Forever We Serve

Submitted by Jim Greenwald on December 14, 2012 - 08:45

Book Information:
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Author's Summary

Although World War II is over, the world is not a safer place. The Soviet Union has lowered an iron curtain in front of Eastern Europe, and Josef Stalin desires complete world domination. American nurse Jennifer Haraldsson and her former patient and German POW, Otto Bruner, have returned to their former lives with unfinished business. Although deeply in love, both realize the obstacles to spending their lives together are too overwhelming. Haraldsson, who now serves as a nurse at Walter Reed Army Hospital, knows that Jack MacLaine, United States Army Intelligence Officer, is her best hope for romance. After she accepts his marriage proposal, she naively thinks her life will return to normal. Unfortunately, she has never been more wrong. After the North Koreans attack South Korea, MacLaine is sent overseas. It is not long before Haraldsson is enlisted by her boss, Dr. Brad Taylor, to travel to Korea to launch a mobile army hospital. As the two work tirelessly to set up their MASH unit, Haraldsson has no idea that an unexpected tragedy is about to strip away her newfound happiness. Many twists and turns occur in this continuing historical thriller. The great political and military dramas of the times unfold as the legendary Marine First Regiment Commander Chesty Puller, General Douglas MacArthur, General Matthew Ridgway, and President Harry Truman assume their commanding roles. In this continuing historical saga, an American nurse soon realizes that amidst the chaos of war, nothing is guaranteed-especially love.

MWSA Review

This is a combination love-story and war-story set from the early days of the Korean War through its conclusion.  As this is the third in a series, the author provides some background information on the characters, who are continuing their lives following World War II and the start of the Cold War. 

 

As a novel, the book maintained an ebb and flow that was pleasing.  There were three different stories going on, all related, and each chapter was in and of itself part of the story. We learn about the egotistical and arrogant Douglas MacArthur, how he lost the peace and was eventually relieved of command by President Truman; we learn about the heroic Chesty Puller, USMC and the intelligence men who worked for him, and how one of them falls in love; and we learn about the nurse who loses her fiancé in the war and the war-torn romances that follow for her and her assistant as nurses in a MASH unit.

 

The story’s focus is part war, part politics, and part love.  It is a mix of history, romance and destiny, which ties doing the right thing, for one’s country, for one’s friends, and for the future into the story line.  It is an easy read, is historically correct, and one with a pleasant ending.      

Reviewed by: Darlene Iskra (2012)

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Baty, R. Samuel
Reviewer: 
Iskra, Darlene
Work Type: 
Book Reviews
Tags: 
Fiction
Historical
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