Guard Of Honor

GUARD OF HONOR
by James Gould Cozzens

 Award: Pulitzer Winner 1949

 Date Read: September 27, 2019

 I wanted so much to like this novel, but I found the entire experience excruciating. Set over three days during WWII, I found there wasn't a single driving plot but many subplots that needed to be ironed out. Perhaps because the time frame for these events was so narrow, each detail was painstakingly described. Without a single narrator, the focus continued to shit among each character, none of which I admired or respected.

 Guard Of Honor, in the end, describes the honors given fallen soldiers and the debate among the central characters on whether an officer that committed suicide deserved to be honored by graveside military rites. Some argued he should; some argued he shouldn't. I didn't really care either way.

 The Air Force military life described throughout is run by white men, an unsurprising fact considering when this novel was written. I found the side focus of whether black soldiers deserved to be treated the same as white soldiers an interesting back-and-forth and the ultimate treatment of the black officers appalling. Again, unsurprising considering the time. Even if the officers arguing for equality were to have succeeded, as soon as the black officers left base, they would have been treated as second class citizens, which I found to be totally infuriating. These men can give their lives for their country but can't expect to be treated as valuable citizens. This just makes my skin crawl.

 Looking Forward: By Love Possessed

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