This is not the type of book I usually read (War stories). It was recommended by a friend. It sat in a stack of unread books for a few weeks. I finally started to read. I was mesmerized, I could not put it down!!!! I felt as if I was right there with the author! It is a good mixture of what the war was like for this pilot, his revelry, his mind set. I have read it twice, it flows easy, and sets on the mind well. Read It!!

It seems to me as if stories about the U.S. foot soldier in Vietnam abound, but the Vietnam War was also a war Americans fought fiercely in the air. It stands to reason then that the chronicle of the F105 fighter pilot, who flew the most harrowing missions and suffered the greatest losses, is one of the more significant, albeit under-appreciated, tales worthy of telling. As such, Ken Bell's 100 Missions North is an excellent place to dig in to the subject to appreciate a unique, by-gone perspective. Bell's first-hand account of the 100 missions he flew as a Thunderchief pilot over north Vietnam in 1966-67 provides a superb, three-dimensional picture of his life at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base north of Bangkok, Thailand, one of two primary facilities for F105s during the war. Aside from the fact that Bell was a major at the time and thus missed out on the opportunity to live dorm-style in a hooch with lower-ranking officers, his story in many ways typifies the life of an F105 pilot of this era. Although his is not the only first-hand account of the F105 pilots' experience, it may be the most satisfying.

Thud Ridge, Jack Broughton's account of his tour, for instance, although essential as a piece of F105 fighter pilot history, is not a straightforward chronological account of his experiences. Instead, Broughton picks and chooses subjects for each chapter, so although there is something of a running narrative, the text skips around a bit. Not a big problem but it can be confusing unless you've been a member of a fighter wing. Therefore, I would also say Broughton seems to be writing more to a limited audience, the fellow fighter pilot as well as the military enthusiast; hence, although a good book regarding its subject, Thud Ridge is more for those already with a base knowledge of air war and squadrons.

Another top-notch book but with a broader appeal than Thud Ridge is G.I. Basel's Pak Six. Basel's book is quite an enjoyable read. He turns a nice phrase, recounts interesting stories, and is easy to follow and understand. Basel also has a good sense of humor that helps the outsider appreciate the F105 fighter pilot mentality. Why then is Pak Six not the first book to pick up on the F105 pilot experience? Just this'length. Pak Six has about half as many pages as 100 Missions North. In spite of the fact that Basel's book was a pure pleasure to read, and I finished it in about two days, it nonetheless gets into and out of its subject too quickly. It's good to leave the reader wanting more, but I wanted much more.

It was after I read these two books that I came across 100 Missions North. Bell's book is the one I wished I'd picked up first. At 300 pages, it provides a detailed, nicely paced, chronological account of the 100 missions he flew. Although he doesn't literally account for all 100 missions, Bell presents the highlights of his most significant missions and discusses life outside the cockpit as well. Like Basel, he is easy to understand and can tell a good story, and like a seasoned writer, is not embarrassed to confess his fears and mistakes while flying missions. Likewise, he provides honest observations about the world and people around him during his tour.

For anyone interested in this side of the Vietnam War, all three books are a must, and certainly, all three offer something unique that in total present a thorough picture of what it must have been like to be there, a subject of particular interest to me since my father was there too, but he's no longer around to recount his experiences. Of the group, 100 Missions North is the most well-rounded regarding its subject and is certainly a worthy place to begin getting a grasp of life inside the cockpit while flying bombing missions into a region reputed to be the most heavily defended in the history of warfare.

AWESOME! Outstanding, honest account of the frustrations faced by combat pilots in South East Asia.

I was fortunate enough to have Paul Drew come to one of my college classes to discuss his book and i must say his talk was just as powerful as his book. what i really enjoyed was the way he wrote as a normal kind of guy. it was almost as if i was sitting there and he was talking to me like one might talk in a bar. i highly recommend this book

Paul Drew gives the world his diary. His Viet Nam experience is the cover story, but the change in the man is the book. Drew expresses in an intimate and engaging format the impact of war, politics and social upheaval on an everyman. "After the Storm" is a strong statement against streo-typing and against our desire to have history wrapped up in a neat little package. This is an important work in that it combines a valid perspective on the American century with an Odysseus-like inner journey. Highly recommended for the generation that came after the war.

I truly never did so much thinking after reading this book, and I'm still thinking.... As I read, I felt like my vision was getting clearer about how Vietnam made such an impact on not only the veterans' lives, but on their families and friends for the rest of all of their lives. There were many passages that I really would admit are steeped in true wisdom....a wisdom which can be gained only through experience and careful contemplation over many years.....one of my favorite passages was towards the end regarding how the author thought he could best explain what the healing process is like.....with mention of an oppressive dense rain forest bearing down on you, and then you "swallow the sun"........ spectacular....these are the kind of descriptions that jump out at the reader and stick with you for a long time.... I feel that Paul Drew is a little less of a complete stranger now......his reflections make the reader feel like a friend.

I recently reread Chomsky's classic. It's very enlightening to see the parallels as well as the differences between the role America's "intelligencia" played during the Vietnam War and the role they are playing now with just another war "won".

American Power and the New Mandarins, first published in 1967, is a collection of essays by Noam Chomsky about the Vietnam War and related subjects. Originally famous for his contributions to linguistics, Chomsky began writing extensively about U.S. foreign policy during the Vietnam War, and this collection is the first of his many political books. While the subject matter is a bit dated, those who are interested in either the intellectual climate during the Vietnam era or the origins of Chomsky's career as a critic of U.S. policy will find plenty to interest them in this book.

Chomsky's primary goal in American Power and the New Mandarins is not to convince the reader that the Vietnam War was wrong. On this issue, he says that "Anyone who puts a fraction of his mind to the task can construct a case [against the war] that is overwhelming" (9). Rather, his goal is to illustrate the degree to which American intellectuals supported the war, or at least the assumptions behind it. Many people remember the Vietnam War as a time of widespread protest against U.S. policy, with intellectuals and the youth leading the way. Chomsky argues that the war's "opponents" were often not concerned with the moral issues related to the war, but rather with the fact that the war seemed to be unwinnable and was costing too many American lives. The implication is that these intellectuals would not be protesting if the U.S. had crushed the Vietnamese resistance without significant loss of American life (Vietnamese life being irrelevant).

The book is made up of eight essays of varying length, and an introduction and an epilogue.

- In "Objectivity and Liberal Scholarship," Chomsky introduces the concept of the "new mandarins"--those who claim the authority to determine policy based on their allegedly "scientific" understanding of human nature and technology. These "new mandarins" believe that their knowledge gives them the right to restructure society in Vietnam and elsewhere, regardless of the wishes of the local population. In addition, Chomsky argues that many intellectuals tend to accept the status quo and support the basic assumptions of U.S. policy--that Western nations always know best, and force is justified to keep Third World countries from going down the "wrong" path. This essay is not very concise or organized; Chomsky has plenty of evidence to present but it flows out in no particular order. Chomsky devotes nearly 50 pages to criticizing a single historian's book about the Spanish Civil War--an excellent example, in Chomsky's opinion, of "the deep-seated bias of liberal historians," (93) but a cumbersome way to make his point. Still, whatever its organizational shortcomings, this essay presents plenty of evidence to illustrate the biases of liberal intellectuals in favor of American power.

- In "The Revolutionary Pacifism of A. J. Muste: On the Backgrounds of the Pacific War," Chomsky explains the parallels between the Vietnam War and Japanese expansion in China in the 1930's. In both cases, defenders of government policy appealed to "the high moral character of the intervention, the benefits it would bring to the suffering masses" (183). Both America and Japan tried to set up puppet governments to serve their interests, and responded to doubts about their actions by emphasizing the "Communist" threat (196).

- "The Logic of Withdrawal" discusses the political strength of the NLF (Vietcong) and the continuing resistance of the United States to any political settlement that might allow the Vietnamese a fair choice between the NLF and other alternatives. Chomsky ridicules the idea that an NLF political victory could pose any threat to America's survival, comparing this to the Nazis' claim that "a Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy was threatening the survival of Germany" (249).

- "The Bitter Heritage" is Chomsky's review of Arthur Schlesinger's book of the same name. Schlesinger expresses the "liberal" view that the United States had made a tactical error by fighting a costly war, but that American motives were pure. Chomsky argues that this view represents the extreme limit of mainstream opposition to the war in the United States. The view that "the United States has no unilateral right to determine by force the course of development of the nations of the Third World" (297) is not considered to be "responsible criticism" (296).

- In "Some Thoughts on Intellectuals and the Schools" and "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," Chomsky continues his criticism of intellectuals who endorse the irresponsible use of American power.

- "On Resistance" and "Supplement to 'On Resistance'" are Chomsky's statements about how to protest the war. Chomsky argues that resistance should remain nonviolent, not only because of moral considerations, but also because violence "will surely fail, will simply frighten and alienate some who can be reached, and will further encourage the ideologists and administrators of repression" (374-5). Chomsky endorses the refusal to be drafted as an ideal means of resistance, since it directly impedes the government's ability to carry out its policies and can be used to make a visible statement as well.

If you are a Chomsky fan, you will probably enjoy this book; his writing style and basic outlook have remained consistent over the decades. He has written plenty of books and essays about more recent events, however, so if you are interested in American power in general rather than Vietnam in particular, you might want to check the newer ones out first.

During the Vietnam war the United States used its enormous military power to try to install in South Vietnam a minority government of U.S. choice, with its military operations based on the knowledge that the people there were the enemy. This country killed millions and left Vietnam (and the rest of Indochina) devastated. A Wall Street Journal report in 1997 estimated that perhaps 500,000 children in Vietnam suffer from serious birth defects resulting from the U.S. use of chemical weapons there. Seems fairly reasonable to protest against this, surely?... This was and is a groundbreaking book, and ....

Studs Terkel meets Asian America. The author, affiliated with Queens College at the time the book was compiled, records oral histories from first through fourth generation Asian Americans from China, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, and Pacific Islands. (Chinese immigrants began to officially arrive in 1848; they were not allowed to apply for citizenship until 1943. Japanese and Koreans were not allowed citizenship until 1952; Filipinos and Asian Indians beat them by six years) These histories are grouped into three major section: Living In America; Americanization; and Refections on Interracial Marriage. In "Living In America", selections include Will Hao on being a true Hawaiian, and Andrea Kim on being born and raised in Hawaii, but not being Hawaiian. Sam Sue, a Chinese American lawyer, talks about growing up bitterly in Clarksdale Mississippi during a time of segregation. The Americanization section includes stories of escape and exodus, the bumpy road of acculturation, 3 stories just on run-ins with traffic cops (driving while Asian), and over 9 stories on Americanization, racism, tension, being Asian versus being American, and even on being a minority within a minority. Cao O discusses life as an ethnic Chinese in Vietnam and being Chinese-Vietnamese in America and dealing with social service agencies in Chinatown that is staffed by Hong-Kong born Chinese. In "No Tea, Thank You", Setsuko K. discusses the subtleties between the generations, such as politeness and their hidden meanings (when "no" means "yes", and "yes" means "no"). In a sub-section of nine stories about family, Cao O discusses the idea of 'obligation', while Hideo K talks about the "Company as Friend". Tony Ham discusses Mah-Jonng as a family social focus. In a sub-section on religion, there is an interesting piece on Koreans and church membership. In one of eight stories on "Interracial Marriage", Jody Sandler writes talks about "So He's Not a Jewish Doctor", in which a 23 year old Woodmere Long Island Five Town girl marries an Asian America and faces pressures from family and friends, and contrasts Tony's values with those she grew up with in Five Towns.

This book by Joann Lee is an excellent book on Asian-Americans. It tells the life stories of Asian-Americans without so much stereotypical baggage found elsewhere.

It shows Asian-Americans as people. Instead of the shallow, stereotypical views found in the movies, it gave me a deeper view of what it feels like and means to be a person of Asian descent living in America. And it does so honestly. It gives the reader a view into a very intimate but often overlooked part of life in America.

I recommend this to all who are interested in this topic.The book reads well and easily.

Enjoy!

An excellent overview of what it is to be Asian American in America today. Joann Lee writes beautifully and puts you in touch with the individual struggles and victories of her subjects. A must read.

This is an excellent book for two reasons: its lively writing and its emotional impact. Don Yost gives life to many of the underlying frustrations of serving in Vietnam that most other books and essays about Vietnam haven't even identified. It also provides a superbly realistic look at the war through the eyes of someone who understands and appreciates the depth of the potential sacrifice that each man must face when he's called to serve, especially in a war that's misunderstood my most people, and bitterly opposed by his own generation.
When it comes to first-person accounts of the Vietnam war, this book is like no other. It's an excellent work that should be on everyone's bookshelf.

I am not a reader, you'll never find a romance novel in my presence, but I do like war stories. This is anything but, it is a story of a man's love for his family written in a way that would move the most manly of men. It is more of an appology to all of those who he hurt during his healing than a war story but it's written in an entertaining, "laugh while you cry", "I can relate to that", matter of fact manner. It's a must read for anyone and everyone. I have passed it around to friends who have passed it to friends, my copy has been in more homes than me because everyone loves it and relates to it in one way or another.

I couldn't put it down! The word "Vietnam" has meant little more to me than buff actors with atitude, this book changed that. It's not a blood and gore or look what America did to me, story. It's an appology and a promise to get over it. Anyone could relate this to the struggles in their own lives and learn how to turn them into something wonderful. This is so wonderfully written that I was able to empathize with this man rather than just have sympathy for him. I have given this to both male and female friends, everyone agrees, it's wonderful.

An excellent and highly informative narrative of the nearly unknown world of the United States Navy's small craft fleet in Vietnam. A fine reminder to the sailors of today that individual heroism in a war fought with the machine gun and not missles is part of the recent naval tradition. If anyone can say they followed the path of John Paul Jones and went into harm's way, these sailors can, and LCDR Cutler has told their story well.

I was in the Naval Advisory Group at the same time as LCDR Cutler and I know where he's coming from. He did a great job of research. I'm really surprised at the volume of good factual info he managed to scrape up! BRAVO ZULU from an ex advisor at Rach Soi, Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay.

As a modern day "River Rat," I started reading this book, while waiting to kick off that little invasion down in Panama, affectionately known as "Operation Just Cause" in Dec 1989, and managed to finish reading it in between "Brown Water & coastal Patrols." It's hard to put down once you start reading, and CDR Cutler does this small, sub-community of Navy Special Warfare Sailors justice (pretty unique thing to do for an officer). It's the roots & history of the U.S.N.'s "Brown Water Navy", the combat tactics and actions that are still in use to this date. I highly recommend this literature work to any person(s) that's interested in the Navy, and the and the personnel that forged the Brown Water Navy's history in the volatile rivers, canals and coast line of Viet Nam. A true reflection of courage, human spirit and dedication in the most adverse conditions. PBR= Proud, Brave & Reliable! Keep the Faith

When I read this marvelous memoir for the first time, I was struck with its florid style, which reveals Weigl as a gifted poet. Weigl's journey takes him from his boyhood in Lorain Ohio, through his tour of duty in Vietham, his visit to North Vietnam in the mid 1980s, and his subsequent adoption of a North Vietnamese girl, Hanh. Though his story is riveting and painful at times, the author manages to bring the important message that sometimes beauty and pain must coexist. "The Circle of Hanh" is especially comforting to post-September 11 Americans in its message that the stories we hear and remember and relate can save us, just as the author's story has done for him.

I have been amazed by the beauty, honesty, sensitivity, and intelligence of Bruce Weigl's poetry for over five years now. He continues to "overachieve" in every possible way imaginable in this memoir written in prose/poetry.

The word "love" is a much abused term, whether superficially used to describe an at times tawdry sex act or whether used in syrupy tones by daytime talk show hosts. However, for me this book is really about love. About Weigl's love for his Yugoslav-American family and neighbors, his own wife, son, and daughter, the Vietnamese people, the American boys who fought and died with him during the war, and even the teenage girl that molested him when he was a little boy. It's just a really fine book of personal insight and deliverance.

I cannot believe that this book is rated 281,000 or so in Amazon's sales list. Bruce Weigl would be considered a national treasure in more educated and enightened cultures. I do not believe that you'll be disappointed by this memoir. Rather, you may find just a bit of redemptiveness for your own self in this book.

In the first part of "The Circle Of Hanh", Author Bruce Weigl is in Hong Kong waiting to board a flight for North Vietnam. The wait is an agonizing one, because the airport is terribly crowded and long lines of people spill over into branching hallways. The lines move at a snails pace. Weigl is very worried, because he must catch his flight; and time is running out. In North Vietnam a child is waiting for him: an eight year old girl that Weigl and his wife had been trying to adopt for a long time. The line slowly moves, and Weigl finally makes his way to the airline counter. He hands over his ticket and Visa, and is told that his Visa has expired. Weigl realizes that an error has been made on his Visa, because it had just been issued. He tries to explain, but is told that nothing can be done to help him. He must return to America, and get another Visa. Weigl asks to speak to a higher ranking Air Vietnam representative. The official comes and says that he can do nothing to help him either. Then Weigl makes a final desperate appeal to the Vietnamese official, explaining his mission to Vietnam. He had to go to Vietnam, and bring a little girl named Hanh to her new home. With a very brief time left before departure, the official allows him to board the plane for Vietnam. Weigl takes the last available seat on the plane. Those harrowing moments in Hong Kong cover only a few pages in this beautifully written book. Bruce Weigl is a poet, and a veteran of the Vietnam War. This book is a memoir of his life. We learn his story, from the time of his childhood; to the horrible destruction of the Vietnam War; and the devastation of his own life through alcohol and drugs. He regained control of his life through poetry and the love of his family. To redeem a life that too often had been wasted and lost, he wanted to give something of value. He wanted to give back something of what he had helped take away. He wanted to give happiness and a good life to a forgotten child from Vietnam. The story of his journey to give that happiness will touch your heart. This is a very moving memoir that I highly recommend.

"Combat Medic Vietnam" is a solid military story. Its 33 chapters are devoted to some 10 Army and Marine medics who served in Vietnam. While "CM" pulls no punches, neither does it belabor or drag the episodes out. Each episode, told in the first person "tells it like it was" and moves on. The result is a highly compact and readable tale with no gratuitous gore and suffering. To the credit of the men involved, there is also no trace of self-pity though the Lord knows they were well entitled on that score. The Afterward reveals what became of the 10 when they returned to "The World"- more power to them all! I enjoyed the Appendix, which encompasses a brief world history of military medics both U.S. and foreign. "CM" has 2 minor flaws common to military books: There are no maps and no glossary of Army/Marine/Navy acronyms or jargon. Their inclusion would have helped. Their exclusion does not detract from the larger story. "CM" represents yet another view, another observation post into the Vietnam War. Both "Combat Medic" and author Roberts earlier work, "One Shot-One Kill" are highly and earnestly recommended.

This is a great book. I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing from cover to cover. It covers the experiences of the medics in the Vietnam war. I know one of the medics featured in the book. His name is Doug Wean, and he is a heroic honorable person. If you want to get the inside story on the Vietnam war this is a book for you.

This book is on the "Recommended Reading List" of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295, Indianapolis, Indiana

Excellent book. Well written, easily read, thought provoking. Is long, but not cumbersome.

I first read 'About Face' written by Col. David Hackworth during the late 1980s. I found it extremely valuable in helping me...a woman with little knowledge of anything military, understand better my children's dad, a land based Viet Nam combat vet and the problems he had to deal with before his death.

As the wife of yet a second Viet Nam combat vet, special forces, I suggest this book for anyone who wants a better understanding of the debt of gratitude and respect we citizens owe those willing to serve in The United States Military.

Reviewed by: molly martin

I first came to hear of ABOUT FACE from a friend and fellow NCO in Korea. He said I might think it was good, Was that an understatement. I read About Face in one fourteen hour plane ride back to Korea. I've read it three more times so far and recommend it to all my friends deserving the title Non-Commisioned Officer. I truly believe that all military leaders should read this and take from it; Hack's wisdom and experiance dealing with the military, Integrity and soldiering.

I bought this book when I was about 11 years old and a big fan of "war stories". I am now approaching twenty and have read this book at least once a year since first purchasing it, to the extent that it is now in three parts and the photographs have fallen out. This book is an intense, gripping, readable but most of all honest and believable account of one of America's greatest warriors and his experiences...from the forested slopes of Trieste in 1946 to being chased around Washington DC by Army Intell goons in 1971, this book, while entertaining, will also teach you everything you need to know about duty, honour,bravery and honest patriotism, qualities that come hard to find in the era of Iran-Contra, Tailhook, Whitewater and the like... This book will make you laugh, cry and think. Please, read it.

This excellent, informative book deserves to have been reprinted (how could such a fine book have gone out of print?), but beware of the "fully revised and expanded" claim. I ready owned the out-of-print hardcover and bought the new paperback edition to check out the updated information. I've looked pretty closely, and the only new copy I can find is very incidental (i.e., changing the locations of farms from exotic locations to the US as more domestic farmers are now growing Asian produce). No new recipes, either, although some new titles (to throw unsuspecting readers off the scent?). If you don't have this book, and you are an Asian food aficionado, do add it to your collection. However, I am very irritated at the publisher's suggestion that this is a new edition (it's a good old-fashioned reprint, and that's all) and at the previous reviewers who didn't find it necessary to warn other buyers of this important fact. I would rate it much lower for readers like me who own the original, but newcomers to this classic will find no quarrel.

A terrific reference for people like myself: round-eyes who want to learn about authentic asian ingredients and cuisine. The book is a great guide to many obscure and, to outsiders, mystifying ingredients. What's most important is that the book clearly describes the ways in which they are commonly used and (often) provides sample recipes; this allows you to utilize previously unknown items correctly and learn how their flavors are part of traditional asian dishes.

The book is well-written, though this version is the first I've seen, so I can't comment on whether it's really "new and expanded". Someone with a keen interest in food can sit down and read it cover-to-cover. I was also impressed by the care taken to differentiate national/regional applications of ingredients. Much discussion is given to how the region and history shaped the use of ingredients and what is accepted in contemporary cuisine.

All in all, a great reference book.

this is a unique book that is most useful in "de-mystfying" asian ingredients. I have bought and seen a lot of food related books and this one is remarkable for its accuracy and user friendliness (the pictures help so much!!). I bought it back about 10 years ago or so and it taught me a lot. A very good investment for anyone interested in asian food and asian flavours michael