Honor Before Glory: The Epic World War II Story of the Japanese American GIs Who Rescued the Lost Battalion
By: Scott McGaugh / Narrated By: Traber Burns
Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
Riveting Military History of Heroes, but oh! Traber Burns :(
Let me just get this outta the way:
Traber Burns is NOT my favorite narrator, tho’ he has indeed been the narrator for SEVERAL of my favorite audiobooks (don’t ask me how it works out that way cuz I don’t know!). The problem is this, see? He doesn’t read/narrate, he makes MAJOR proclamations, MAJOR pronouncements. In other words, he BLAAAAARES the text. I guess what saves him in Honor Before Glory is that he makes a lot of MAJOR denunciations too. And with John E. Dahlquist serving as something near an Ignorant Satan, that’ll work.
Honor Before Glory is the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, segregated Japanese American military forces and how they rescued the 141st Infantry Regiment who were surrounded and cut off by German infantry. The Publisher’s Summary reminds us that the 442nd were known as the “Go for Broke” regiment, and they were sent to do what no other forces had been able to do. It sounds all very gung-ho looking at the Summary but when you listen to the audiobook, you’ll see it for the pretty-much disaster that it was. Dahlquist sent the 442nd in COUNTLESS times, despite devastating losses and incredible carnage.
When all was said and done, the Regiment suffered 800 casualties to save just over 200 men. Two hundred WHITE men.
I saw a documentary where a 442nd survivor said that the first thing he heard upon rescuing The Lost Battalion was a GI saying he’d “never been so glad to see a Jap before,” thus highlighting how incredibly racist the views were at the time, even by those who had suffered much but were now saved. In the audiobook, however, it all ends up hugs and kisses, respect all around, so it makes for a less tragic ending.
Ah, but Dahlquist didn’t let it stop there, though. He pushed the Japanese American survivors on even after—demanding that they take a ridge. All in all, the Regiment was savaged and decimated.
It’s not all aggravations here tho’. The book tells the stories of some of the men of the 141st and their struggles; it tells of heroic efforts by airmen to fly low and drop much needed food, medical supplies, batteries, ammo and the like.
Mostly, it tells of the men of the 442nd, and while their efforts were dedicated and valiant, it winds up being a pretty sad listen at the same time.
There’s the drama that Traber Burns adds with his blasting narration, but mostly this is a timeline/situational military history. If you want the major action and major emotion, check out Four-Four-Two by Dean Hughes; it’s a novel, sure, but it’s pretty good also.
Me? I liked them BOTH!
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