The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America's Unknown Soldier and WWI's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home
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About this ebook
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is sacred ground at Arlington National Cemetery. Originally constructed in 1921 to hold one of the thousands of unidentified American soldiers lost in World War I, it now receives millions of visitors each year. “With exhaustive research and fluid prose,” historian Patrick O’Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of the Tomb itself, and the stories of the soldiers who took part in its consecration (Wall Street Journal).
When the first Unknown Soldier was laid to rest in Arlington, General John Pershing selected eight of America’s most decorated veterans to serve as Body Bearers. These men appropriately spanned America’s service branches and specialties. Their ranks include a cowboy who relived the charge of the light brigade, an American Indian who heroically breached mountains of German barbed wire, a salty New Englander who dueled a U-boat for hours in a fierce gunfight, a tough New Yorker who sacrificed his body to save his ship, and an indomitable gunner who, though blinded by gas, nonetheless overcame five machine-gun nests.
In telling the stories of these brave men, O’Donnell shines a light on the service of all veterans, including the hero they brought home. Their stories present an intimate narrative of America’s involvement in the Great War, transporting readers into the midst of dramatic battles that ultimately decided the conflict.
Patrick K. O'Donnell
Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. The author of thirteen books, including The Indispensables, The Unknowns, and Washington’s Immortals, he is the recipient of numerous national awards. O’Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and is a professional speaker on America’s conflicts, espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’s award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery.
Read more from Patrick K. O'donnell
The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beyond Valor: World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II's Pacific Veteran Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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The Unknowns - Patrick K. O'Donnell
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