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 SOLDIERS
ON SKIS:
A Pictorial Memoir of the 10th Mountain Division
(with Bob Bishop)
Foreword by Sen. Robert J. Dole
Paladin
Press, 1992
(244 pages, 270 photos)
SYNOPSIS:
Soldiers on Skis is the first complete
history of the 10th Mountain Division––America's
only troops specially trained for mountain and winter warfare––as
told by the veterans themselves. Vivid personal accounts range
from the humorous to the horrific to the heart-wrenching,
and an outstanding collection of rare photographs captures
the beautiful serenity of the division’s Colorado mountain
training grounds as well as the stark brutality of the battlefield
in Italy.
Soldiers
on Skis follows the division from its formation,
its rugged training at Camp Hale, and its first taste of battle
in the Aleutian Islands to its triumphant deployment to Italy,
where it spearheaded the victorious Allied drive through the
Northern Apennines and into the Po River Valley.
The
book also pays tribute to the role many of the veterans of
America's "ski troops" played in the phenomenal
post-war rise of the skiing industry in America.
NOMINATED
FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY, 1992
READ
AN EXCERPT:
And
then the war in Italy was really, truly, finally over. Throughout
the country, people were stunned by the sudden end to the
fighting. Church
bells rang, civilians wept with joy and danced in the rubble-strewn
streets.
Weary, grateful soldiers got drunk....
On 3 June 1945, on the steep slopes of 8,927-foot Mount Mangart,
where
the borders of Italy, Austria, and Yugoslavia come together,
the 10th's best
skiers challenged each other. First Sergeant Walter Prager,
the former
Dartmouth College ski coach, won. It seemed a fitting way
not only to end a
war but to begin a new world....
Six miles south of the Camp Hale [Colorado] site, at the top
of
Tennessee Pass, where the road cuts off Highway 24 to the
small Cooper Hill
ski area where so many troopers learned to ski, there stands
a
twelve-foot-high monument of red Italian granite, upon which
are carved the
names of all 992 men of the 10th who died on Kiska and in
Italy.
Standing alone in front of this monument on a bright winter
day,
listening to the wind blowing through the towering pines that
surround this
spot, one can almost hear the lusty voices of long-departed
young men
marching along in their heavy leather boots and singing,
"Ninety
pounds of rucksack,
a pound of grub or two,
he'll schuss the mountains
like his daddy used to do..."
There
never was a division quite like the 10th Mountain Division.
(from
Soldiers On Skis, ©copyright 1992
by Flint Whitlock and Bob Bishop)
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WHAT THEY SAID:
“A
superb book.”
—
Stephen E. Ambrose
“Soldiers
On Skis is a comprehensive history of the proud traditions
of the 10th Mountain Division, in which I had the privilege
of serving. From its inception at Camp Hale to the war torn
mountains of Italy, your book documents the valor, sacrifice,
and determination of the many men who made up the 10th. Your
thorough research and interviews made the history of the 10th
come alive.”
—
Bob Dole, former U.S. Senator, Presidential candidate, and
10th Mountain Division veteran
“Add
another to the list of books which every ski trooper will
want for his library—Soldiers On Skis....
This 244-page volume represents the six-year effort of Flint
Whitlock, Denver artist and author, and Bob Bishop, New York
City photo authority (and the late Richard Avedon's photo
retoucher), who have collaborated in producing a truly memorable
salute to the 10th Mountain Division on its 50th anniversary.”
—The
Blizzard, official newsletter of the National Association
of the
10th Mountain Division
“The
story of the 10th has been commemorated in its 50th anniversary
year by the fascinating book, Soldiers On Skis....
The book is an outstanding collection of rare photographs...while
weaving together the memories of the mountaineers in a gripping
oral history.”
—SKI
magazine
“The
finest, most comprehensive book ever written about the famed
10th Mountain Division.”
—Skiing
Heritage magazine
“The
definitive book on the 10th Mountain Division.”
—Sun
Valley Mountain Express
“Soldiers
On Skis is fantastic, magnificent, fabulous, and
the 10th Mountain Division's BIBLE! Congratulations! Mission
accomplished! You and Bob have recorded our history in words
and great photographs.”
—Sewall
Williams, 10th Mountain veteran
“Soldiers
On Skis is wonderful! Certainly by far the best book
published about any outfit that served in World War II....
My husband [James “Buddy” Hoff, a 10th Mountain
veteran] usually eats supper and immediately falls asleep
in the chair. Your book came yesterday and last night he read
the book from cover to cover in one sitting!”
—Jane
Hoff
“Congratulations
on a job well done! What a wonderful book! You have managed
to chronicle the complete history of the 10th more comprehensively
than has ever been done before and have captured the true
spirit of the 10th! Your writing is almost poetic and the
photos add great impact and authenticity to the book....”
—Clayton
Anderson, 10th Mountain veteran
“I
have many books on the 10th, but yours is the best!”
—Bob
Krear, 10th Mountain veteran
“Your
new book, Soldiers On Skis, is truly magnificent.
It is without question the best summary and history of the
10th Mountain Division ever published. The photos and text
were beautifully composed in a highly professional manner
that resulted in what I consider a superb history of our great
division....”
—Frank
D. Gorham, Jr., 10th Mountain veteran
“A
most handsome and thorough book. Your documentation is impressive
and the text reads very well. Particularly effective is the
sequential development of your narrative and your dispassionate
presentation of so many personal accounts by so many subjective
individuals. A fine book that I value and that my children
and grandchildren will value equally.... I confess to a lump
of nostalgia as I review the book....”
—Bud
Lovett, 10th Mountain veteran
“You
and Bob Bishop have collaborated on what I consider to be
the finest narrative and pictorial history of the 10th Mountain
Division ever produced! It is superb in every detail! It captures
the true essence and spirit of the 'magnificent men of the
10th.' I chuckled, laughed out loud, and studied every photograph.
And, at times, I had to put the book aside because it brought
back so many memories of men and events that I had subconsciously
erased from my mind. Yeah--there were tears....”
—Richard
M. Wilson, Vice-President, National Association of the
10th Mountain Division, Inc.
ORDERING
INFORMATION:
Paladin
Press
P.O. Box 1307
Boulder, CO 80306
(303) 443-7250
ISBN O-87364-676-2 Price: $65.00 (hardcover)
Amazon.com
Barnes
and Noble
Indiebound.org
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