product Description
FOREWARD BY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN:
The Band of Brothers story rightly took America by storm. In telling of that remarkable generation of men who risked everything everything to defeat the evils of fascism, the tale of Easy Companys bravery and valor has inspired its own, new generation of Americans.
As rightly it should. America has relied throughout its history on the courage and honor of extraordinary citizens who, though they may come from the most ordinary of situations, stand up when duty calls them to act. The Band of Brothers, that company of citizen- soldiers who helped our country wage and win World War II, represented that timeless virtue, the unselfish determination to serve a cause greater than our self-interest. In choosing this course, no matter its cost, an entire generation of men and women helped save the world from the evils of Nazism. We today, and all who follow, are in their debt.
Men and women, no matter how meager their origins or difficult their circumstances, possess within them the potential to alter the course of history. Buck Compton knew this, and this understanding shaped his life and destiny. He knew that there is no greatness without courage, no faith in country without devotion to fellows, no commitment to duty without service to others. Through his life and his words, we can find much to admire in men like him.
Second Lieutenant Compton commanded the second platoon of Easy Company in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the famed 101st Airborne Division about which so many tales are told. In an episode familiar to any viewer of the Band of Brothers series, in 1944 Buck Compton and others assaulted a German battery operating four 105 mm howitzers directed at Utah Beach, disabling the guns and routing the enemy. Buck was awarded the Silver Star for that action. Later, after being wounded in an operation aimed at seizing bridges in the Netherlands, Buck returned to his unit in time for the month-long siege that would in time become known as the Battle of the Bulge.
In the course of my military service, I have learned what its like to fight on foreign soil. When bullets begin flying and fighting grows thick, the ability of any individual to make correct decisions is sorely tested. Indecisiveness can be costly; poor judgment deadly. As this memoir so ably details, Buck Comptons performance in battle demonstrates that firmness and strategic thinking can save lives. In critical moments on the World War II battlefront, Buck Compton was there: fighting, persevering, and never relenting.
Yet Bucks story doesnt end there. He returned from war to a life of public service, measuring success not only by victories on the battlefield but also through his conduct during seasons of peace. Turning down an offer to play minor league baseball, he focused on a career in law, became a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department and, ultimately, an Associate Justice on the California Appeals Court. In reaching a level of success in civilian life commensurate with his victories in battle, Buck Compton showed us the many ways in which Americans fight for justice.
This memoir does his story the service it deserves. This book is the next best thing to having this courageous, thoughtful, and exceedingly modest hero relate in person the adventures and exploits of Easy Company, the prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan, and other tales from the life of an extraordinary American called to duty in an extraordinary time. In understanding the life of honor and service Buck Compton has bestowed upon his country, we glimpse anew the greatness that is America.
US Senator John McCain
Phoenix, Arizona
January, 2008
The true story of an American heroin his own words.
As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn Buck Compton fought in critical battles of World War II as a member of Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers.
Here, Buck Compton tells his own story for the first time. From his years as a two-sport UCLA star who played baseball with Jackie Robinson and football in the 1943 Rose Bowl, through his legendary post- World War II legal career as a prosecutor, in which he helped convict Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Buck Compton truly embodies the American Dream: college sports star, esteemed combat veteran, detective, attorney, judge.
This is the true story of a real-life hero who traveled to a faraway place and put his life on the line for the cause of freedomand an insightful memoir about courage, leadership, camaraderie, compassion, and the opportunities for success that can only happen in America.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 can we push the editor out of a moving plane? July 17, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I looked forward to reading the autobiography of "Buck" Compton, one of the officers of easy company in the now famous Band of Brothers. There are already several very good autobiographies out by some of the surviving members of E company of the 506 PIR of the 101st Airborne division but they are almost exclusively by what are called `Taccoa men,' that is men who were part of the original members of the company when it was formed. Compton was not a Taccoa man. He joined the regiment before it entered combat but after it had been forged into a close knit unit. The insight he might bring to this, I thought, would be fascinating.
Unfortunately, while other books by members of E company are well written, this is not. Personally I blame the editors at "Berkley Caliber" who should have seen the problems and addressed them before this went to print. Some details are organizational and some do reflect Compton's style but both are things the editors should have looked to.
For example it is common with these books to start with some dangerous event and then after wondering `how did I get here?" you go back to the start of the life that led you to that point. Buck starts this way, talking about the first time he jumped from a plane, but then with shaky starts you are moved to Normandy and then his first fight where his gun jambs and then, after 20 pages and multiple false starts do you go back to his youth. The editor should have seen this for the mess it is and sorted it out.
At barely 250 pages this is a fairly short book, most of the others are around 300 pages but that is less my concern than how much, or rather how little, focuses on his time in Easy company. In a 250 page book Mr. Compton Joined easy company on page 90 and by page 152 the war is over. Yes we want to know what happened to him before and after. What events shaped him and how to he got on after the war, but the war experiences should make up the bulk of this book. People bought it because of Band of Brothers.
What he does recount is often strangely at odds with what others remember. For example he talks about walking into Carentan without firing a shot while others have written about a fight to get into the town, most notably all other sources talk of Mr. winters, the company commander moving around on a road swept with enemy fire, urging his men forward. 33 days in action are glossed over very quickly by Compton, in about 2 pages. What are life forming moments for others seem to have become only a blur to him, given as much space in the book at his participation in the 1942 Rose bowl.
At some point the editors should have stepped in and said something like "Uh ,Buck, can you thicken this up a bit, it's awful short on this stuff." Then again, maybe they did. Compton is a shameless name dropper. He wants you to know all the famous people he knew and some of it is relevant but some of it is gratuitous. It's cute that he palled around with a young Mickey Rooney or that he played college ball with Jackie Robinson. I appreciate the story of an exchange they have on a train ride, talking about a loose woman, but Buck then goes on to spend nearly a page detailing the very public history of Jackie Robinson in major league baseball. Then he spends almost 2/3rds of a page is about how a guy he knew in ROTC went on to be a big wheel in the CIA. Maybe this was his padding. His way of making the book thicker but by the time he tells you how he went through jump school with the brother of the CHiP's commander you just want to tell him to drop it or tell their stories instead of his own..
Strangely events that could have been fun, escorting the glamorous Roslyn Russell to a dance, are glossed over.
To be fair Buck did not get on well with some of the other officers in Easy company, and it may be that this is being reflected in his writing. One wonders why he wrote the book. He says he spoke to Stephen Ambrose for only 30 minutes and most of the stories about him are anecdotal from others and he needs to set the record straight but the overall effect is weak, and disorganized and for that I blame the editors who are supposed to see this sort of problem and fix it before the public shells out good money. Mr. compton dedicated his life to public service and beyond being commendable this is an example for all americans. compton, liek all true heros, denies he was a hero and peopel should not laud him for what he did but those who died in the war. But people who bought this book were looking for the story of one of the "Band of Brothers" not the prosecutor who put away Surhan-Surhan. Mr. compton, in telling your story, in remembering those who never came back to tell their tales, that is how you could have best honored them.
Please do not take this that I am belittling Lt. compton's service. The man could have sat out the war in a safe state side job but he wanted to serve his country. He joined and led some of the finest light infantry this nation has ever produced. He fought in Normandy, Holland and Belgium and saw his closest friends reduced to hamburger. Along the way he was awarded the Silver Star and 2 combat stars on his jump wings and left his blood spilled in the soil of Europe to help free the world and defend his home. That is the resume of a hero in my book. My complaint is with the way his book is presented.
 A Man of Exceptional Character July 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As the Title states this is about Before, During, and After WWII. I never did consider these guys ''The Greatest Generation'' because they won a Popular War that our Government wanted to win. Americans could win any war that We Were Allowed to Win. These guys did, however, go through the Great Depression as kids and most had developed a sense of responsability in their early years. As a child Compton worked as an extra on movie sets. He gave his earnings to his parents to help support the family. He went to UCLA on a football scholarship but had to work on campus four hours a day. When he finally got in the Army,,he could have stayed in the states and played regimental baseball but chose to be a paratrooper.
He hits the high spots of his time spent in the war. If you want to say he was ''Defensive'' ...he probably had some good reasons. I believe that Compton, among others, got shafted in the Mini-series. From reading his book and other little tid-bits that I have picked up, he left the line at Bastogne from a serious case of trenchfoot. When he was trying to get back to the unit from the hospital he ran into an old friend that got him a job in Paris for the rest of the war. I didn;t notice any other officers turning down chances to get promoted to Headquarters or rear-eschelon jobs. The mini-series made it sound like he spent the rest of the war in a padded cell or some such thing. Whatever the truth is,,,Compton spent more time on the Line than most of the Officers in and around Easy Company He couldn't have told much that hasn't been told several times in the other BOB books.
When a person comes home from a War it's easy to have some self-pity and get an attitude. You just left a bunch of guys that you loved and had everything in common with and now you are all alone with a bunch of people that don't even have a clue.
Compton hit the ground running. This guy worked full time as a policeman and went to Law School full time as well. He excelled at everything he did,,,not because it was dropped in his lap but because he worked his tail off. This should serve as an example for the returning servicemen of today. Compton's depth of character was what impressed me about his life. As a paratrooper, myself, jumping out of an airplane is no big deal,,, dealing with life,,day after day, year after year is what's tough.
He talks about some of his more interesting cases from his days as a Prosecutor,,, especially the RFK assasination case.
I highly recommend this book. The Americans that went to war in WWII were mostly Citizen Soldiers. This is a story of one citizen that helped win the war and the kind of citizen that makes this country great.
War changes a person. That should be evident from reading Ambrose's book or watching the Mini-Series. These guys had all varied lives before, during, and after the war. From that point of view this book goes into more detail than most. I've read them all. I really can't pick one book and say it was the Best or Worst. I can say that this book certainly adds a lot to the Band of Brothers Reading List and is a Must-Read for the Serious BOB Buff.
The rest of the story! June 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lynn Buck Compton is a well deserved member of the "Greatest Generation". His book is, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story". The four words that jump out at me are "I did my job" in reference to WW2. My father said the same thing. This generation saw their role in saving the world for freedom as simply a job. Each person did his or her job to the best of their ability. Buck Compton explains to us how these same attributes were carried on after the war. His life is a great commentary on the making of the "right stuff" in America. Only in America would the sequence of events in his life lead to the life he led. I think Buck would agree "God Bless America" and keep her forever free!
A view of his whole life not just WWII June 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Buck Compton's biography covers his life before and the exciting life after "Band of Brothers"
Although I would have liked to have read more about the WWII portion of his life, I still found his life exciting.
Buck points out the inaccuracies of the miniseries and this helps to fill out the picture of the men of E company.
Maybe it is not the best "Band of Brothers" biography but it still is a good read.
Easy Company - Continues to Inspire June 24, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Congratulations to Buck Compton and thank you for telling us your inspiring story! Thank you for showing us the similarity between the Nazis you fought in WWII and today's terrorists. I can hardly go a day without thinking of the men of the 506th PIR. Your experiences in WWII have become a metaphor of life for me - I liken the Germans you encountered hiding behind the bushes in Europe to the challenges and troubles that life throws at all of us and try to face them with the same steely determination that you did. I sent this book to my son who recently graduated from college for several reasons - one being that it shows young people how careers are shaped by a combination of opportunity, chance and hard work!
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