The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home

In writing The Unknowns, Patrick K. O'Donnell sets out to tell the story of the American Unknown Soldier by telling the stories of the men who served as the Unknown Soldier's casket bearers. The casket bearers -- eight men who were otherwise connected only by service to country, loyalty, and heroism - were chosen by General Pershing to serve as the Body Bearers for a man whose name we have never known and whose story cannot be told except by the extension of the stories of his fellow comrades in arms.It is not an easy story to tell, and O'Donnell has told it masterfully. It would have been very easy to tell the stories of the body bearers separately, but O'Donnell weaves their narratives together into a seamless whole that tells the story of America's engagement in the Great War from its early days before the American Expeditionary Force had even seen combat through the end of hostilities and finally, the laying of the Unknown Soldier to rest.The Unknowns is a story of 8 warriors who would otherwise have been forgotten but for their selection as Body Bearers and for O'Donnell's decision to write the Unknowns. While it is true that their names would still have been listed on the lists of medal recipients from the Great War, their stories would not be any more known to us than the definitions of random unknown words in a dictionary. O'Donnell brings them to life again in fitting tribute.That tribute underscores a more fundamental realization. Every one of the Body Bearers and, indeed, every soldier, is ultimately an Unknown. While the soldier may be honored in his or her lifetime, or his or her memory may be revered for a time, just about every combat veteran from the beginning of time is eventually forgotten (as are we all). In that sense, the Unknowns is a wonderful tribute -- not just to the Unknown Soldier of WWI, and not just to his Body Bearers, but to every soldier who lays down his or her life in the name of honor and country.O'Donnell has tackled The American Revolution (Washington's Immortals), World War II (numerous), The Korean War (Give Me Tomorrow), and America's more recent wars in the Middle East (We Were One). He always writes from the perspective of the soldier and with the fighting soldier's story in mind. His works always inform and engage the reader and I am, admittedly, a great fan of his writing. Nothing that O'Donnell has written to date has moved me as much as the Unknowns has moved me. I have both read the book and listened to the audio book. Both are magnificent.

Patrick K. O’Donnell’s 2018 book is a World War I odyssey with a unique perspective that propels the reader through violent air combat, submarine-infested waters, and reeking defensive trenches flowing with mud and refuse that still scar parts of Europe. We are introduced to colorful characters from all walks of life who fought bravely in those locations. After the war, they were selected to bring home America’s first unknown soldier. Sergeant Edward F. Young was one of them. He relied on an unexplained feeling of kinship to choose that unnamed soul from one of many flag-draped coffins. The stories of the others who joined him in that duty are shared as the remaining chapters unfold.You might think that the words and deeds of those first body bearers would be enshrined in hundreds of books and movies. They are not. Why? O’Donnell’s research is considerable. The bibliography at the end of this book is a list of lost treasures. How has this gone unnoticed by anyone for so long? All I can say is that the whole thing reads like a civic revelation. “The Unknowns” is more than a book title that recognizes the origin of a solemn rite that continues to this day. It’s an acknowledgement of the fact that we know so very little about these men. They survived epic carnage before being asked to participate in the establishment of what is now a much-visited memorial with enough tragedy and triumph stored within its white marble walls to make us think twice before marching off to war. The tranquility of Arlington National Cemetery is enhanced by the ceremonial guard that always stands watch over the honored dead, rain or shine.World War I may be hard for some 21st Century readers to understand because they have a hundred years of hindsight to look through. As told by the author, inspiration for this memorial originates in the hearts and minds of men and women who survived the war to that was supposed to end all wars. The inertia of accidental war is something we ought to pay closer attention to as conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq continue for a second decade. We have forgotten the lesson that this tomb and memorial are intended to teach as completely as we have overlooked what little was recorded about the men who made that sacred place a reality. That’s why this book is worth your time to read.

Patrick O’Donnell’s The Unknowns is mistitled, but well worth the read. The subtitle, “The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home” does a better job of explaining the scope of this book, which I might have titled “Bearers of the Unknown,” because ninety percent of this book is devoted to telling the story of the body bearers who brought home the body that is interred in Arlington Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the remaining ten percent focuses on how the Tomb came to be and how the Unknown was selected, brought back, and interred. To be fair, the Unknown is just that: nothing is known about him, and therefore a difficult subject on which to base a book.O’Donnell tells the story of each of the men selected to bring back the body of the Unknown Soldier, telling us who they were before the war and what harrowing events led to their becoming some of the most decorated soldiers in America at the time. He also introduces us to the men who led the bodybearers: wellknown names like Pershing and Patton. Because these men were from different branches of service and earned their medals during different events and offensives, what O’Donnell ends up with is a complete overview of American involvement in the war, but from a more intimate point of view than more histories. This book is informative, moving, and very readable. O’Donnell gives enough detail to make the events come to life without getting bogged down in tedious detail or indulging in too much technical jargon and analysis.

'The Unknowns' will evoke pride, respect and profound gratitude in every reader.