Making Sense of Normandy: A Young Man's Journey of Faith and War

by E. Carver McGriff

We should have begun to face the sobering probability that we were heading for the hell of battle, but we were kids. We'd heard of war in far-off places, places like Italy and Africa, and the faraway Pacific, but we were in England. We thought life would go on like this with excitement, new places to see, friends we'd never otherwise have met, a sense of manhood new to most of us . . . how little we knew. Barely more than children, soon to suffer...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1088035949
• ISBN13: 9781088035948
• Release Date: September 2022
• Publisher: Marianne McGriff
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Making Sense of Normandy: A Young Man's Journey of Faith and War by E. Carver Mcgriff

Making Sense of Normandy: A Young Man's Journey of Faith and War by E. Carver Mcgriff was in great condition and delivered on time.

I never really understood until I read Carver's book

Carver McGriff is the former minister of the church I attend. I bought the book in the church bookstore two days ago and Carver signed it. I went home read it straight through. It was one of those "cannot put it down" experiences. I have read many books about the war. Most were written by professional authors. They were polished. They told stories of bravery and sacrifice other men and women. This book is different. It is intensely personal. Carver shares the things that so many other men who went through that crucible were either unable or unwilling to tell us about. Now, for the first time, I really understand why. My father and his four brothers all served in the army. Several were in Europe, serving alongside Carver. One was in Patton's Third Army as it marched from Paris through the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany. They never talked about it. Because they never opened up we of the next generation, at least in my family, probably never truly understood what they went through and how it changed them. My father died while I was young. I never really had a chance to talk to him about what he went through. I also never had a chance to thank him for the sacrifice he made so that I could grow up in this great country. If you are thinking about buying this book to read a great war novel then it is probably not for you. If you want to peek into the soul of a young, scared, World Way II private on the front lines and find out what it was really like then by all means get a copy. Carver takes you on his very personal journey into the mouth of hell and back. You will better understand the way the war shaped this country and the millions of people who served in it.

Great insight from a soldier's perspective

The book gives a rare insider's glimpse into the world of a 19 year old teenager as he is thrust into battle at Normandy. You can almost hear the artillery, feel the cold and adrenaline, mixed with fear, smell the smells, (and even the extreme boredom they sometimes endured, that is never mentioned in "the movies") and sense the bonds that grew between the young men. This may be the only book of its kind - an honest and frank, first person look at the war and the people involved, complete with their shortcomings and personal agendas, and in many cases, extreme bravery and selflessness. I felt like I was there as I read it, and I recommend that anyone and everyone read it. I, for one, appreciate the "greatest generation" more now than ever.