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“Class of Twenty-Eight” By Neil Moloney PublishAmerica, 2007, $ 22.95 ISBN # 1-4241-1076-9 Reviewed by Andrew Lubin Most veterans write stories based (sometimes loosely) on their experiences in battle. First-time author Neil Moloney has instead penned a unique book covering the lives of five young men – five high school friends – four of whom enlisted in the military following the Pearl Harbor attack. Moloney’s story follows these young men from boot camp to battle, as they participate in the war in different branches of the service. In an interesting twist, one of the five is Japanese, and his story is that of a Japanese-American trapped in Japan on 7 December, and forced to fight against America. A former Marine who served in the South Pacific during WW2, Moloney’s book deserves high ratings for his honest portrayal of combat, and how men behave in battle. He also remembered to weave in a war-time romance; so common as the young men – which brings in a touch of humanity to the brutality of the Marine’s island war in the Pacific. |