Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice Kindle Edition

My late father, US Navy LTJG William H. Finn, was a 22-year old Naval Aviator who flew F4U Corsairs with VF-871 off the USS Essex (CV-9) in the Korean War. I have always been immensely proud of him for his wartime military service, and this book underscored many of the reasons why. The brave and selfless service of our veterans, especially those who served in combat, was exemplified in this book. Thomas Hudner was not only a brave and incredibly gutsy flyer, he was also a man of deep personal conviction toward his fellow man, despite the color of his skin. I am a voracious reader, and in my 63-year lifetime I have only read less than a dozen books that I truly savored from start to finish. The story in and of itself is unbelievably inspiring, but the manner in which Adam Makos tells it is particularly skillful. To make the experience last, I purposely limited my reading of Devotion to ten pages a day, and I savored its every word. One of the best books I have ever read, period!

As a former Marine who really enjoyed Makos’ Voices of the Pacific book, and A Higher Call- I was very eager to read Devotion for the Marine element it promised to deliver, as well as the full story behind Captain Hudner’s dramatic rescue attempt.This book reads a lot like A Higher Call. It’s written in an immersive style that puts you INTO the story alongside the characters. It’s not a military textbook and Makos comes right out and says it’s written in a way for a greater audience to enjoy, so don’t expect a ton of military jargon.One of the best things about Devotion is that it's more than just an aviation story as the cover suggests. Yes, the story of Tom, Jesse and the Navy pilots is fascinating, yet the story of the ground pounders is equally enthralling. Makos not only follows the pilots, but also a small group of Marines as they practice war in the Med during the summer of 1950, and then go to war in the epic Chosin Reservoir battle.It is this changing perspective from the pilots to the men on the ground that makes this book so much more than just the story of Tom and Jesse.I highly recommend Devotion for every type of reader- to former Marines like myself, all the way to my 30 year old Granddaughter who will be getting a copy for Christmas. We owe it to the men who died in Korea to have their story told and remembered just like those of World War II.

"Devotion" is a true story of heroism and friendship set against the backdrop of the Korean war. The story revolves around two pilots; Lt. Tom Hudner and Ens. Jesse Brown. Tom came from a well-to-do New England family, while Jesse grew up on a farm that his father share-cropped.. Jesse became the Navy's first black carrier pilot, while Tom would become his closest friend.After enlisting, Tom and Jesse were stationed aboard the carrier USS Leyte. Originally sent to the Mediterranean, the pilots would engage in war games and relax on the French Riviera. They even got to meet Elizabeth Taylor. They also met some of the fleet Marines, including "Red" Parkinson. But the sunny skies and carefree days wouldn't last, for the war that no one expected, Korea, broke out in June of 1950. The Leyte immediately steamed for Korean waters.For the next several months, Tom, Jesse, and the other members of fighting 32 flew missions against the North Koreans & Chinese, while Red and the fleet Marines fought in the Chosin Reservoir. One day, during a strafing attack against the enemy, Jesse's plane was hit by ground fire. He was forced to land on an empty space on the top of a hill. Tom, seeing what had happened, had a difficult choice to make; does he watch his friend die, or does he try to save him?"Devotion" is a fine book about the bond between two friends. Tom and Jesse came from opposite ends of the social spectrum, but became fast friends in spite of their cultural differences. Tom Learned of Jesse's deep love for his wife and daughter as well as his strong religious devotion. Set during the racial tensions of the 1950s, Tom accepted Jesse for who he was; a young man like himself far away from home trying to defend his country. Highly recommended.

I believe this is my second book by this author and it's a wonderful yet sad story. Being a pilot, I was especially drawn to it, but also because of the historical significance of it being about the first Black Naval aviator, who was a wonderful person. The seven years the author spent on the book were well worth it. It's the fascinating tale of Lt Tom Hudner, white son of a wealthy businessman, becoming best friends with Jesse Brown, Black son of a sharecropper. Hudner received the Medal of Honor for intentionally crashing his Corsair to save Jesse's life after his engine froze up and he was forced to crash land. Very well-written it held my interest to the end. Thank you, Adam, for all the work you and your team put into this amazing book!

Brought this for my husband. He has read previous publications by this author and really enjoys this book

Not very interested by the Korean war, this book was a fantastic surprise as i'm more interested in WW2. Ever since i discovered Adam Makos, i have only been ordering his books and each one is as good as the next

Makes a good and interesting read and the style makes it gripping.

Great book! Very interesting! Quite a story. I've bought some other books by Adam Makos, they're great.

Too much SIDE STORY STUFF WHICH TENDS TO BORE THE READER REALLY FAST