Act 2: WWII - The Adventures of Bruce Monkman 1941-1945 by Bruce Monkman

My reading has been a little sporadic lately.  I'll pick up a book and read it, then not read for a while.  Then pick back up Hamilton (by Ron Chernow) and try to get through more of it.  These last several months have been a little irregular.  My Grandfather, Bruce Monkman, died in December.  He was 96 years old.  He lived a long and adventurous life.  He also wrote this book about his experiences during WWII.

He joined the Army (after the Navy failing to take him) when he was quite young and went to war.  He spent several years in Europe not on the war's front but in supplying the troops with things they needed.  He wasn't so far removed from the front that he was immune to shelling and danger either.  Reading his book brings a little of him back to me.

Bruce was a fantastic man - full of spirit and life and life experience.  He was a quiet man, but boy did he have stories.  About everything and nothing.  It didn't matter.  When you got him talking, his charisma oozed out of him - it was infectious.  And that comes through in this book.

It isn't a book full of blood and gore.  Sure, there are mention of those things, but more than a traditional "war story", Bruce wrote about the adventure of being in several foreign countries and about his observations and experiences in those places.  The war was a backdrop, not the main character.

There are countless stories of him being drunk and "high" (I don't think on drugs), about people he encountered in the different places his regiment stopped (Northern Africa, Italy, Germany, France), funny things that happened, hookers, townspeople, landscapes, close calls, Nazis, General Patton, President Roosevelt, girls, men, and everything in between. 

My favorite story is when he describes his intake into the Army.  Bruce had to:

"...sit in a chair, bare bottom and all, with the doctor at my side about three feet from me, who whispered quite loudly, "Can you hear me?"  Naturally I could hear him; it was just below normal talk.  I passed my hearing test with flying colors.  I'm in the Army now."

 Another funny story is about a U.S. Army run house of prostitution:

"...(a whore house).  Naturally we headed for it.  We were all young, hormones were working and this was what young studs did.  Right?  The place was originally run and owned by a local citizen with local girls to entertain.  It was now controlled by the Army medics; they inspected the girls for any problem and let the madam continue to run the operation.  The Army felt that it was safer for an operation like this than have the soldiers cruise the streets and pick up who knows what.  Anyway, this was my chance to see what life was all about as I was still a virgin.  In my simple mind doing this could enhance my idea of romance.  What a learning time...  While sitting there...awaiting my turn, a door upstairs...flew open, a nude girl came rushing out screaming, in a French accent, "too beeg, too beeg."  The soldier came out, also naked, and his private was "too beeg", but demanding to be serviced...I thought, this is not for me, can't do it, I'm not ready for such a thing.  I got up and headed for the door..."

It's not every day you get to seemingly hear your grandfather talk about whores and losing his virginity in a whorehouse in northern Africa.

This book is a great read and it also special because I know/knew the person who had these experiences.  To see and hear Bruce talking about his wartime adventures was a treat.  He would have such a smile and grin on his face.  I can't help but see that in my head when I read or look at this book.

An enthusiastic two thumbs up from me - not just because I know Bruce, but because this is an interesting first-hand account of his experience in the war.  Sadly, I don't know where you can purchase this book - it isn't on Amazon, as Bruce self-published it.