MWSA Book Review

Battle Talk

Authors: Dick Hill

Publisher:  Beaver’s Pond Press

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

Great Book & Audio CD on the Korean War

Can you image the thrill of picking up a great book on the Korean War and enjoying every page and then discovering that there is a audio CD in the back of the book. Not only does that CD contain war interviews with Marines in the battle zone but also a rare and unknown interview with Baseball Hall of Fame member and US Marine Ted Williams! What a bonus and the audio is as good as it gets and well worth the price of the book. Author, and a former Marine Radio Correspondent, Dick Hill captures stories and information about America’s “Forgotten War” in his soon to become a classic book “Battle Talk.” I was blown away by the stories contained between these pages and on the CD. Truly an undiscovered history treasure!

The photos, the little trivia and facts and the personal tales make this a fascinating and entertaining reading and educational experience all wrapped into one. The book met and exceeded all my expectations for a book on the Korean War. I thought almost everything had been covered and that I would not be uncovering new gems of history. How wrong I was and how happy I am to have discovered this book. The interview with Captain Ted Williams who was recovering on a hospital ship is something I did not know even existed. It gives a nice little insight into the man who became an icon. A man who served in two wars for his country and found himself flying jets over North Korea and getting shot up when he was at his peak of his baseball game. Dick Hill does a great one on one interview on the CD and writes a candid background on how it took place in his book.

This book captures that war and that time and place as good as any book I have read on the war. Dick Hill may have been a great interviewer on the radio but he also proves to be a talented writer. He allows us to follow him through his early broadcasting days on civilian radio then through Marine Boot Camp and eventually on to the war zone. We get to learn about the people and politics of that period in our history through the author’s eyes. He gives us an impressive historical tour of what it was like. Looking back over 50 plus years does not diminish his story at all.

I have to admit that I found this book exciting and actually loved reading it. I am an old Army guy so I can only image how a Marine would feel reading this book. It does the Corps proud and serves a nice bridge to their past heroics and traditions. This book is a must read for all Leathernecks and their families and anyone else who loves history and personal stories about men in combat.

The CD fills your head with the sounds of live interviews including some close to the front. There are Christmas Carols being sung by Marines and an interview with a chaplain that are moving. I would love to hear the many more hours of tapes that Dick Hill has – these are worthy of being included in the Smithsonian and preserved.

This book is given the MWSA’s highest rating of FIVE STARS! It also carries my personal recommendation and endorsement to buy and read it! I cannot state it any louder or clearer – this is the best book on the Korean War written in the last twenty years!