Steven Weingartner's writing has been highly praised by military historians, soldiers, veterans, publishers and readers.
Accolades for Faithful Warriors: A Combat Marine
Remembers the Pacific War
“‘Faithful Warriors’ is the saltiest World War II Marine memoir since E. B. Sledge graced us with his epic volume on the First Marine Division in World War II, ‘With the Old Breed' . . . . Assisted by historian Steven Weingartner, the book is crafted with style, grit and enormous power. Page after page, the book gives the reader some harsh insights into the ‘mythical fifty-yard circle’ that surrounds a combat Marine's fighting hole. . . . Ladd's gritty description of [the battle for Betio] is a masterpiece. . . . In the pantheon of great combat memoirs, ‘Faithful Warriors’ ranks at the very pinnacle of the genre. Without a doubt, the reader will embrace this remarkable book with compassionate reverence coupled with a sense of admiration and enduring respect.”
– Leatherneck Magazine
“Taken altogether, Faithful Warriors presents some of the most powerful descriptions of combat
that I have ever read.”
– Maj. Gen. O. K. Steele, USMC (Ret.) former 2nd Marine Division commander
“Ladd is at his best in this book when he is describing exactly what he saw, heard, and smelled within
the mythical 50-yard circle of his foxhole. From his narrative we learn what it's like to be shot in the stomach, to undergo crude surgery in an improvised sickbay aboard a troop transport, to go down the scramble nets for the next landing, knowing so painfully what to expect.”
– Col. Joseph Alexander, USMC (Ret.), author of Utmost Savagery
“By far the most lucid and moving account of the Battle of Tarawa that I have read since Robert Sherrod's first person depiction written many years ago.”
– Lt. Gen. William Keys, USMC (Ret.), former 2nd Marine Division commander
“If you are fascinated by personal narratives from World War II, you had better put on the coffee pot,
and settle down to one hell of read. . . ’
– Midwest Book Review
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Accolades for Lala’s Story: A Memoir of the Holocaust
“[A]mong the better recent Holocaust memoirs, with a firm grounding in Polish-Jewish history
and an admirable frankness that makes no effort to disguise its heroine’s human foibles.”
– Kirkus
“This memoir, rich in texture and detail, reflects the extensive research the protagonist's
co-author, Steven Weingartner, seems to have done in preparation for writing this work. . . .
[T]he he episodes of flight and survival recalled by Fishman, and recounted here, make this
story a valuable window into an era which saw the brutal eradication of Europe's Jews.”
– Stewart W. Mirsky, Author of A Raft on the River:
The Story of a Young Girl's Coming Of Age in the Shadow of the Holocaust ______________________
Accolades for Cantigny at Seventy-Five
“For anyone contemplating serious study of the U.S. Army’s operational role in the First World War, Cantigny at Seventy-Five is an eye-opening handbook on how to proceed.”
- Journal of Military History
“Weingartner faced a formidable task in preparing this book without losing the essence of the multifaceted topics and the attendees’ expertise. He has successfully captured the ‘watershed’ nature of World War I in redefining the relationship between the National Guard and the Regular Army.” -Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
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Accolades for The Greatest Thing We Have Ever Attempted
“. . . provides a refreshing diversity of outlook. . . . insights and comments from actual D-day staff and frontline participants give an added beneficial context.”
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Journal of Military History
“. . . an accurate, unsentimental reminder of events fast receding into history.”
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Proceedings
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Accolades for A Weekend with the Great War
“Some of the foremost scholars of the First World War participated. . . . the range of topics is broad and interesting. . . . the variety of essays and the quality of the contributors makes this a most worthwhile volume.”
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Canadian Military History Book Review Supplement
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Accolades for No Mission Too Difficult!
“What one finds in these pages is . . . the human experience of war with its highs and lows. . . . One comes away from this book with not only a better understanding of what war was like for the men who fought and a greater appreciation of the camaraderie and the pride that these men of the 1st Division share, but also why that division has always been outstanding.”
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Edward M. Coffman
“. . . captures the drama of its campaigns. Conveys small-unit action in graphic detail, each section well supported by explanatory passages that provide historical context.”
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Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Accolades for The Beast Was Out There
“So sad, so incisive, so objectively/fearlessly written. . . . All told, a great read.”
– Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore, U.S. Army (Ret.),
co-author with Joseph L. Galloway of We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young
“An extraordinary [and] compelling account, by a great soldier, of the toughest task there is--ground infantry close combat. The Beast Was Out There superbly captures real battle. Jim Shelton gives us countless tactical and leadership lessons and honest judgements using an epic fight. Through the book shines his love of the soldier, his beloved Black Lions, and the Big Red One. A must read for all officers and cadets and students of the art of war.”
– General Richard E. Cavazos, U.S. Army (Ret.), former commander of 1-18 Infantry, 1st Infantry Division during the Battle of Ông Thanh
“I sat down and read the entire book in one night. You have done your comrades a great honor in telling their story in such a fine manner.”
– General Ronald R. Fogleman, U.S.A.F (Ret.), former chief of staff, U.S. Air Force
“Simply put, the book is excellent!. . . [the] feel of the battlefield is almost eerily realistic. I hope it receives a wide readership for years to come – it should. . . . the most valuable contribution (of many) you have made . . . is to show how infantry fought in that war, how they really fought. . . .Your objectivity . . . is remarkable. Heroism was present, and outstanding leadership, but so was poor performance and failed leadership. The good and the bad existed at low levels and high, generals and privates alike won accolades and deserved condemnation. That you describe it all makes this book stick out from others. . . . If any future student of the Vietnam War wants to know why we fought for so long at such cost with such meager results, he must start with your book.”
– Lieutenant General Dave R. Palmer, U.S. Army (Ret.), former superintendent U.S. Military Academy, author of Summons of the Trumpet: U.S. – Vietnam in Perspective
“I started reading it over the holidays and could not put it down. It brought back many memories of my own time in Vietnam as an infantry battalion S3 – memories that I had long since forgotten.... The candor in this book is what I would expect from the Jim SheltonI knew when we served together as lieutenants in the 82nd Airborne Division.... [the story] is an enormous legacy to thousands of young warriors yet to come.”
-Lieutenant General James H. Johnson Jr., US. Army (Ret.)
“I was immediately hooked...and read your [book] from beginning to end. You did a great job.... Your description of infantry operationsin jungle terrain was most accurate, and I could almost smell the foliage.... Your discussion of foxhole strength at company Ievel was on target.”
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Brigadier General Grail L. Brookshire, U.S. Army (Ret.) Former commander 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, "The Blackhorse Regiment," with service in Vietnam
“It was a sad day of course for [the] 2/28 and the division but through your writing it was clear how professional the division was. Also how much everyone cared for their soldiers.... Congratulations on a great book.”
-Major General Calvert P. Benedict, U.S. Army (Ret.) Former commander 1116 Infantry, 1st Infantry Division at the Battle of Ong Thanh; former commander 1st Infantry Division
“I read it, relived it, and enjoyed it.... Your book should be used at the Infantry School and CGSC preferably in a ‘case study’ mode.... Our folks are not good at after-action and historical lessons. We STILL seem to make the same mistakes again and again.”
-Lieutenant General Robert Haldane, U.S. Army (Ret.) Former commander 1128 Infantry; 1st Infantry Division, in Vietnam
“[Major General James] Vaught's chief of staff when he was at Fort Stewart was a man who would have been played by John Wayne if hislife had been made into a movie. James Shelton was cut from the same cloth as Vaught. . .and he was the same kind of straight talker and soldier's soldier that his boss was.” “[The Beast Was Out There] is a story of guilt, disappointment, tragedy, valor, anxiety, anger and humor. But most of all, it is what I would have expected of Shelton: a realistic picture of what the military and war are like.”
-Elijah Gosler, columnist for the St. Petersburg Times in his article
A Deserving Leader of Men, December 24, 2002
The Beast Was Out There “...is already unique in my mind because it actually deals with a tactical battle which we lost. That was needed. Jim Shelton is a superb soldier and a very fine human being and he is to be thanked and congratulated for this contribution to history.”
-Lieutenant General DeWitt Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.) Former commandant,
U.S. Army War College
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Accolades for Black Lions
“This volume is a fine contribution to the regimental history genre . . . it will be of interest to anyone who served in the 28th Infantry as well as any scholar interested in the modern history of the United States Army.”
-Journal of Military History
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Accolades for Blue Spaders
“Blue Spaders is not intended to be a comprehensive history of the 26th Infantry Regiment, but rather a book that captures the unit’s ‘personality.’ And in that endeavor it has succeeded admirably.”
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Col. Harry G. Summers Jr.