GI Jive

"A minor masterpiece that tells how things really were in those days."—Army

"The musicians played as important a role as any machine-gunner, for they kept hope alive in the war-weary infantrymen."—Asiaweek

"A very readable account of a naïve young man from a small Kentucky town thrust like millions of his peers into a worldwide conflict."—Cincinnati Enquirer

"Has recaptured what it was like to make war in the 40's—a G.I.'s frank fear, his innocence and naivete, his uncertainties and ignorance, his excitements, his sense of being a helpless, even meaningless pawn of the generals, and his ultimate sense of growth and achievement."—Journal of Philippine Studies

"Will surely stand as one of the best war memoirs written by a Kentuckian."—Lexington Herald-Leader

"Mathias has recreated the experiences of a small town boy who became a man under the stress of war."—Military History Review

"A true gem among works of its kind and belongs in every serious World War II collection."—Ohio History

"A well-written and unusual account of the latter part of the war in the Pacific, combining the reminiscences of a participant with the sensitivity of a historian."—Ohioana Quarterly