From Publishers Weekly
Thirty-one Korean War veterans talk about their experiences between 1950 and 1953 in this wide-ranging collection of reminiscences. They participated, variously, in the initial delaying action against the North Koreans, the defense of the Pusan Perimeter, the Inchon landing, the recapture of Seoul, China's entry into the conflict, the heroic withdrawal of the Marines from the Chosin Reservoir, the United Nations counteroffensive that drove the North Koreans and Chinese back across the 38th parallel (Operation Killer) and the static trench warfare that lasted until the armistice in July of 1953. Tomedi, a veteran of the Vietnam war, tries to cover as much ground as possible. He includes recollections by a fighter pilot, a bomber pilot, a screening officer at a POW camp and a machinist's mate on a destroyer, but these are far less interesting than the memories of those who met the enemy in face-to-face combat. Nevertheless, the oral testimonies here clearly convey what the war in Korea was like and how it differed from WW II and Vietnam. Photos. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A principle virtue of this compact but affecting reprise of the Korean War is that it lets those who survived the fighting and dying speak for themselves. Having tracked down over one hundred veterans of the murderous police action, freelance journalist Tomedi relies on their reminiscences to carry the roughly chronological narrative as he gives his sources virtually free rein, providing just enough background information to keep the big picture in perspective. The stories range from the rude shocks endured by a young infantryman rushed into combat from the comforts of occupation duty in Japan through the apprehension felt by a tanker patrolling the main line of resistance on the eve of armistice over three years later. In between, dozens of aviators, marines, soldiers, and sailors offer vivid accounts of the roles they and their units played in the savage campaigns that convulsed the land of the morning calm from Pusan to Inchon, Seoul, Chosin, and beyond. Their ranks encompass a couple of POWs; an ex-NCO who served in graves registration; an Englishman whose regiment was part of the Commonwealth Division, which supported the UN's predominantly American forces; a carrier pilot who returned from over 70 missions in Mig Alley; and others with decidedly atypical tales to tell. While neither as detailed nor as comprehensive as Donald Knox's two-volume oral history (The Korean War, 1985 and 1988), the gritty takes Tomedi compiled on a so-called ``forgotten'' war pack a real wallop. (Fifteen b&w photos, drawn from personal collections) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Book Description
"A vivid description of the Korean War as seen through the eyes of those who fought there. . . . Readers will find it easy to project themselves into the action, to be at the Pusan perimeter, on the ground at the Yalu River, at Pork Chop Hill, at Heartbreak Ridge or airborne in MiG Alley."—The Retired Officer Magazine
"Those who survived the fighting and dying speak for themselves. . . . The gritty takes Tomedi compiled on a so-called 'forgotten' war pack a real wallop."—Kirkus Reviews
"The oral testimonies here clearly convey what the war in Korea was like and how it differed from WWII and Vietnam." — Publishers Weekly
"No Bugles, No Drums will be a valuable addition to the military library of any student of history." — Pointer View, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
NO BUGLES, NO DRUMS
In the foxholes and atop the fiery hilltops of Korea, men confronted the savage, all-too-human face of war. They were young, valiant, and largely forgotten by a public weary of waiting for victory. Sent halfway around the world, they were ordered to fight an enemy they didn't know, for political objectives they didn't understand. But they did their job and served their nation well. And now, forty years later, their story can be told.
From the Back Cover
"A vivid description of the Korean War as seen through the eyes of those who fought there. . . . Readers will find it easy to project themselves into the action, to be at the Pusan perimeter, on the ground at the Yalu River, at Pork Chop Hill, at Heartbreak Ridge or airborne in MiG Alley."—The Retired Officer Magazine
"Those who survived the fighting and dying speak for themselves. . . . The gritty takes Tomedi compiled on a so-called 'forgotten' war pack a real wallop."—Kirkus Reviews
"The oral testimonies here clearly convey what the war in Korea was like and how it differed from WWII and Vietnam." — Publishers Weekly
"No Bugles, No Drums will be a valuable addition to the military library of any student of history." — Pointer View, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
NO BUGLES, NO DRUMS
In the foxholes and atop the fiery hilltops of Korea, men confronted the savage, all-too-human face of war. They were young, valiant, and largely forgotten by a public weary of waiting for victory. Sent halfway around the world, they were ordered to fight an enemy they didn't know, for political objectives they didn't understand. But they did their job and served their nation well. And now, forty years later, their story can be told.
About the Author
RUDY TOMEDI is a veteran of the Vietnam War who later served in Korea in the armed forces radio and television corps. A professional writer, his work appears in The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer, among other publications.
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