I enjoyed this book from both a personal and historic standpoint (The book doesn't mention that the US Navy maintained a communications station in N. Ireland until 1977 - at which I served). The book highlights the role of N. Ireland in billeting soldiers, sailors, and airmen through out the war. Many of the places mentioned are locales I have visited. The friendliness of the people is unchanged. The book was a well written chronicle interspersed with many short narratives from those who experienced those times.

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Before the United States entered World War II, Roosevelt helped to develop the Lend Lease policy that allowed the US to assist the allied forces war efforts despite its declared neutrality. Much of this work happened in North Ireland (hereafter I will call it Ireland) around Belfast and Derry. The US sent soldiers to Ireland to help train the British soldiers in the use of the American equipment.

These soldiers were given strict instructions from the US armed forces. While these people spoke English and many of the soldiers were of Irish descent, the culture in Ireland was very different from the US. The soldiers were all given a guidebook and were expected to follow the guidelines. The guidebook pointed out that taking an Irish girl out for dates more than three times could be construed as an engagement. It also emphasized that the US paid their soldiers better than the British and that it would be important to not flaunt the fact the as a US soldier, you had more spending money.

The book consists mostly of letters written home by soldiers stationed in Ireland and memories written after the war by the soldiers around the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. It is divided into seven chapters that cover the various aspect of the US troops in Ireland during World War II. Two that I found the most interesting was that the first US Army Rangers were soldiers stationed in Ireland. The other was a visit by the USS Mason, a Naval ship with African-Americans. (The military was segregated during WWII.) These men consistently describe being treated like real soldiers and men by whites for the first time by the people of Ireland.

I found the stories to be very interesting and I learned some new things about WWII.

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