Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. However, that does not in any way influence this review of “Bullets and Bandages: Bond of Brothers” which in my opinion is an excellently written and intriguing story.
I enjoyed reading “Bullets and Bandages: Bond of Brothers” which is the 3rd Edition of this exceptional and extremely realistic story by Robert Saniscalchi, who in my opinion, is one of the best historical fiction writers about the real horrors of war.
The author writes a fast-paced story putting the reader right into the war and all its horrors. I felt the writing was incredibly realistic, frightening and very honestly portrayed the intensity and immediacy of guerrilla warfare with much more drama than if you watched it all happening on a movie screen. Here is a brief excerpt,
“I slowly crawled forward, toward the V.C. position, as the bullets started snapping around me. I was scared to move, but I returned fire. Suddenly, I heard a snap and a thud, to my right; I turned and there it was: a grenade.
“I rolled away, as quickly as possible, and most of the explosion went over me, though I felt a sting in my buttocks and arm; I couldn’t hear anything, except the ringing in my ears. I stayed low, in firing position, with my rifle at the ready, and as I turned in the direction the grenade had come from, I could see the V.C., looking to see if he had got me. I fired a burst and he went down.
“Their heavy machine-gun fire started again, and I knew we had to take it out. I had the best chance, from my location, so I started to crawl my way to their flank. I found a small ravine and worked around it, drawing closer and closer. When I felt close enough, I pulled the pin on one grenade, then another. Then, I tossed them both and hit the dirt.”
In my opinion, I was refreshed to read the way this brilliant author didn’t overdramatize or exaggerate. It was a unique experience for me to read the realism in this author’s style. He ingeniously and very effectively makes you “Walk the walk” in the same intense manner of many very courageous men whose lives were on the line every second of each patrol.
All in all, I liked this book very much and the way this brilliant author simply tells the story created a very lasting impression with me. I give this book loud applause for a story well told and recommend it highly. Very well done!
