The author was an infantry squad leader and platoon sergeant in the famed 101st Airborne Division in the last years of the war in Vietnam. His poems, written often in foxholes and on bunker lines, trace a year-long tour of duty to chronicle the fear, hope, pride, guilt, and frustration of a combat soldier, and the issues of dealing with the experiences of war after separation from service. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to support the programs of the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association, a nonprofit veterans organization which strongly supports active duty soldiers.

The author fanaticized about combat and played war games in his youth. War is not a game. Combat wasn't this fantasy for him in real life. This book tells the story of a Kansas boy who grew up quickly serving as a combat platoon leader in the Vietnam War. It shares his exploits with A Company, 4/503, 173 Airborne Brigade. His platoon was very unlucky in the June/November 1967 campaign as the "Fire Brigade" took on the NVA in Dak To. His actions are reported in at least two documentary books dealing with individual firefights in the Central Highlands during that period. This is the unpolished truth about the brutal war and how really futile it was to go toe to toe against a better-prepared army and survive. The author gives unembellished reports of what his unit experienced and backs it up with the Battalion After Action Reports. He acknowledges he is alive today only because of superior tactical air support and artillery firepower. This book gives an entirely different viewpoint than most books authored by Vietnam veterans. While his observations may be controversial to some vets, it reflects the author's objective opinion of what he experienced there.

A combat veteran of the Vietnam War draws on oral histories, after-action reports, diaries, letters, and other archival sources to debunk the view that the junior officers who served in Vietnam were poorly trained, unmotivated soldiers typified by Lt. William Calley of My Lai infamy.

Drafted into the Army in 1968, Gillam transformed from an uncertain sergeant to an aggressive soldier, serving in Vietnam and Cambodia. As a regular point man and occasional tunnel rat who fought below ground, the killing became close range and brutal. Gillam left the Army in 1970, and he was once again a college student and destined to become a university professor.

Based on official U.S. Army records, these eyewitness chronicles of seven horrific battles offer an unparalleled glimpse of the day-to-day reality of the Vietnam conflict. From a fierce fight on the banks of the Ia Drang River in November 1965 to a May '68 gunship mission, these highly charged reports convey the heroism and horror of modern warfare. Each of these compelling narratives reflects events that took place throughout Vietnam after American troops were first committed in force in 1965. In addition to the achievements and sacrifices common to any war, this struggle was further complicated by an extremely elusive enemy and a new strategic dimension afforded by the helicopter—aspects that added a high degree of error, experimentation, and innovation. These accounts analyze the performance of individual soldiers under fire, illustrating both the reality of fear and the effects of military discipline and leadership. Sources for this book include daily journals, after-action reports, and official interviews that took place immediately after the battles, along with subsequent interviews and correspondence conducted by the authors. Maps and other illustrations illuminate the text.

This book probes various groups of Americans as they come to grips with the consequences of the Vietnam War. Dr. Mrozek examines several areas of concern facing the United States Air Force, and the other services in varying degrees, in the years after Vietnam.

This book was donated as a part of the David H. Hugel Collection, an archival collection of the Special Collections & Archives, University of Baltimore.