Mr. Isaacs has done a credible job of detailing the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam and its impact upon our politics, our foreign policy, our citizenry, Vietnamese immigrants and many veterans groups and issues, especially the POW/MIA issue. THat he does so in so short a book is a testament to the emotional power of his writing. However, the chapters are uneven, some are so short as to be barely worth mentioning, others give us an overview of issues without going to deeply in to them. The most interesting chapters are the ones on the POW/MIA issue and our ongoing Vietnam syndrome. In the POW/MIA chapter, the author nicely skewers those who continue to perpetrate the myth that there are still POW's in Vietnam. Inded this is one of the greatest postwar tragedies, that many groups feed off the grief of families by keeping this issue at the forefront of their conciousness (and their pocketbook) when in fact there is no proof, living or otherwise of any remaining POW's in Nam. Isaacs points out the folly of the issue and the fact that it keeps us from both reconciling with the families of those lost and normalizing relations with a country that is eager to put the war behind it as well. But the author points out that the war was never really about Vietnam, but more about us, and that is the real tragedy and the source of many of the misunderstandings of the war. The longer the war went on, the more the issue became saving American pride and face, and the less the issue was the people of Vietnam and the impact the war had upon them. Indeed, most postwar discussion focuses on what might have happened if we had either pulled out earlier or let the military unleash its full power, instead of talking about what did happen and why. This only lends credence to the authors point that the issues of the war have not yet been resolved, nor are they likely to be for a long time. If you are looking for a good overview of post Vietnam war issues, this is an excellent source book; but if you want to go into depth on one then its probably not what you are looking for, though it is useful in framing issues. Since this book came out there has been a huge output of information on the war, much of it excellent, though much of it falls into the trap of discussing what ifs instead of what did happen. And those of us who follow politics have heard the frequent references to the Vietnam syndrome by Clinton, BUsh, Reagan and others, both in describing past conflicts, i.e. the GUlf War, BOsnia, Haiti, and in framing future foreign invlovements, i.e. John McCain. Though the author only glazes over the issue i nthe syndrome chapter, another tragedy of Vietnam is that the U.S still has no recognizable foreign policy i nthe post cold war world. Good, if too short of a book, though unquestioably many will find fault with the author's politcs, even in a post war context.

I almost stopped reading this book after the first 3 chapters. While Dr. Isaacs claimed in his preface that he was attempting to be objective in his discussions, subtle derogatory(and I believe unfounded) comments about conservatives, particularly Ronald Reagan, made me doubt his objectivity. I have read enough books with obvious biases against either liberals or conservatives; I felt I didn't want to waste more time reading another one. I'm searching for the truth about the war, not rhetoric. However, I continued to read and I am glad I did. In particular, the chapters on the MIA/POW issue and Southeast Asians immigrants and refugees are absolutely excellent. Given my desire to learn about this period of history (I'm 36 years old and was only 12 years old in 1975), the chapter, Learning about the War, is also very interesting. While I don't feel the first 3 chapters offer anything new to the Vietnam discussion, chapters 5 - 8 are a treasure.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War. Isaacs seems to have thoroughly researched the ideas and events he presents in each chapter. I found the chapter entitled "The Myth" very enlightening. The degree that it appears our government messed up in so many areas of this conflict -- before, during, after, and still to this day -- is appalling. I was gratified to see his chapter on The New Americans! As a college teacher, I have encountered many young Vietnamese Americans, but not until this year did I have one thank me for my service (and that of others)during the war that enabled her and her family to come to America (she is a straight "A" student in a professional health curriculum -- she works so hard because she knows the opportunity she has been given). It was disgusting, however, to learn the details of Bill Clinton's evasive manuevers during the war. I do not believe Isaacs will find agreement from Robert Hemphill (author of "Platoon: Bravo Company")on his comment about the movie "Platoon" being the most realistic portrayal of the war. Every student of the Vietnam War owes it to themselves to read this book!

A proud member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, USS RANGER (CVA-61), 1964-65 and 1965-66 Yankee Station and Dixie Station tours.

"In a war zone, things never go bump in the night; they go BOOM!" That pretty much says it all with regards to Kregg's finely written tribute to Captain George Paccerelli and the LRRPs of Company E, 52d Infantry. Better keep your head down as you read this intensive tale of LRRP-style warfare. Those green tracers cracking over your head have your name on them! I got to know and admire Paccerelli for his tough, no-nonsense approach to building his LRRP unit into a highly-effective, elite reconaissance unit that could fight the enemy on his own terms and win. Kregg doesn't embellish events. He gets down to the nitty-gritty and tells it like it is. This book will go on the shelf in my classroom for my high school students to read and write book reports on. Eminently readable, packed with action, and studded with truly unforgettable characters, Kregg's book stands out as a great antidote to the liberal media's hateful degradation of Vietnam vets as subhuman dopers bent on raping and pillaging hapless civilians. "LRRP Company Command" will help dispel that ugly myth for my students.

Good reading(listening). The Real stuff. Very well read. This will take you in to the realm of true warriors.

Kregg Jorgenson has written a outstanding tribute and account of the men and C.O of 'Hotel Company' Rangers in LRRP COMPANY COMMAND. Then Captain George Paccerelli was a seasoned Special Forces / SOG combat veteran when he assumed command of the LRRP Company in 1968. Intelligent, devoted to training and caring about the well being of the men that were being sent behind the enemy's lines. You will find this book well written and informative about the ever-changing warfare the LRRP's were employing and adapted to. While reading this book I found very detailed accounts of being in 'the backyard' while the small LRRP teams set up their ambushes, prisoner snatches and intelligence gathering missions. You will come to appreciate these highly trained and heroic soldiers as they dealt death to the enemy on his level. In closing Col. (ret) George Paccerelli was inducted into the 'Ranger Hall of Fame' in 1993. During his speech at the induction he made the statement ' Getting into the Ranger Hall of Fame was easy with the kind of caliber of people I had in that company, I was very fortunate and the honor is very much theirs as it is mine.' This alone says something about what an outstanding person this man is. Where will you find this retired Colonel today? Having earned a Ph.D. he teaches History at a Community College.

James Griffin uses drugs, not to forget the Vietnam War, but to remember. Home, in the United States, James finds life rife with loneliness and alienation. The Vietnam War, he tells us, really didn't mean anything; all of the fighting was, and will become, fruitless.

James' girlfriend, Huey, is a painter of sorts who paints graffiti on walls, graffiti she calls "soulographs." These soulographs are huge abstractions of the war. James' wall is covered with them, so he whitewashes all of his walls and asks Huey to paint something new. But while she is in the process, the old soulographs begin to bleed through, causing James to experience a flashback to his Vietnam years where he imagines himself in the middle of battle with flashes and flares and rifles all around.

In a surrealistic and utterly brilliant and original manner, Wright manages to show us all the similarities of the Vietnam War and life as we lead it on a day-to-day basis. His protagonist, James, realizes these connections and begins to meditate, to escape these similarities, to escape the absurdity of life, both then and now.

Meditations in Green is a highly symbolic and surreal book. Wright, one of the most brilliant and original writers of the twentieth century, writes this novel in a very elusive manner, using very elusive narrative strategies and structural principles, organizing the book in interesting, overlapping, spiraling circles, which often echo, duplicate and bleed through one another much in the way Huey's soulographs do.

By attempting to devolve himself down to a plant form, James hopes to purge himself of his memories and antipathy towards nature and its eternal cycle of birth and death and rebirth. He is, like all of Wright's characters, very flawed, but these very flaws are what make him so human and let us identify with him and his sufferings.

Stephen Wright is a brilliant writer, but one whose extremism has caused him to be sadly undervalued by the general public. For some reason, I don't believe Wright care much about this. We should care, however, for Wright is brilliant, original, creative and absurd. His books are surrealism, black comedy, absurdism and postmodern literature of the very highest order. Wright is a writer not to be missed by anyone even remotely interested in great literature, postmodern or otherwise.

The fact that this book is receiving so little attention encourages me to start a ten-page rant, but as that will never be reproduced, let me just say that it's an absolute travesty that this author is being essentially neglected.

Any comparison to Mailer or Vonnegut or O'Brien is absolutely superfluous. This is a unique American voice, a John the Babtist crying in the wilderness and feeding on locusts, but the blind will never hear. This is an Artist in the strictest sense who moves and shapes print in ways that others cannnot hope to emulate. I have no reservations in raising his standard in whatever rung of hell we find ourselves in at present. This is the real deal, people. Put away your childish things and read the message of a true modern prophet, crying from the confines of Hades, urging us to at least look closely at ourselves, even if it drives us mad.

Wright has shown himself to be a writer of the first order with MEDITATIONS IN GREEN. You follow a path of unsteady characters and numerous potholes to a profoundly sombre conclusion: we are all broken people.

Phantom Over Vietnam is the story of a Marine fighter pilot in Vietnam; his two tours, the time he spent in the USA between the tours and his thoughts about the war which are changing as he logs missions. It is a very good book for the military aviation enthusiast. I gave it 4 stars because the numerous flashbacks and various other explanations present all over the book sometimes makes it hard to follow. Moreover, I think that the author could have concentrated more on the " cockpit stuff ". The epilogue, in which he evaluates his performance as a fighter pilot on a cost effective basis, is unique and quite interesting. I reccomend reading this book to anyone interested in military aviation or curious about what it was like to be a fighter pilot in Vietnam.

I read "Phantom Over Vietnam", the memoir of a Marine fighter pilot, before plunging into the mounds of similar books on the subject of the Vietnam Air War, both novel and memoir. Thus I couldn't appreciate how the book was unique. Most authors on the subject generalize the air war - the technology and tactics - while highlighting the overt civilian control of a war being fought based on political rather than military goals. While Trotti raises those issues, he never turns his book into an indictment on the Johnson administration, Rob McNamara's Defense Department "whiz-kids", or the liberals who others have blamed for undermining the war effort - concluding that the war was futile. The book follows Trotti from his arrival in Vietnam in the war's early and heady days, then notes the apparent changes when the optimism fades. After an interval spent training newer aviators stateside, Trotti returns for more. His descriptions of the flights are weighthed down by detail on such topics as the F-4 Phantom's mechanics, aero-navigation and airborne communications protocol (which is also a mystery to the author). But these burdens are probably intentional - Trotti isn't going for action. He does nothing to make himslef look heroic - what can you say about a guy who admits that his biggest fear isn't of missiles or MiG fighters, but of the power seats in his airplane (the author is not a tall man). One interesting aspect - unlike the cool and pristine airplanes in similar books, Trotti's jets are aged (and prematurely so) by the rigors of combat and flight. The most enduring images of the book, are those of a newly shipped F-4, with its fresh paint job, sharing ramp space with older jets with their paint blistered by supersonic air. It's not a book you'll read in one sitting, but it's not a book you'll read only once.

A straight-forward memoir that should be enjoyed by all fans of the Phabulous Phantom. You can almost feel the heat of the flightline and smell the hyd fluid again. ahhhh....

I read this book with great interest as my husband is also a Vietnam vet with PTSD. While Alicia Boyd's husband is certainly a victim of PTSD, he is primarily an alcoholic. I was saddened as I read the account of their life together and her husband's descent into the depths of alcoholism. I found little hope in this book and finished feeling that she needs to go to more alanon meetings and stop enabling his destructive behavior. I hope he finds recovery from the devastating disease of alcoholism.

This book is spellbounding. Very hard to put down. This family has endured and stayed together thru some extreme hard times. It is amazing to learn that this is how we treat our veterans. We all take our normal everday life for granted. This book shows us that we should count our blessings for our quiet normal life. All families would benefit from reading this book. We could all learn how to stick together and work through it. My praise goes out to this wonderful mother that continues on when it would have been much easier to just walk out. This is a sign of true love and commitment.

If you thought the Vietnam War was over, read again! Alicia J. Boyd boldly takes you to a different front line of battle and shares a gut-wrenching side of conflict tht many of us have never seen or want to admit to seeing. Deny it no longer: war is ugly, freedom is costly and we owe a tremendous debt to our veterans.

I am an avid reader of non-fiction books regarding the horrible treatment of our nation's heros before and after they returned home from Vietnam--If they were lucky enough to return home at all. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS-WE CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST, BUT BY READING THIS TRUE STORY WE CAN HONOR THOSE THAT SERVED OUR COUNTRY. WE ALL NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR COUNTRY'S STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES,AND SOMETIMES FLATOUT FAILURE TO PROTECT THOSE THAT SERVE THIS COUNTRY AND PRESERVE OUR FREEDOM.

Frank Anton's moving account of what happened to him in Vietnam is not only a POW's mightmare, but one for all of us Americans who left him there. I have been honored to meet Frank, in Florida, on our journey across America with our huey helicopter, while filming the documentary "In The Shadow of the Blade". His account of what our governement knew and didn't do, is shocking. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to get a full total picture and understanding of the Vietnam War experience. He has recorded a part of our history and a part of his very own soul! This is a must read book!

"Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" should go hand in hand with George J. Veith's "Code Name Bright Light" in relating the appallingly hard-hearted and callous attitude the U.S. Government had towards the POWs and MIAs during the Indochina War. The more I read on the subject, two events take place: The first is that certain stories and key players keep reappearing (Jerry Mooney of NSA, General Tighe of DIA, Colonel Mike Peck, etc). The more they appear in the same form in different sources, the truer they must be. The second is that I find new information, such as the contents of Warrant Officer Anton's book. As WO Anton relates, the US had solid photographic intelligence of the locations of Viet Cong prison camps and often traced prisoner movements through the jungles all the way to Hanoi. WO Anton, in fact, is told years later that the US made no rescue attempts so as not to expose their sources!. Why develop sources if the information they provide goes unused? "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" is unique in that most POW tales are set in the major Hanoi prisons such as The Plantation (Anton's last stop) or the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". Anton concentrates his focus on the putrid, festering smaller jungle camps he suffered through on the long trek from his capture in the Que Son Valley to the "relative comfort" of the Plantation. It's all here-the the dysentary, the skin leeches, the cruel guards(and some who were not), the attempts to reeducate/brainwash as well as the infamous Marine, Bobby Garwood, who colaborated with the enemy. Anton leaves no doubt as to the ultimate Vietnam?Indochina question" DID EVERYBODY COME HOME? Those of us who have followed things through the years know the answer is a resounding "NO!". "Why Didn't You Get Me Out" is recommended for any serious student of the Indochina War as well as those with a paticular interest in the fate of the 1.993 (as of October 23, 2000)MIAs still out there. After all these years and after spending one year of my life over there, it's just unreal how many sides there were to that War. This is a first rate new side/ new look. Those who have yet to read George Veith's book should try both.

This is an interesting book. I have read a little bit about Vietnam (including books by Halberstam, Sheehan, Karnow, and McNamara), and found that this series of interviews added something new. The author is right in saying that the addition of Vietnamese voices (a Viet Cong activist and ARVN officer, both now living in the States) provides something new. The reflections of the CIA station chief -- Thomas Polgar -- were the most insightful in the book, and I found the interview with him to be particularly compelling.

Having said that, the author is not a very good writer, and that's unfortunate. Also, he doesn't seem to maximize his time with his subjects (or doesn't maximize his use of space in the book); he lets some subjects off with easy questions or questions that are overly broad and repetitive (e.g., his frequent queries about the 'domino theory'). His editorializing (e.g., what John McCain would be like as President) is unwelcome, ill-thought out, and detracts from the messages of his interview subjects.

Finally, what bothered me most was the way in which the writer gratuitously inserted himself into the narrative. With great respsect, no-one cares that he met X. when the author was a cadet at West Point, or that he was an Army Captain in Vietnam (a picture of him in fatigues is included with the photos of the interviewees). He should stick to the reflections of his interview subjects, which is the purpose of the entire project.

This is still a book worth reading. It brings together a great many voices from different quarters speaking about one big subject. I would urge interested readers to take a look at this book and decide for themselves.

Mr. Dorland has managed to give quite a balanced look at the war in Vietnam and the era that spawned it, by talking to people that played major roles on every side of the conflict. With 25 years of perspective, some memories have tempored, while others burn as hot as they did then. A fascinating read - especially for those who were not old enough to understand the state of the world at the time. I give credit to all those who were willing to stand up - even all these years later - and make their opinions known. Cogratulations to one and all.

While the pieces of our country's history of involvement in Vietnam are being rearranged and fall into place, Dorland's Legacy of Discord takes its place as an important work. As the opportunity slips away to hear from many key figures of the era, Dorland's series of interviews is a gift of perspective to those who care to understand. The book is unmatched under one cover. There is a sense of urgency to the voices, a commitment to get into print opposing viewpoints so that we might come a bit closer to deciphering a defining period of our history.

Legacy is a fast-paced book from cover to cover. Dorland is not concerned with childhoods, marriages, etc., but rather he charges to the heart of the matter with each interviewee and expands from that point. The author's style is crisp and concise. The subject introductions are extremely well-written, germaine, and do not exceed two pages. The vast bulk of the book is in the language of its subjects.

The only mild and debatable criticism is the author's decision to include excerpts from Westmoreland's writings after a short telephone interview. I sense that Dorland agonized over this inclusion and finally acceded in deference to the general's health, age, and pivotal importance. Westmoreland's writings do add perspective, but it is unfortunate that too much time has passed for the general to answer pointed questions. It also emphasizes how lucky we are that the same is not yet true of the other participants.

I read Legacy in two days and began re-reading it shortly thereafter. Its importance to the era's evolving history is borne out simply by the agreement to go down in print by the participants themselves: Arnett, Ellsberg, Haig, Halberstam, Hayden, Kerry, Kissinger, McCain, Polgar, Schwartzkopf, Webb, Westmoreland, et al.

If you have the slightest interest in trying to understand this period of history, Legacy of Discord is an absolute must-read; in my opinion, it is a must-read twice.

You cannot but praise this author for his honesty. The book tells the story of a joint USMC and US Army battle in the DMZ with brutal truth. The story is told, warts and all, and it made this book what it is.

I must say however that at times I felt the story got a bit disjointed and could have used more and better maps to assist the narrative but overall the author presents a decent and well researched account of this terrible battle.

If you like down to earth and in your face combat accounts then you should enjoy this book.

i greatly enjoyed this book. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. the best book on vietnam i have read (might be a little bias, my dad is mention in the book). this book had great detail as far as the lives of the Marines in the battle field.

Nolan has the gift of writing pictures. His ability, not just to put into words, but to do so with such fluidity, style, and accuracy put me back there as if I had never left. I read this and Operation Buffalo each twice and found in them the perfect tools I needed to finally speak of the war to my family.

This author misses the mark completely. His account gives none of the day to day feel of the misery and discomfort of living in the field in Vietnam and putting life on the line every day. His recollections are so stale and based on one line journal entrys that they never live up to the promise. I was sorry to see him fall in to the I "I was the best" trap that so many first hand accounts fall into. He clearly wasn't the best, nor was his platoon any better than most. His glee at hearing that a Col who chewed him out for getting too many men blown up in a booby trap had been shot down and seriously injured was, to say the least, morbid! They are too many good first hand accounts available to waste time on this one.

I missed the Vietnam War by a year or two. I served as an 11B from 72-78. I always wondered what it would have been like to have been there in a rifle company. Plenty of books about SF and LRRPs, but not very many written by a real infantry platoon leader. I never had a tremensous desire to be an elite soldier in an elite unit (if I could have even made it). I only wanted to be a rifle squad leader. This book really made me feel what it would have been like. What I missed. It is a real world book. Not a battle every minute book filled with stories of great exploits. Just a real world grunt in Vietnam book. I highly recommend the companion book Company Commanders Journal.

This is one of the best books I've ever read, when it comes to documenting the day to day events of a soldier in war. Based on the writer's journal as an Infantry platoon leader, and reinforced with letters sent & kept by the authors wife, this book is both poignant and detailed.From simple remembrances of c-rations and malaria pills, to major battles and the loss of friends, Lanning's book remembers them all, and shares them with the reader.

Once again we have the real heroes, all deep behind the enemy lines. I guess myself and my Sergeant Major buddy here in Beaufort were the only mud Marines in Vietnam as everyone else was in recon or sog. Hamblen states that all the 62 "missions" ( behind the lines- whereever that was)are no longer classified and that is why he is talking about them. Well Major Norton, just produce the evidence and you can prove your case and stop slamming your questioners. I find it rather strange that all the Vietnamese we sent undercover into North Vietnam were captured and executed yet a one legged caucasian came and went 62 times without a hitch. How about a book about that? RA Doyle USMC retired.

A great book about a courageous man. I had to force myself to put the book down in order to get some sleep at night. As with all his other books Bruce did a very good job of getting the true picture of this man's life and courage. Roadrunner 6 out

To me this book is an outstanding, reader's book. It kept me glued to 1st Sgt Hamblen's exploits all through the book. I had to force myself to put it down so I could get some sleep at night. But then I expected no less since Bruce Norton was involved in writting this book.