Book Title: LEGACY OF HONOR: THE DESCENDANTS by Larry A. Freeland
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 401 pages
Genre: Historical Military Fiction
Publisher: Publish Authority
Release date: February 2025
Content Rating: PG + M: My book is a story of sacrifice, integrity, courage (moral and physical), love, family and war.
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 401 pages
Genre: Historical Military Fiction
Publisher: Publish Authority
Release date: February 2025
Content Rating: PG + M: My book is a story of sacrifice, integrity, courage (moral and physical), love, family and war.
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About the Book
In The Descendants: A Legacy of Valor, the McCormick family saga continues, plunging readers into the heart of 20th-century warfare. This gripping historical military fiction, written in three parts, follows Sean McCormick’s three sons—Alan, Lee, and Scott—as they confront the harsh realities of war and sacrifice.
In Part 1, Alan, the eldest, leads an Infantry Company with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. Amid brutal jungle battles, he faces the relentless toll of command.
Part 2 follows Lee, a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, as he navigates daring missions and personal struggles, eventually participating in the First Gulf War.
In Part 3, Scott, the youngest, is drafted into the Army during the Vietnam era, stationed in South Korea, and later recruited by the CIA, where he undertakes covert missions across the Middle East.
From the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of the Middle East, The Descendants—the powerful conclusion to The Legacy of Honor trilogy—explores the courage, brotherhood, and sacrifices of the McCormick brothers. Their intertwined journeys reveal the true cost of duty, family, and legacy.
My Review
The Author Takes Readers Beyond the Battlefield. This is the first book that I have read from the trilogy. I was hesitant to begin the series with the "end"--but the novel is certainly a stand-alone look at the lives of the three brothers (descendants) in a military family. I am not always a fan of military-based novels--but the author takes readers to, through and beyond the battlefields as he explores the personal tolls of war taken on his three main characters. The novel is a very real look into the brothers' experiences. The tears, the pain, and the harsh realities are laid open on the pages. Written with a tone that is vivid and real, the novel reads more like stories from memoirs and journals. Readers will be drawn to this family and the stories of war and its aftermath from beginning to end.
Legacy of Honor - The Descendants can be Read as a Stand-Alone--But... This is the best historical military fiction novel I've read. While this is the "end" of the series, I would certainly be interested in reading the first two books as well. You could read this novel on its own and have a complete reading experience--but you will want to stay with the family and learn about them and the legacy that preceded these three men.
Would I Recommend Legacy of Honor - The Descendants by Larry A. Freeland? Whether you love military fiction--or enjoy emotional historical fiction, this novel (and series) is one for your reading list. While this novel is a stand-alone book, I would plan to pick up the series.
Buy the Book
Check Out The Entire Legacy of Honor Series:
“Freeland weaves together an exciting, action-packed, and historically accurate tale of war and romance during and after World War 1.” - James Harvey, author of Grayton Beach Affair
“Freeland writes in nearly encyclopedic fashion as he includes background information about the World War I trenches, the history of the nursing corps, the big increase of cigarette use among American military personnel, the history of “Reveille,” and the meaning of “buying the farm,” among many other things. He also takes the reader on a 30,000-foot overview of a battle about to take place before dropping us down into the action. Freeland’s aim is for his trilogy to explore how this country treats its warriors and veterans during and after our wars. With Book One, The Patriarch, he’s off to a good start." - Bill McCloud - Vietnam Veterans of America
"Crawl through the trenches of France with American infantrymen and experience the horrendous brutality of WWI warfare … reminiscent of the carnage in Civil War battle scenes in The Red Badge of Courage. Then follow the “doughboys” as they assimilate back into American society, often with heartbreaking and unforgettable outcomes.” - Jameson Gregg, Benjamin Franklin Award Winner and Georgia Author of the Year
"Crawl through the trenches of France with American infantrymen and experience the horrendous brutality of WWI warfare … reminiscent of the carnage in Civil War battle scenes in The Red Badge of Courage. Then follow the “doughboys” as they assimilate back into American society, often with heartbreaking and unforgettable outcomes.” - Jameson Gregg, Benjamin Franklin Award Winner and Georgia Author of the Year
In his hometown in Wellington Ohio, Sam McCormick is on a path to follow in his father’s footsteps, leading a life of hard work as a factory manager. But in 1915, Sam loses his parents when the Lusitania is sunk by a U-boat. Soon after, Sam is called up during World War I as an infantryman with the Army’s American Expeditionary Forces and the first division to be sent to France to battle the very forces that killed his loved ones.
Now Sam’s aim is to seek vengeance for his parents’ death. He must survive brutal gas attacks, rapid machine gun fire, and relentless artillery strikes. As he and his troops repeatedly cross into “no man’s land” to take over German trenches, he will cross paths with notable leaders such as General Pershing, General Douglas MacArthur, Colonel George Patton, and Sergeant York, one of the most highly decorated American soldiers of WWI.
But Sam’s attitude changes as the war drags on, and the body count rises. Now Sam just wants the killing to stop. When he is wounded, he finds hope again to rebuild a life with his bride Marie, a witty and intelligent French nurse. But when he returns home, the United States that he loved as a civilian looks far different after the war as a veteran.
Sam McCormick must become The Patriarch. His family and way of life depend on it.
A tale of courage, sacrifice, love and honor, this 20th Century historical fiction saga addresses the horrors of WW1 and the challenges that military men faced upon returning including mental trauma, and physical illness in addition to the hardships of the Great Depression as well as other historical events before WWII, including the Bonus Army March of 1932 and the Little Steel Strikes of 1937.
