MWSA Review
In Up Here... A 10th Mountain Soldier's Letters Home 1943-1945, author David Hoople has put together a fitting tribute to his father, Theodore "Ted" Hoople (1924-1976). After a short introduction, which provides useful scene-setting information, the book includes a series of personal letters describing Ted Hoople's military service during World War II. Most of the letters were written by the author's father, but the book also includes correspondence by other family members reacting to Ted's stint in the Army's 10th Mountain Division. 

The letters begin in March of 1943, as Ted goes through rigorous military training in various stateside locations. The family correspondence continues as Ted deploys to the European theater in January of 1945. Ted sees action in the Apennine mountains of Italy, where he is wounded in April of that year. Ted's letters continue during his service in northern Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria after the Germans surrendered in May of 1945. 

Up Here is a fine compilation of letters depicting the service of a member of America's "greatest generation," and serves as a wonderful addition to the Hoople family's history.

Review by John Cathcart (April 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
These letters and the documented events that surround them, serve as an integral part of the history of the 10th Mountain Division during World War II, as seen through the eyes of patriotic nineteen year old volunteer. They describe the daily life from the grueling training in the mountains of Colorado, through the intense combat in Italy. The story emerges as a coming of age chronicle and celebrates the courage and patriotism that was the common fiber of "The Greatest Generation".

ISBN/ASIN: 9 780578 798639

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 242