Book Review: Five Lieutenants, by J.C. Nelson

       Not quite 100 years ago, with Woodrow Wilson in the White House, America faced the dilemma of supporting some European friends against the Germans.  It was only a few years after the country engaged in war with Spain(Cuba, Phillipines,etc).  Wilson was determined to stay neutral and avoid a potential calamity on the continent.
      Alas, it was not to be.  By late 1917, the British and French effort was bogged down and it appeared the Germans were preparing for a final, victorious onslaught against Paris.  Enter the United States.
      General Pershing was chosen to lead America's efforts, and orders were issued to the troops to embark for England. Many were sent initially, and many of those were graduates of America's elite schools, including Harvard.  The Five Lieutenants tells the story of 5 of Harvard's men.  With all the surviving participants long dead, the author relied on the private letters of them all.  Coupled with post war histories, the author relates a compelling story of youthful enthusiasm, harsh combat reality, and the sad tales of family grief, post war suffering and decline, and a view of the long term memory of the survivor(s).
      Reading the many letters of the Harvard grads casts light on the patriotic thinking among young, privileged and educated Americans of the turn of the 20th century.   The descriptions of the action on the Western Front defy description: how could any men survive these conditions?  The entire American effort lasted less than a year-from the end of 1917 until the armistice in November, 1918.
     The story of each lieutenant is unique, tragic, and for the families affected-incredibly sad and overwhelming.
     In light of what was to come over the next century, and more so of late, one could say here lies the opening chapter of a nation becoming an international super power and the burden of those who must bear the costs.  Author: James Carl Nelson
Mayor's rating: **** 4 stars