Fierce Valor

Readers who enjoyed Stephen E. Ambrose's account of Easy Company will find this layered study of Ronald Speirs equally absorbing. Speirs was a central figure in the company during World War II, and his reputation has long been a subject of debate. This book examines the courage he showed across three separate foreign conflicts, as well as his strict sense of duty and a wartime romance that brought both tenderness and heartbreak.

His comrades called him "Killer." Among the paratroopers who served in the celebrated Band of Brothers unit, few were as hard to read as Speirs. Rumors held that he had shot enemy prisoners and, at one point, a sergeant who had defied him, and these stories made him a legend in the foxholes. Historians Jared Frederick and Erik Dorr set out to learn who the man behind the myth really was, tracing the career of the company's longest-serving commander.

The account begins with Speirs as a young immigrant in Prohibition-era Boston. It then follows him through punishing training, rivalries within the military, and a lost love, before carrying him into the fighting in France, Holland, and Germany. His service did not end in 1945. The authors also bring to light lesser-known episodes from his career in Korea, during the Cold War, and in embattled Laos, many of which are presented here for the first time.

Focusing on a soldier shaped by boldness on the battlefield and by the lasting costs of war, the book suggests how difficult it can be for any soldier to escape the weight of his past. It will appeal to readers interested in World War II history, the personal side of military service, and the Cold War era.