Going Back: A Navy Airman in the Pacific War

by Charles Furey

Overview

Like millions of other young Americans in the 1930s, Charles Furey grew up surrounded by the images and memories of World War I, not knowing that he was part of a generation bred for another war. Pearl Harbor changed all that. In 1942 he enlisted in the Navy and, for the next three years, fought in a war that transformed him, the nation, and the world. From that time Furey has fashioned this superbly written memoir that follows him from his stateside training, his service as an air crewman on a patrol bomber, his long recovery from a fiery plane crash, all the way to his poignant homecoming.

Along with harrowing accounts of air actions over the South Pacific and grim descriptions of wounded men in hospitals, Going Back includes many vividly portrayed characters and offers remarkable insight. Readers will long remember such men as Lieutenant Morrison, the man whose small gesture forged an intense camaraderie among his crew, and Murphy, the Marine whose humor helped dull the pain of Furey's wounds. Nor will they soon forget the author's reflections on the fate that history held for him, his friends, and all those who came of age with him, or his stunning evocation of a period of great national change. Going Back provides a colorful and honest recollection of the war years and addresses such timeless themes as loyalty, humor, family, and profound loss.

Charles Furey served in the U.S. Navy from August 1942 to September 1945. He lives in California.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803269132
Publisher:	UNP - Bison Books
Publication date:	12/01/2004
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Charles Furey served in the U.S. Navy from August 1942 to September 1945. He lives in California.

Editorial Reviews

“This series of recollections, like the ones that precede them, are told in a vivid yet unsentimental manner, rather than as a tale of redemption or inspiration. Furey’s memoir is a young man’s story told from an older man’s perspective and effectively conveys the petty privations, unexpected joys, and occasional horrors wars bring to those who fight them.”—Military History of the West

Military History of the West

The war memoir of an aviation radioman from the Pacific theatre. As a published short-story writer, the author offers a detailed and character-filled narrative of his first hand experiences during the war. The story begins in boot camp and follows the author to Hawaii, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, Australia, and home to the States as an injured veteran. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

This series of recollections, like the ones that precede them, are told in a vivid yet unsentimental manner, rather than as a tale of redemption or inspiration. Furey’s memoir is a young man’s story told from an older man’s perspective and effectively conveys the petty privations, unexpected joys, and occasional horrors wars bring to those who fight them.” — Military History of the West

From the Publisher