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Colonel Thomas H. Taylor, USA
(ret.) whose military service included a tour with the 101st Airborne and a tour in Vietnam is the author of The
Simple Sounds of Freedom: The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II;
Lightning in the Storm: The 101st Air Assault Division in the Gulf War; and, and a co-author of Rangers: Lead the Way.
The Library Journal said of The
Simple Sounds of Freedom: The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II,
“This is the riveting story of Joe Beyrle's amazing World War II odyssey. An unassuming kid from Muskegon, MI, who
joined the famed 506th regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (called the Screaming Eagles), Joe proved to be a tough paratrooper
who made two secret drops into France months before D-day. But like many of his comrades, he was left alone and disoriented
in the French countryside after his D-day drop. He was captured, escaped, was recaptured, and underwent a vicious interrogation
that led to a cracked skull. He was then thrown into a boxcar full of American POWs and shipped east. Thus began a hellish
journey that eventually led to his escaping the German stalags and joining a Soviet tank battalion on the eastern front making
him the only soldier to have fought in both the U.S. and Soviet armies. Incredibly, this is the first time Beyrle's story
has been made public, and Taylor tells it with true "Airborne" pride. Taylor himself is a highly decorated Screaming
Eagle of the Vietnam era whose father was Gen. Maxwell Taylor, the legendary leader of the 101st during the European campaign.
Taylor skillfully intermixes Joe's ordeal with the 101st's battles against the Germans, from D-day to Bastogne. He
has carefully corroborated the details of Joe's adventures with other POWs and available documents. Fortunately, Beyrle
is still alive to enjoy the recognition his unbounded courage deserves.”
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