One Helluva Soldier: The boldest historical military fiction novel this decade. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781518799105)

Influenced by his father, and older brother Bob-both of them World War II army officers-Phil decided he could be an officer, too. He joined the navy at 17, but did not face active duty until he was 18, in 1945. After boot camp at Great Lakes, Michigan, he was an enlisted man stationed aboard the USS Haskell, APA 117, crewman of one of their 28 landing crafts scheduled to invade the home islands of Japan. Two-thirds of the way across the Pacific, the war ended. Discharged from the navy in August 1946, Phil signed up for the army in 1948, and attended officers training with Class 9-A of Officer Candidate School, Fort Riley, Kansas. Following graduation, Second Lieutenant Phil Kline was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, in the artillery, where he received orders that sent him to Eighth Army in Japan. Within weeks, North Korea invaded South Korea. By the time Phil was to go, Eighth Army had been sent to defend South Korea. When the war was over, he resigned his commission. After attending numerous reunions with comrades who had served in Korea-and just prior to the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War-Phil traveled 18,000 miles to interview them on video and to record their stories. Kline wrote ONE HELLUVA SOLDIER to honor comrades who served in combat in Korea.