Currahee A Screaming Eagle at Normandy. Donald R. Burgett is a real Screaming Eagle, who jumped with that famed division at Normandy and survived to tell the tale. His memoir vividly portrays the tragic chaos of war: the blood and sweat, the glory and tears of one of the greatest battles of all time. Currahee (this was the battle cry and motto of his regiment) begins with jump training and explodes in drama as they are parachuted into Normandy with orders to take and hold the high ground behind the beaches. It contains unforgettable incidents. The author's almost dispassionate tone goes a long way toward explaining a particular set of psychological defenses which enabled these men to do their duty and-for some of them-to survive with their sanity intact. Currahee is the only book on World War II that General Dwight D. Eisenhower ever endorsed, calling it "a fascinating tale of personal combat" that "portrays the courage, endurance, initiative and fighting qualities of an American soldier on a European battlefield of World War II." Currahee was originally published to critical acclaim in 1967. Donald R. Burgett holds the title of being the first enlisted man to write and publish on the Airborne.