The Price of Freedom
I am a Battle Captain for an Attack Helicopter Battalion in the First Cavalry Division, currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am an AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter pilot and a veteran of OIF II. I have a very amazing son, David, who I miss very much and think about every day. I plan on getting out of the military as soon as I am able to go work for my dad in Florida. I hope to start a nice little business of my own someday!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Bill Bryson--Funniest Travel Writer Ever
The Professional Tourist(***Note: Click on the titles of the books to get a much better preview!)
I was introduced to Bill Bryson in Iraq. A care package from my mom had a book called A Short History of Nearly Everything. I didn't have a lot of time to read but I started flipping through it. At first, I was impressed with how knowledgeable the man was. I felt like I was listening to a 70 year old historian/scientist with an incredible sense of humor.About fifteen chapters in, I was amazed at the depth of Bill's research and the best part was that I laughed every other page. The man was brilliant. Imagine my surprise when my Platoon Sergeant mentioned some obscure "travel writer" named Bill Bryson that he thought I would enjoy! He was reading In A Sunburned Country. Hold on. Travel Writer? Clearly this man was some sort of professor or scholar. We compared notes and figured out we were in fact speaking of the same gentleman indeed. We swapped books a week later and I was so impressed by IASC that I wanted to hop on the next plane to Australia and do exactly what he did. Bill travels to Australia for one month and basically drives around and through the island stopping only to get drunk in a sleazy roadside pub or to spin a tale or two on the world's (theoretically) most dangerous continent.
By the time I got home from Iraq I bought all the Bill Bryson books I could get a hold of. I started off with I'm A Stranger Here Myself, The Mother Tongue, A Walk In The Woods, and Neither Here Nor There.
Out of these books, A Walk In The Woods was absolutely the best. It follows Bill on his quest to hike the entire Appalachian Trail with a fat, out of shape friend from his youth and a curious fear of the American Black Bear. I laughed my ass off reading this book and true to reading a Bryson piece, started planning my own hike for one day.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself is about Bill's trip across America. He travels from small town to small town searching for the perfect quaint old city. It is one of his slower books, but we've all been to a lot of these towns and let's face it, there's no words you can use to spice up Murphreesboro, TN or Seeley Lake, MT.
Neither Here Nor There is another inspirational travel piece. Bill's "Eurotrip" prompted me to google an image of every place in the book so I could get a better feel for his adventure. I am planning on spending my Mid-Tour (R&R) Leave in Europe and rest assured, I will be following the path of Bill Bryson.
The Mother Tongue is probably the hardest Bryson book to get through. This could be for two possible reasons: One, that any book on the derivation of all languages couldn't possibly be entertaining or Two, I was sitting in a tent out in the field and it was 14 degrees outside and hailing. Nonetheless, it was a very rewarding read that finally pushed me into signing up for an online Latin class!
Reaper 16, 19:33
5 Comments:
Sort of like a Charles Kuralt, eh? As the war in Iraq has to be the most infernal war that I can remember, I hope that each soldier in Iraq returns home safely.
I guess that I would be showing my age if I were to say I did not know who Kuralt was until I attended college (and he had been dead for a year at that point!) I do see a lot of similarities between the two men, but what puts Bill over Charles for me is the background story. During his travels, Bill tells about the history of bear attacks in NC while on the AT or of Copenhagen's political foundations while strolling down a Denmark street. But I guess you can do more in a book than you can in a video.
As for the "infernal" comment: I do not know exactly what you mean when you say that Iraq is the most infernal war you can remember. I take infernal to mean "like hell" or "damnable." Are you speaking only of conflicts in which the US is involved? I can think of way worse conflicts in the world even in the last two decades. Is it the way our President is handling the war that is infernal to you? Or is it the actual location that is infernal? Perhaps you are referring to the nature of the war (IEDs, ambushes, suicide bombing, etc.)If you are speaking of the nature of this war, than I completely agree with you. The enemy cannot beat us outright so he will do any ugly deed to kill and try to make the war "not worth it" for Americans. I have witnessed things that should never be spoken of again and only exist otherwise in hell.
But again, we all voted for the current administration (or didn't do enough to make the other guy win, if that was your choice)and we are fighting a true threat to our own security I believe.
So we Soldiers will live through this and wake to the nightmares so that others don't have to. Thanks for your comment. I'll be sure to give Sister of Mercy a read!
As for the "infernal" comment: I do not know exactly what you mean when you say that Iraq is the most infernal war you can remember. I take infernal to mean "like hell" or "damnable." Are you speaking only of conflicts in which the US is involved? I can think of way worse conflicts in the world even in the last two decades. Is it the way our President is handling the war that is infernal to you? Or is it the actual location that is infernal? Perhaps you are referring to the nature of the war (IEDs, ambushes, suicide bombing, etc.)If you are speaking of the nature of this war, than I completely agree with you. The enemy cannot beat us outright so he will do any ugly deed to kill and try to make the war "not worth it" for Americans. I have witnessed things that should never be spoken of again and only exist otherwise in hell.
But again, we all voted for the current administration (or didn't do enough to make the other guy win, if that was your choice)and we are fighting a true threat to our own security I believe.
So we Soldiers will live through this and wake to the nightmares so that others don't have to. Thanks for your comment. I'll be sure to give Sister of Mercy a read!
I thought I'd let you see what some guy on Amazon thought of your fav scribbler...
Maybe he should have stayed in Britain..., July 21, 2006
Reviewer: Francis Ford Copp-a-feel (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
The book was pretty good overall, but a few things really ruined things for me. First and foremost, I was led to believe that this book was going to be funny, or at least somewhat humorous. I quickly found that Bryson is in fact not funny, and the only comic relief in the entire book is Katz's antics. Second, Bryson is extremely critical of the National Parks system and the National Forest system, among other things. His complaints are generally unfounded and completely contradictory. He criticizes parks for not doing enough to save the "bald" peaks by cutting back blackberry bushes, then later says that parks interfere too much with nature. He complains of the acid rain, then drives back and forth to trails instead of just hiking the whole trail. He complains of the logging in the national forests(which was exactly why the NFS was created, to manage forests), then writes a BOOK, on paper, made from wood! Generally he seems whiny and pessimistic, and can never quite realize that people use forests for other things than for Bill Bryson's personal hiking enjoyment.
As a hiker/outdoorsman, I would NOT reccommend this book to hiker's or anyone that spends time in the woods. Bryson as well as his buddy are both greenhorn bumbling fools, atleast thats how it appears, and sometimes reading of their exploits is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone, unless you are also a greenhorn bumbling fool.
NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Yeah, it's a damnable war alright, maybe if the enemy threw women and children off of cliffs to avoid capture (like the Japanese did) instead of just blowing them up it would be less damnable..but HELL, it's the only game in town right now so I guess I'll have to make do.
Maybe he should have stayed in Britain..., July 21, 2006
Reviewer: Francis Ford Copp-a-feel (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
The book was pretty good overall, but a few things really ruined things for me. First and foremost, I was led to believe that this book was going to be funny, or at least somewhat humorous. I quickly found that Bryson is in fact not funny, and the only comic relief in the entire book is Katz's antics. Second, Bryson is extremely critical of the National Parks system and the National Forest system, among other things. His complaints are generally unfounded and completely contradictory. He criticizes parks for not doing enough to save the "bald" peaks by cutting back blackberry bushes, then later says that parks interfere too much with nature. He complains of the acid rain, then drives back and forth to trails instead of just hiking the whole trail. He complains of the logging in the national forests(which was exactly why the NFS was created, to manage forests), then writes a BOOK, on paper, made from wood! Generally he seems whiny and pessimistic, and can never quite realize that people use forests for other things than for Bill Bryson's personal hiking enjoyment.
As a hiker/outdoorsman, I would NOT reccommend this book to hiker's or anyone that spends time in the woods. Bryson as well as his buddy are both greenhorn bumbling fools, atleast thats how it appears, and sometimes reading of their exploits is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone, unless you are also a greenhorn bumbling fool.
NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Yeah, it's a damnable war alright, maybe if the enemy threw women and children off of cliffs to avoid capture (like the Japanese did) instead of just blowing them up it would be less damnable..but HELL, it's the only game in town right now so I guess I'll have to make do.
Outlaw 13,
Much I like I tell you at work everyday (reference Abu Mohammed Al-Walachi), REMEMBER THE SOURCE! C'mon! The guy calls himself "Franci Ford Copp-a-feel."
But seriously, Coppafeel has a good point. They are really bad outdoorsman. Which is why I laughed so hard.
Side Note--Where are we at with Task Force Rochambeau?
Much I like I tell you at work everyday (reference Abu Mohammed Al-Walachi), REMEMBER THE SOURCE! C'mon! The guy calls himself "Franci Ford Copp-a-feel."
But seriously, Coppafeel has a good point. They are really bad outdoorsman. Which is why I laughed so hard.
Side Note--Where are we at with Task Force Rochambeau?
Making fun of this guy's screen name is rich coming from a guy calling himself "Reaper 16"...I didn't really take him seriously, I just thought you'd find it funny given your drooling over Mr. Bryson's books.
Rochambeau is in a holding pattern waiting for someone to work up the energy to do anything.
Rochambeau is in a holding pattern waiting for someone to work up the energy to do anything.
