MSG Roy Benevidez was an amazing person, and that's putting it mildly. In spite of his fearful wounds from his first tour-of-duty and doctors saying that he would never walk again, he went on to become an elite member of the US Army Special Forces. His actions in combat showed him to be brave, his actions after made him a hero. Roy Benevidez was not out to gain glory and status from his actions, nor did he ever look for pity because of his humble upbringings. Though his ancestry was Mexican-Indian and Hispanic, he always said, "I prefered to think of myself simply as an American." He had a "never say die" attitude, and strong sense of morals. He possesed neither vanity nor false modestly, and he served as an example of what one can accomplish in a lifetime. Sadly, MSG Roy Benevidez died in 1998. He truely was an American Hero! May God bless his soul.

I was privileged to know and very fortunate to have served with Roy Benavidez. His entire life was a struggle: from his difficult early years in Texas, to his incredible struggle to remain in the Army after his first tour's devastating wounds, to his amazing jump status qualification after the doctors told him he would never walk again, to his incredible heroism that resulted in the MOH (but only after another long battle with the bureaucracy that refused to acknowledge heroism at a time that the country was trying to "forget" Vietnam) and finally, the redemption that came on the White House steps with the MOH ceremony, the "last" MOH given out for Vietnam service. I am glad that Brassey's has put the book out in paperback so that kids can read about Roy and learn to never give up. God Bless You, Roy.

Roy Benevidez must have been an incredible person. The feelings and thoughts he shares through out the book shows that behind "The Medal" there was a very real individual. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what really goes through the mind of a hero.

Best book I've read in years. A captivating personal story, with a huge heart. It's about life in a war, but it is mostly about life. One doesn't have to love or hate warfare to be totally engaged. The author has respected his reader by holding our attention from the first sentence to the last. Superb editing, without one unnecessary phrase, one extra word, like a great poem when it's finished, one more edit would cut at the quick. Do yourself a favor and order this book today, then find a comfortable spot and leave time to read it all at once. National publishers, grab this author now. Everyone needs a shot at reading this book and we need more from Mr. Sherman!

For an author to be in a state on non-judgement around an experience like Vietnam is at a minimum an amazing process. Mr. Sherman simply takes a healthy proactive stance in solidifying his convictions in the midst of the runaway train called war. Writing this review at the start of yet another conflict fueled by the hubris of unexplored belief systems, this book becomes even more important in the obvious conclusion that in life, for the most part, we make it all up, and war is something that has reached the end its relevance in fueling devolution. This book represents a path my life could have taken, yet I doubt I would have had the authors level of courage. Thus it was a slow, experiential read, now a part of my gratitude for having not been to hell and back. The book takes us on a journey as if we had actually been on the journey, which is part of masterful writing. Just read it......

Like the best of stories, this one is intensely personal, and like the best of stories, this one is also universal. Ben Sherman exposes his intense experience as a conscientious objector serving as a frontline medic with a vivid sense of visual and visceral detail. The story is of one young man's brutal immersion into the reality of war, and it is also story of wide reaching significance of human connection and the stunning human cost of war across borders, cultures, and eras.

Every Viet Nam vet has his or her own story; many are left untold, relegated to the bottomless black hole of suppressed war memories. No one could have faulted the author for choosing such a path; bringing memories of war horrors to light is painful. But Sherman offers his story as a gift of grace, an opportunity for healing, and as an imperative to seek other ways to resolve conflict. Paul Ferrini says, "When you have the courage to approach the wall of your fear, it turns into a doorway." Sherman has opened this doorway for himself, and his doorway offers an opening for others. Wars are fought by individuals, but are entered into and supported by our collective identity, by nations. If we are ever to learn a different way of resolving conflict, essential for the human story to continue, then we must have full understanding of the reality of war, not the propagandized unreality we're usually fed. Sherman's book tells a story we all, young and old, need to know. We especially need to know this story together, and "Medic!" provides a powerful vehicle for the most important of intergenerational conversations.

This is not light reading; it is important reading about some of the deepest --both hardest and best -- of human experiences. I was drawn in, engaged, and changed by this book like no other. Sherman's unique perspective as a CO medic is a story we all need to hear.

What wonderful book, written with humor, insight and wonderful descriptions of life in Vietnam. My eyes have been opened to a new culture. It is so easy to forget that the people of Vietnam - before and after the Vietnam War - are just that...people. And this book brings a new awareness to life on the continent of Southeast Asia. I highly recommend this book, for its easy reading style and very entertaining discriptions.

Marjorie Doughty has written a book with heart and soul. Her memoirs are not so much the accounts of battles and bodies, they are the insight of a woman "from a rather unusual perspective". I recommend this book even to soldiers who have served in Vietnam to see the "other side".

I got to read this book early because I designed it. That is my business. I rarely comment on any of the many books I design, but I was especially taken with this particular book. I felt the need to speak up because of the many unhappy feelings which I have had about Viet Nam all these years. I lost many friends there.

This book shows the human, non-combat side of that unhappy period in our national experience. The people are made somehow more human by showing, as the author does, those people in ordinary activities rather than at war. With compassion.

It's a very touching and healing work done by a master storyteller. A very worthwhile read for anyone whose life was changed in any way by that war.

My husband and I have shared the reading of this authentic account of pilot's lives during the Vietnam war told by the pilots themselves. Each startling account astounds the reader because it's hard to believe what these men went through and survived. We personally know Gen. Sheppard and his wife Rose having been neighbors when Don was the Commanding General at the Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. But it is only by reading this factual account of what Don and other Forward Air Control (FAC) pilots went through in that terrible war that you can appreciate what they faced each day. It will make you believe in miracles when you read the first-hand accounts of the MISTY pilots who fought so bravely and survived and those pilots who were taken prisoner and survived the brutal beatings and torture.

I am a prolific reader of military fiction. I have read everything written by Griffin, Coonts,Coyle,Herman,Berent, Harrison, Scott and Wetterling. All tremendous, engaging writers. "Misty' is the first factual, book that I have ever read that held my interest in the same way as the above writers can.
"Misty" is a compilation of "true" stories that could not have been made up. I could not put the book down and I read it in two days, locked in my recliner, sweating as they wove through the AAA or worked a SAR.
I knew a lot of these guys and was stationed with them in England and Tuy Hoa, RVN. I respected them then and I respect them even more now.
Ya just gotta RUN not walk out and get this book! GREAT reading!
Don Schmenk, USAF Retired

I know Gen Shepperd from his work on CNN, but now I know so much more about how he got to where he is today. What a wonderful collection of first hand stories -- a living history of some of the bravest pilots in the Vietnam War. These true heroes are often overlooked, but when you look at who they were, and where they went after the war, some of our most notable leaders came from within their ranks. The accounts are chilling, humorous, startling and sincere. What was it really like to fly and fight in combat over Vietnam? Read these priceless stories and you will have a new admiration for a generation of pilots who quietly went about doing the job their country asked them to do. These true patriots -- these true Americans, deserve to have their stories read. I highly recommend this book to all who care to read and know the truth about real heroes.

"The Only War We,ve Got" is an important book. I read it in virtually two sittings; so, it surely held my interest. I'm surprised I have not read about it elsewhere.

Like most thoughtful Americans, my opinions, feeling and prejudices about the Vietnam War have morphed a lot over the past 36 years. Presently, this book catches me right in the middle. The War provided much to be angry over but even more to be sad about. Truly, good intentions in the hands of fools (aren't we all) can be the cobblestones for the road to Hell. I hope this book will serve the folks who take George Santayanas famous comment to heart. However, I have seen in my lifetime the "best and the brightest" can be the biggest fools of all.

Very good job.

War stories aren't usually my cup of tea, but once I picked up this book I just couldn't put it down again. Maybe it was the "journal" style. But I really got the feeling that I was there with the reporter, traveling from base to base in Vietnam. Most books about the war give you the feeling of a filthy war fought in a rotten climate by men who hated every minute of it. That's not the war that Mr. Ford saw. In fact, he loved the country, and so did most of the American soldiers he traveled with.

Good photographs too. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in how the Vietnam war came to be.

-- Bonnie

This is an amazing book. Before Vietnam became a household word, Ford bought a ticket to Saigon so he could see the war for himself. There were only a few Americans in Vietnam at the time, reporters and advisors and helo crews--no combat troops tho they all saw combat from time to time, including Ford. He goes on an armored invasion of a seashore town, slogs through the jungle with Vietnamese Rangers, patrols with the American Green Berets, and celebrates the Fourth of July by shooting up the Saigon River with a gang from the U.S. Navy.

Ford's Vietnam isn't the one you generally read about. He loves the country and admires the Americans he meets in his travels. They in turn love their work, at least the men in the field do. But between the lines you can see that things will go terribly wrong with America's adventure in South Vietnam.

Belongs on the shelf of every student of the Vietnam War.

Carleton Ross

This book, which should be entitled "A day in the Life of Vietnamese" is the creation of Rick Smolan of the "Day in the Life" series.

In 1994, 70 photographers descended on Vietnam for a week to take pictures of the Vietnamese at work from north to south. They caught people in the middle of shopping, selling, eating, working, napping, and so on. The result is a fascinating book detailing the life of Vietnamese during that week.

While most pictures are interesting and original, a few are unique to the Vietnamese society.

Vietnam is one of the most picturesque countries and colorful cultures. Yet it remains as one of the least understood countries in the world, despite having been one of the most publicized. This photo journalistic journey allows pictures to speak volumes. Look into the eyes of the children, the lives of the rice farmers. The art, the economy, family and community interaction -- are all visible and life-like in this representation of life today in Vietnam

PASSAGE TO VIETNAM (Against All Odds/Interval Research, CD-ROM for PC and Mac, $39.95) With its 400 photos, hour of video, lilting indigenous music, and insightful essays, this landmark disc transports you to contemporary Vietnam, where pigs squawk, mothers tote babies on their backs, and peddlers hawk dried sea horses. This Passage, produced with Scorsese-like lushness by Rick Smolan, is no swanky animated program, but it is virtual reality of a high and literary nature because it makes you dream. Without wasting words, the photographers eloquently tell the stories behind their pictures--stories of people at work and play. Though we can't help but remember the horror of war, Passage helps us to see that time has begun its healing. A+ --Harold Goldberg

If someone doesn't recommend Walter Dean Myer's book, Patrol for some type of award, let me be the first. In this time of contemplating war, this book is so appropriate, although I would not recommend it for use with students below 5th grade. This picture book made me feel what it must feel like to be a grunt on the field. Powerful!

Get it through this link and support our school at the same time:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060283637/readwritesite

"The land of my enemy has wide valleys, mountains that stretch along the far horizon, rushing brown rivers, and thick green forest. My squad of nine men are in the forest. Above me, birds twitter nervously in the treetops. Insects and small animals scurry through the underbrush, trying to avoid the crush of my combat boots. The squad leader raises his hand. We stop. The sound of my breath is soft in the morning air. Somewhere in the forest, hidden in the shadows, is the enemy. He knows I have come to kill him. He waits for me..." Walter Dean Myer's autobiographical picture book chronicles a day in the life of one soldier, on patrol, in the jungles of Viet Nam. His spare, poetic text comes alive on the page, and takes the glamor and excitement out of war as you trudge through the difficult, hot terrain, ever vigilant. "We move again. We are always moving. My legs ache. My shoulders sag. My thousand eyes look for death in the waving bamboo fields." You can feel the smooth wooden stock of the soldier's rifle, the cold sweat running down his back, the fear and trembling as shots are fired and bombs explode, and the rapid beating of his heart. "I think I see the enemy. I reload and shoot again. It is only a shadow, but I do not stop shooting. In war, shadows are enemies, too." But mostly, you feel the weariness and futility. "I am so tired. I am so very tired of this war." Ann Grifalconi's stunning, multi-media collages are evocative and gripping, and together word and art paint an eloquent and powerfully vivid portrait of the Viet Nam War. Perfect for youngsters 9-12, Patrol: An American Soldier In Vietnam is a haunting experience that shouldn't be missed, and definitely one of the best new books of 2002.

As the children's librarian in the public library, I try to read a variety of subjects for a wide range of ages. I was impressed by the poetic style and the thought that the book provoked in all the the librarians here. Fear and fatigue were so real, it was feelable to the reader. And just who was the enemy? Shocking, what the young GI realizes.

Very few books are written about these brave soldiers. This book not only gives a good history of the Rangers it has some excellent in country photos as well.

Ron Field's book provides an excellent overview of LRRP/LRP/Ranger doctrines and missions in Vietnam. The narratives have been provided by those who participated in the actual missions and includes most of the LRRP/LRP/Ranger units which fought in Vietnam. Through the verbiage, extensive photos and excellent artists renditions, and even sections on equipment and uniforms, the reader gets a lot a information in a single book. A couple of our team's missions were included and the author faithfully depicted them as they occurred. An excellent contribution to the growing literature on special ops in Vietnam.
-Dave Hill, formerly of Co.F/52nd Inf(LRP), 1st Inf. Div.

This is an illustrative book well written and true to fact. The information was obtained from those LRRP Rangers who were inserted in the midst of enemy units as 5 and 6 man Special Operation teams. This book is about the men who volunteered to get a piece of the action...and they found it. I know, I was unit one of them.

SGT. T. Yoshimura CO H (Ranger) 75th Infantry (aiborne) Vietnam 1970-1971

Hard to put this book down. Who were these mysterious folks who wore cut-off jeans, cowboy hats, and sunglasses? A very interesting documentary about this secret operation. If a pilot was shot down they were to take shellfish poison and commit suicide, because officially, they didn't exist. What country is the most-bombed per capita in history of the world? Vietnam? No, Laos. There are frequent insights and descriptions into the personalities of this small group of daring people who took part in this widely unknown conflict and series of secret missions. It lasted 10 years. Military terminology, procedures, strategies, and informalities (the way things got done), are explained well in this book. The personalities, internal politics and military strategies within Laos of the U.S. military and political bureaucracy, and Viet Minh, are broken down in an easy-to-read and free-flowing way, that makes it interesting and enjoyable for the reader. Some battles were examined that most of the American public is still not aware of today.

There is a lot of information and real-life examples about endless catch-22-like SOPs and regulations that bound those who served in the Vietnam and the "other theater," (Laos).

Common expressions explained throughout the book explain what it meant when someone "went bamboo," or took a hit from the "golden BB." What is a "FAC" or a "REMF." Vets will be impressed when a civilian mentions these acronyms.

Like in Vietnam, the American military bureaucrats (suits) in downtown Vientiene offices were unaware and out-of-touch, yet, they were the ones creating and enforcing the rules and regulations, but not participating in the conflict. Therefore, they really didn't know what was going, and couldn't relate to the folks who put their life on the line every time they hopped in their officially non-existent jalopy. What is it like to realistically know that today may be your last day? Every day?

The picturesque and mystical description of Laos and its' people make one want to go there and see it for their own eyes. Thoses interested in history, foreign policy, and South East Asia in general will learn from and enjoy this book, which should be more well-known.

Hollywood should have made a movie of this book instead of Robbins' earlier book "Air America". "The Ravens" is truly a great book about the unsung heroes of a war that "never happened".

This book is a close and personal look at the guys that were known as "Ravens". They fought a secret war flying light aircraft and they made a daily affair at flying these aircraft into the enemy bullets on a daily basis without any real weaponry for protection. Hair raising accounts fo their bravery and also filled with many personal glimpses of the people that did this plus some rather humorous stories as well.

I meet the author of this very moving story, in a small horse pasture, in southern Alabama, where we landed our Huey helicopter there in October 2002. We were there to interview John for the documentary film about the Vietnam experience called "In The Shadow of The Blade". It was there that I found a true real life hero. A man of great courage and great faith. I have found his life story to be both a spiritual, as well as historic look at who he was and who he has become. This is a must read for anyone wishing to go deeper into the understanding of the war and how it changed lives forever. John is a mountain of a soul and reading his book will inspire you. I do not think anyone can come away from the reading of his book without gaining much more respect for those men who "danced with the devil" in so many hot LZs in Vietnam. He fought the good fight and and paid the price with the loss of his leg - but he gained so much more heart and soul! This is a must read! I highly recommend it.

This book is full of emotion! A true Southern Gentleman from the heart. Many men faced the same tragedies, some are better for it and some not. Thanks to Mr. Givhan's southern heritage, he was and is able to cope with the emotions that I am sure he deals with on a day to day basis. The friendship that was concived and the ones that still exist are basied on the family values he has! This comes from a southern heritage, hard work and LOVE from family! This war took from us many special people, and left some here to deal with the TRUTHS that have finally been uncovered all these years! Our Government asked these young men to put their lives on the line for a cause, that I am not sure, was a CAUSE! The cover ups and lies that have been uncovered only make me wonder more about our Government! This book is well worth your time in reading. It made me more aware of this "war". It has stirred up a inquisiviness that I find has me thirsting for more knowledge about this "war", and it also let me know that there is still a "TRUE SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN" living in the south.

This story of one man's journey through life focusing especially on relationships and bonding during war time and the lasting effects this period had on his life moved me emotionally more than once. I learned more about men and war from this book than from my husband who also served in VietNam. I imagine many men and women can relate to this story though not many could tell the story the way John Givhan has. It has humor. It has warmth. It has love. This man searched deep to relate his experiences and it tells the story from an angle only those who have been there could know. But he made me see it all so vividly in my mind and heart. The story does not end when he left VietNam. It continues on to the years and discoveries he made about what really happened to him the day he was hit in a helicopter on a mission in VietNam. Intermixed with his experiences of the war are his experiences of his youth. They could be the memories of anyone's youth but these are his stories of how he grew up and it just happens to be in the south. This is a book on war but also a book on what war has done to this man and to families all over the world.