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                                       READERS COMMENTS

You will find these an adventure within themselves. Some of these are unsolicited and unaltered. Others, I asked to read the book and asked that they share any comments. They DID! Some are unlike any reviews I have ever read. Please note the credentials of the readers. Warning! This is going to be a trip!

• "I read your fine book in almost one sitting yesterday. Thanks for giving me a copy. You are a born storyteller; you can tell a tale and grab the reader while being faithful to the facts in the various settings. That’s not easy to do; and you have the soldiers talking exactly as I remember them talking when I was in the Army 50 years ago. Of course, as a Wagnerite I especially enjoyed the references to the Ring, music and story. I do want to talk with you about the question of past soldiers' having superior physical condition and strength. I know that some of the medieval weapons are too heavy for most men today to wield effectively, and that Roman troops might march 25 miles a day, day after day, carrying some 75 pounds of weapons and supplies and preparing a marching camp every night. I suspect only our most elite forces could do that these days. And then there were the Saxon rowers who propelled their ships across open water and then for many days in costal waters."

Bill Stallsmith, J.D.
Baltimore, Maryland

SSG U.S Army 1950-1952



• "Had not started TD because I was in the middle of another tome and my reading consists of maybe 1 Chapter in bed before falling asleep… and I usually have to re—read that chapter because I fall asleep during it.

Finished that one and picked up TD last night. Read all the way through Chap 4 when I had to force myself to stop because we have an early day!!! OUT'F'INGSTANDING! Genuinely, truly, enjoy it. Really does grab your attention and hooks you. However, I can see that someone who hasn't done that stuff might not be interested. Your style is great and I am amazed at what you recall (I forgot the most obvious thing about the Head Counter in the mess hall.)

We had never talked about this but I can tell you that I cannot tell how much of my life I have spent like Deal in playing with rain drops on the helmet visor and moving the head around to see what would happen…it seems like all of VN during the monsoon season. Deals thoughts while on halts during the movement to contact, the same. The barracks is exactly like the one I was in at Benning in 1962, even down to the guy with the huge pecker…our guy was a short, skinny Mexican who we swore could not walk without draggin it. And, the CQ and Slater and Lancaster. The #10 cans. The light bulbs. The way the latrine was layed out. AMAZING! We had to have a Fire Watch at night but that may have been a ROTC summer camp thing… I cannot recall if we did that at Bragg.

I don't remember the BAR having plastic on it? Been a long time so not sure one way or the other.

Any way, truly enjoying it."

Steve Johnson, MBA

Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired) The Citadel, Distinguished Military GraduateCombat tours with the 82nd Signal Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, in the Dominican Republic; 3rd Brigade (Separate), 82nd Airborne Division, in Vietnam; 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Also served in Korea, Germany, and Italy
 

• "I have read it: even reread parts of it. You sure used your imagination in making it interesting reading.

The wiping out of PFC Deal and his platoon brought to my memory an experience I observed in my war days. We had an FO named Latto, he was with a platoon working their way up a draw. The Germans must have observed them and they repositioned themselves in an orchard behind trees. It was bitter cold and they planned wipe our guys out as they came out of the draw. Well, Latto saw them, and adjusted time fire (105 Howitzer)on them. He wiped them out to the last man. I came by the orchard the next morning and observed them frozen stiff with their guns and MG 34s in their hands."

Carl Schafer, Ph.D.
Easton, Maryland

Combat Veteran 1944-1945
Forward Observer/Reconnaissance Officer
Battery B, 356th Field Artillery
94th Infantry Division
Nenning , Germany



• "Frank Johnson, unlike the, rest of us who are struggling to secure a pass to eternity, in this book "Twice Departed", soldier Frank offers us all one good Deal. In this carefully researched and skillfully presented hypotheses of wars, hurts, struggles, loves and hopes he has created for us a unique myth. Like the drop of water that forms, runs down and halts on the rim of the warrior's helmet, it formulates, hypnotizes and through the damp peak hole we sight one, or maybe two, opportunities for absolute bliss. And so it is."

(Authors note) In my initial reading I thought Jaschke made a typo in the spelling "peakhole", I should have known better, but I wrote back…"Thanks, I am sure you meant peep instead of peak. I am curious about the two views of bliss?" He responded.

"OK boss, the peek as in peek a boo, has no a. A peep hole has to be magnified somehow if you really want to see. What you see through water is distorted. A peak experience is the top of the line and the top of the mountain is a peak and so on. Truthfully once when I was reading aloud in a College English Expression course I pronounced frigate as, get this, fry gate. I suppose I have always seen peak-a-boo when I played that game with my kids. Now this---I was talking about two opportunities for, not two views of bliss! You know, now as Deal glimpses the ring of fire around the mountain as he is swishing along on his way to Ragnarok there at Hinderfaille, having been stung, lies Brunhilde. Deal, through this droplet of water, which has formed on his helmet, is experiencing his past bliss with his Goddess--- swish, swish, --- as an eternal hope for tomorrow builds within him."

Donald Jaschke, Ph.D.

Combat Veteran France, Belgium, Germany 1944-1945
Company L, 394th Infantry
99th Infantry Division



• "Twice Departed- A great book!

I loved it and look forward to reading it a 2d and 3d time. Too much information to absorb at one time. I rate it with "Catch 22" –Mr. Heller's best seller- so many different characters and stories.

I absolutely loved your description in the death scene in chapter one of Ernest Deal and his company. Loved how the author set the scene, presented it and the description of his death. As a parent, I would feel good about ending of the part when a son was killed in some bumfuck Italian town, and he was picked up by Valkyrie and flown away and made whole again. Then you get into this way of life in Valhalla- the Way of the Warriors- great imagination on your part- that's really thinking "outside of the box" as the kids say today.

A real enjoyable experience reading your book!"

Bill Domenico
Atlanta, Georgia

Veteran, U.S. Navy



• "Your "work of fiction" is exceptional; parts are brilliant. The level of English usage equals or exceeds some works that were awarded a Pulitzer. Lastly, I had a hard time putting it down.

When I visited you 20 plus, years ago, I read your first draft of this work. I hope you have this draft to remind you of the dramatic change in style and your integration of person's thoughts and behavior in the story. Amazing!"


Charles R. Doty, Ph.D.
Ludington, Michigan



• "The implausible becomes plausible! Soldiers from any era will become immersed in this tale of WW II Airborne soldiers living in the time of Valhalla. Extremely well researched, historically accurate, and an artfully told story that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end."

Reviewer: A reader

TWICE DEPARTED
FIVE STAR RATING
Amazon.Com