Great Court-Martial Cases [Introduction By Birch Bayh]

by Joseph DiMona

Great Court-Martial Cases is a history of the military trials that shook the nation, from Benedict Arnold to Lieutenant Calley, taken from recently released official trial records.

Genres: Military Fiction

291 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Born in Haddonfield, N.J., Mr. DiMona attended Duke University, where he wrote for campus publications and became the head cheerleader, earning the nickname Jumping Joe. He interrupted his education to enlist in the Navy in 1942, seeing action on Okinawa and throughout the Pacific.

After the war, he returned to Duke to graduate and received a law degree at George Washington University Law School. While there he worked as a radio announcer for the Washington Senators and Washington Redskins and as a copy boy at The Washington Post. He passed the bar but never practiced law, preferring to write.

He collaborated with H.R. Haldeman on his 1978 memoir "The Ends of Power" and wrote numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. He passed away at the age of 76 in 1999.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, describing specific court-martials through U.S. history and their impact on the military justice system. It started with Benedict Arnold (who was convicted in a court-martial before changing sides) and ended with William Calley and the MyLai massacre.
The book was published in 1972, so it doesn't include anything more recent than Vietnam.

[Steve Henricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read For Serious Military Justice Practicioners

Anyone who considers themselves a subject matter expert on military justice needs this book in their collection. I’m grateful the author’s son recommend I read his father’s work.

[Dorothy Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Well written, a fast read.