This is the accounts given by the veterans of E Company of the incredible days between 1942, when they arrived at Camp Toccoa to the last days in August 1945 in Austria. In between get D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland and the Bulge up front and personal. The best parts are the soldiers' points of view, how they managed and to quote Generation Kill : Marines make due. Well, the men of E Company made due to the power of a thousand.I enjoyed the stories of the men. I enjoyed less Ambrose's intrusive philosophical point of view. It's worth the read, especially if you've seen the HBO's series. As a reader you'll see how the writers of the series took the best out of Ambrose's book, meshed, remixed things so the viewers identified with the men. Reading the book after watching the series, is like meeting long distance friends and continuing a conversation started before and not missing a beat. You can skip the Ambrose commentary and enjoy the stories for the men of E Company. They are worth your time.