Call of Duty

My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers

By: Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton, Marcus Brotherton

Narrated by: Dick Hill

As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton fought in the critical battles of Normandy and Market Garden and in the freezing cold of Bastogne. Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers, stands today as an unparalleled icon of brotherhood and bravery under fire.

Here, Compton tells his own story for the first time, revealing how the skills, work ethic, and discipline he learned as a young man served as the foundation for the courage and selflessness he displayed during the deadliest conflict of the twentieth century. From his years as a two-sport UCLA star who played baseball with Jackie Robinson and football in the 1943 Rose Bowl, through his legendary post - World War II legal career as a prosecutor, in which he helped convict Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Compton truly embodies the American dream: college sports star, esteemed combat veteran, detective, attorney, and judge.

This is the true story of a real-life hero who traveled to a faraway place and put his life on the line for the cause of freedom---and an insightful memoir about courage, leadership, camaraderie, compassion, and the opportunities for success that can only happen in America.

©2008 Lt. Lynn “Buck” Compton (P)2008 Tantor

An excellent account, and true words to live by

This is a fantastic book, one that really ties together current political climates in an almost prophetic way. What a humble and honest man was Buck Compton

He cared about his country

It was never about him. Buck Compton did his duty throughout his life. What a great American

Life

Buck Compton is an American. He lives it so well and during times of normalcyand cataclysm. Study him and you'll better handle the cataclysm life throws at you. God bless you.

MORE THAN BOB

So I have read most all of the books about Easy company and this was my last. For those looking to get more stories about the BOB, you will most likely be disappointed. Most of the battles Buck was in he states that he just does not remember. I can understand why Ambrose spent only about 30 min. on the phone during the writing of his book. It may be he just did not want to go back, or I think he does not want to talk about himself. What I really liked about the book was a window into the Los Angeles in the 50's through the 70's and his time as a cop and prosecutor and his observations about leading figures in California--where i spent about 10 years of my youth. This part of the book was well done. Also, his perspective on the assignation of RFK and all the conspiracy theories that have come about. So if you are looking to read more about the BOB, I would recommend Malarkey's book.

The Original Call of Duty

I always love a good war story. I strongly recommend to history lovers. Now I need to look up his radio show.

A straight forward patriot

I like how Buck wrote the book in a conversational way. Certainly interesting but told without grandstanding and just making clear some things portrayed differently in the Band of Brothers series (Buck never played darts as depicted in "Replacements" and he didn't "crack up" in Bastogne).
His politics appeared hard right leaning but I feel I could have a worthwhile conversation even if we ended up disagreeing.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, NOOOO!

Great story until the end where it turns into right wing political verbal diarrhea. Could have done without Ch.30.

This is a Biography!

First I want to say THANK YOU to the brave men and women who protect our country serving in the military and fight for our daily freedom! I am a huge fan of the Band of Brothers story and HBO series. It is important to note that as the title states this is a biography about Buck???s life before, during and after the war. I would say about ?? of the book is about his life experiences before and after the war and only about ?? about his recall about his time in the war. As it is noted by another reviewer Buck frequently states that he ???does not remember??? and he apparently was not interested in doing anything to figure out what he no longer remembers. It becomes quiet clear as you listen to this book that this is the story about Lynn ???Buck??? Compton???s life experiences, which does include some of his memories about the war, told by him as he remembers them. Even with the lack of research and his frequent struggles with remembering I found this book to be an enjoyable listen.

There are some good parts of the book that provide interesting information about the Band of Brothers and I found much of stories about Buck???s life in the time before and after the war entertaining. As long as the reader understands that this is a biography of a man???s life and that in that life he was part of the Band of Brothers I would recommend this book as an entertaining listen and Dick Hill does a great job narrating.

Narrator lacking

This is a Forrest Gump-like guy. Baseball player, soldier, cop, lawyer, judge and radio talk show host.
The story dragged but I persisted. Comes from a defensive stance on how he was portrayed in Band of Brothers. I like long books but this narrator lacked skills to draw me in & his voice grated on me the whole time. Interesting story & patriotic.

Another great historical story

I just loved listening to the story just as I used to love listening to my dad's stories , as he was a World War II B-17 bomber pilot. The author, Lynn Compton, and my dad would've been the same age. I had watched the Band of Brothers miniseries on DVD many years ago and now I'll make sure that the book is on my list of future audibles to listen to.
I highly recommend Call of Duty, and I hope that my children will also listen to the story.