A member of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers recounts his life, from his sports career at UCLA, to his experiences during World War II, to his post-war legal career as a prosecutor and his role in helping to convict Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert Kennedy.
Sometimes the greatest signs of strength are demonstrated when you relive the hardest parts of your life. I’m not a man easily given to emotion. I hate to cry. Yet there are three things that cause me to tear up today. One is when I talk about the love I have for America. The second I’ll tell you about later in this book. The third is whenever I remember by dad’s suicide.
A Measured Perspective: A Review of Lynn “Buck” Compton’s Call of Duty
Lynn “Buck” Compton occupies a notable place in the public consciousness primarily through his depiction in Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers and the subsequent HBO miniseries. A decorated veteran of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Compton participated in some of the most harrowing campaigns of World War II. His memoir, Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers, offers readers a first-person account of this remarkable individual’s journey, extending far beyond the battlefields that brought him fame. While the book provides invaluable insight into Compton’s experiences and character, its style and structure invite critical examination, particularly for readers primarily drawn to the military history aspect.
Compton’s narrative is broadly chronological, beginning with his pre-war life in California, highlighting his athletic prowess at UCLA and his entry into the military. The core of the wartime section covers his path through officer training and into Easy Company, detailing key moments from D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the brutal defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, where he sustained serious injuries that ended his combat tour. A significant portion of the book, however, is dedicated to his extensive post-war life, focusing on his distinguished career as a prosecutor and later a judge (most famously presiding over the trial of Sirhan Sirhan for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, his family life, and reflections on aging and memory.
One of the book’s primary strengths lies in offering the direct perspective of a key figure from the “Band of Brothers” narrative. While Ambrose’s work synthesizes the experiences of many, Compton’s memoir allows readers to hear directly from the man himself. His accounts of combat are sober, factual, and devoid of unnecessary melodrama. He recounts events with a degree of detachment that reflects both the passage of time and perhaps a personality trained in legal objectivity. This provides a grounding, sometimes stark, counterpoint to the more dramatized accounts found in popular media. Furthermore, the detailed exploration of his post-war life is arguably the book’s most unique and valuable contribution. It paints a comprehensive picture of Compton as a whole person, demonstrating that the courage and sense of duty displayed in war translated into a significant career dedicated to justice. This section is crucial for understanding how veterans like Compton reintegrated into civilian life and continued to serve their communities in different capacities.
However, the same qualities that lend the book authenticity can also be viewed as limitations depending on the reader’s expectations. Compton’s prose is straightforward and functional rather than literary or deeply evocative. While this lends credibility to his factual accounts, it can sometimes leave the reader wanting more emotional depth or vivid sensory detail, particularly in the combat sequences. Unlike some other war memoirs that immerse the reader viscerally in the chaos and terror of battle, Compton’s descriptions are often matter-of-fact, reporting what happened without heavy emphasis on the internal emotional turmoil.
The structure, while chronological, can also feel somewhat disjointed between the military and legal sections. While the post-war chapters are important for understanding the full scope of Compton’s life, the transition can feel abrupt, and the detailed accounts of legal cases, while fascinating in their own right, might not fully engage readers who picked up the book solely for the WWII narrative. The balance struck between the two periods means neither feels exhaustively covered, though both receive substantial attention.
Compared to Ambrose’s Band of Brothers, Call of Duty is a personal memoir, not a historical synthesis. It illuminates Compton’s personal journey and perspective, occasionally correcting or adding nuance to details presented in Ambrose’s book, but it doesn’t attempt to provide a sweeping history of Easy Company. Readers hoping for extensive new combat anecdotes might find the military section less detailed than anticipated, given the significant space dedicated to the latter half of his life.
In conclusion, Lynn Compton’s Call of Duty is a valuable addition to the collection of memoirs from the “Greatest Generation,” particularly for those interested in the lives of Easy Company members or the transition from military service to civilian accomplishment. Its strength lies in its unvarnished, first-person account from a recognized figure and its compelling narrative of a distinguished post-war career often overshadowed by his military service. While the writing style is more reserved than overtly emotional and the structure balances two very different phases of life, these aspects reflect the man himself – a figure defined by duty, integrity, and a measured approach to both war and peace. It is essential reading not just for military history enthusiasts, but for anyone seeking to understand the full, rich life of one of Easy Company’s notable officers.