preview

Review of Rudy Tomedi's No Bugles, No Drums

Decent Essays

Review of Rudy Tomedi’s No Bugles, No Drums

What are the major wars in which the U.S. fought? A typical American might mention the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and most recently, the war in Iraq. However, one war absent from this list proved to be one of the most casualty-laden but least recognized by the American public as a significant war: the Korean War. In his book No Bugles, No Drums: An Oral History of the Korean War, Vietnam veteran Rudy Tomedi offers the personal memories of dozens of soldiers who participated in “the forgotten war.”

It must be understood that if one is looking for a book that is extremely accurate about historical details of the war, this …show more content…

The most prominent strength of Tomedi’s book proves to be the emotion and personality portrayed by so many of the men in their respective sections. Too often, history books are very dry and emotionally detached; however, through careful editing of the interview transcripts, Tomedi produced chapters capable of capturing and holding an audience’s interest. One particularly touching section involved a soldier recollecting the deep respect he acquired for the valor and pride of the army of the Republic of Korea. He mentioned in the end of the piece that an ROK regimental band went individually to each American soldier and serenaded him with American Christmas songs. Even more heartwarming was that after they had played, each member of the band shook his hand and thanked him for being there (Tomedi 198). Accounts such as that one lend a very personal perspective to a war from which so many people feel far-removed.

Also pleasing to read was the inclusion of the accounts of very different types of soldiers, which gave variety to the book. Tomedi included white, black, Mexican, and British soldiers’ stories, accounts of soldiers who respected Koreans and also those who loathed Asian people in general. The wide spread of opinions and experiences hinted at the diversity of the people who fought in the

Get Access