When I first went to Vietnam I used the Fodor guide and my traveling partner had this Rough Guide. On my second trip I purchased the Rough Guide, which I found much more useful than Fodor. It gives good information about hotels and restaurants and also gives a good historical/political perspective of Vietnam from a non-American point of view.

The bad things about the book: 1. I believe the authors are Australian and some of the word choices were difficult for an American like me to understand. Some sentences were difficult for me to "translate" into American English. 2. The book states that there are no gay outlets in Vietnam. This is simply not true. There are several places (nightclubs and hotels) in Saigon and Hanoi that are gay tolerant/friendly. There are even gay tours of Vietnam. While it is best to be discreet in Vietnam, one can find ways to meet other gay travelers and locals.

I was very happy to have Rough Guide Vietnam for my travels in northern Vietnam during December, 2000 - January, 2001. For one thing I felt like I wasn't getting channeled down the Lonely Planet path, as most independent travelers were carrying that book and using it like their Bible. Also, whenever anyone compared my Rough Guide to their Lonely Planet, they said they found RG to be better. Rough Guide goes into more depth than LP in describing the sights and history. LP's maps are a little more comprehensive, but RG's listings of hotels are more user-friendly than LP. I very much enjoyed the book.

Just came back from a three week trip to Vietnam with three books: the Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide, and Footprint Handbook.

The Rough Guide is the best guidebook around for the country. It is superior to the Lonely Planet guide in the breadth and depth of coverage and especially its accuracy. I liked LP for other countries but here they did a very poor job.

I have not found even one instance where Lonely Planet provided information that Rough did not have. If you are traveling to the north, you may want to consider reading Footprint before you leave -- it has some interesting information.

Also, all hotels -- even the top ones -- can be negotiated down in price. Send them an e-mail and ask for special rates, corporate rates, etc. You can stay at the Metropole in Hanoi for less than half their rack rate.

...on what it means to be in the heart of war "just doing your job". My father flew the A-1 in Vietnam and he has never really talked that much about it because his perspective was that "he was just doing his job". This book gave me a great appreciation for his work and efforts and made me even more proud of him than I could imagine. The Skyraiders were a remarkable group that have never gotten that much attention but played an important role. This book does a great job of highlighting their work and efforts in a very "matter of fact" manner.

As a general aviation pilot myself, my heroes are the attack, close support and fighter-bomber pilots of A-1s, A-4s, F-105s, P-47s, Typhoons, etc. These guys had to fly/dive INTO (not over or around them) their targets in the face of AAA, SAMs, and small arms fire which was not a job regular jet jocks or most other fighter pilots wanted. This a book that I could not put down, finished it in one day and wanted more! Highly recommended if you want to see through the eyes of an A-1 pilot rescuing other downed pilots. It does seem that the Jollies got more of their share of appreciation than the Sandy and Spad pilots did simply because the A-1 pilots weren't the ones to actually pick them up and bring them back to base while the A-1s flew home to a different base. That just didn't seem fair considering the A-1s made the all the difference in clearing or suppresing enemy activity in the area so the Jollies could do their job. The author does seem to be confused as to who actually made the engines in A-1s he was flying - they were not Pratt and Whitney. They were all made by Wright and called the R-3350-26 series.

For a generation of airmen--and perhaps for other warriors--writing about their time in SE Asia has proven cathartic. I've been involved in two such memoirs ("On Yankee Station" and "Wildcats to Tomcats") and in each case the experience was rewarding and fulfilling. George Marrett's memoir clearly has helped him address the demons of three decades, as he writes with honesty and clarity about his year flying A-1 "Sandys".
Ed Heinemann, the fabled designer of the Skyraider, would appreciate "Cheating Death" in a special way. He retained an affection for the "Spad" that would seem odd to those familiar with his racier designs: especially the F4D Skyray and A-4 Skyhawk. "Cheating Death" is a well deserved tribute to the men and machines who flew one of the least heralded--but most deeply appreciated--missions in the Vietnam War.

"A bad Attitude" is a real page-turner. If this book gets any kind of publicity at all, and is read by a few influential reviewers, it has the possibility of being listed in the top twenty books about the Vietnam War. "A Bad Attitude" is a work of fiction. Or is it? I guess the hallmark of really good fiction is when the reader finishes the work and isn't really sure if what he has just read is fiction, a true story or somewhere in between. Dennis Mansker is the real thing. He served as a company clerk with two truck companies from the 48th Group during 68/69 and is a member of the Army Transportation Assn. Vietnam. The main character in the book is Spec. 4 Farnsworth. Farnsworth is the new company clerk of the 345th Trans, 6th Battalion, 48th Group. The 345th is truck company. Don't expect a lot of convoy action in this book. Farnsworth only makes a few convoys as a shotgun and then only as punishment by the evil First Sgt. Bragg. However, the language and dialog is authentic and if you are a Vietnam vet, it will take you back to Vietnam. You will need to dust off your old pigeon Vietnamese/English/G.I.language skills to follow the
conversations. You bic G.I. Dennis makes no attempt to explain the gag lines to the uninitiated reader. This is a book for Vietnam vets by a Vietnam vet and if you didn't serve; your not going to understand all the "short" jokes and Dennis isn't going to explain them to you. You just had to be there. From my perspective, that's good news. "A Bad Attitude" is not watered down by pages of explanations to non-vets, which hamper many Vietnam books. "A Bad Attitude" has many of the same elements as Catch 22. This is a serious book at 635 pages.

"A bad Attitude" is a real page-turner. If this book gets any kind of publicity at all, and is read by a few influential reviewers, it has the possibility of being listed in the top twenty books about the Vietnam War. "A Bad Attitude" is a work of fiction. Or is it? I guess the hallmark of really good fiction is when the reader finishes the work and isn't really sure if what he has just read is fiction, a true story or somewhere in between. Dennis Mansker is the real thing. He served as a company clerk with two truck companies from the 48th Group during 68/69 and is a member of the Army Transportation Assn. Vietnam. The main character in the book is Spec. 4 Farnsworth. Farnsworth is the new company clerk of the 345th Trans, 6th Battalion, 48th Group. The 345th is truck company. Don't expect a lot of convoy action in this book. Farnsworth only makes a few convoys as a shotgun and then only as punishment by the evil First Sgt. Bragg. However, the language and dialog is authentic and if you are a Vietnam vet, it will take you back to Vietnam. You will need to dust off your old pigeon Vietnamese/English/G.I.language skills to follow the
conversations. You bic G.I. Dennis makes no attempt to explain the gag lines to the uninitiated reader. This is a book for Vietnam vets by a Vietnam vet and if you didn't serve; your not going to understand all the "short" jokes and Dennis isn't going to explain them to you. You just had to be there. From my perspective, that's good news. "A Bad Attitude" is not watered down by pages of explanations to non-vets, which hamper many Vietnam books. "A Bad Attitude" has many of the same elements as Catch 22. This is a serious book at 635 pages.

Mr.Mansker has provided the reading world with a fine murder mystery based on a familiar problem of the era. ...I could all but smell the dust during his descriptive and accurate tales that he provides. Brovo Dennis, and thanks for writing our story.

When I left home for college, what I missed most was my mother's Vietnamese cuisine. This book was a lifesaver! The recipes are all familiar, from the fancier noodle soups, Pho and Bun Bo Hue, to the basics, such as omlettes and picked mustard greens. Each of the dishes come with an introduction accompanying their Vietnamese name. The region of the dish is sometimes discussed as well as when the dish is enjoyed and with what. The recipes are very easy to follow. I recommend this book for anyone who wants an AUTHENTIC Vietnamese cookbook. I am just sorry to see that it's out of print.

This book contained some of the tastiest dishes I ever prepared. It has many good recipes with easy to found ingredients (such as chicken and ginger). Preparations are easy and fast (under 30 minutes).

I am Vietnamese and have grown up in a home with authentic Vietnamese cooking. Most all of the recipes in this book are great and easy to follow. My only recommendation would be to add pictures. But it is a great book nonetheless. I especially like how it contains the Vietnamese name of each dish so I can better identify it (since I only know what the dishes are called in Vietnamese).

These are the views of seven people, Americans and Vietnamese, who in the early sixties contended that the US should pursue a counterinsurgency approach instead of a full conventional war against the Viet Cong, only to be brushed aside by the Johnson/McNamara group. They suggested that once the "war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people" was won, the communist threat should disappear.

Although I do not believe counterinsurgency war alone is the only valid approach because of 1) the presence of 200,000 Viet Cong left behind in South Vietnam by Hanoi in 1954, 2) the determination of Hanoi to conquer Saigon, 3) the opening of the Ho Chi Minh trail , this unconvential approach should have been tried first. Had it been combined with a complete interdiction of the trail, victory would have been more likely with less deployment of US troops.

What we have to remember is that the unique, and only goal of Hanoi was to conquer Saigon, no matter the cost in human lives and the time needed to achieve this goal.

To most Americans, the war in Vietnam began in March 1965 with the arrival of the U.S. Marines across the beach at Danang...But a handful of young American civilians had entered the war five years' earlier...Thousands more followed as the entire American Governent was mobilized to "win in Vietnam"..until it became obvious only the South Vietnamese themselves could obtain a victory.. This book offers an insight into the efforts, the successes and the failures of these first Americans; and how we often were our own worst enemy...I had the privilege of serving as one of these men. PRELUDE TO TRAGEDY provides a unique insider look at how dedicated --and desperate--young Americans tried to head off the final outcome...Not a book for casual readers looking for combat stories, but a "must read" for any serious student of the Vietnam conflict.

'Prelude to Tragedy: Vietnam' looks beyond the curtain of lies concocted by Johnson & McNamara in 1964. A simple truth remains too devastating for mainstream publication. Johnson pulled the trigger on the American War in Vietnam by ordering retaliatory strikes three months prior to the election of 1964. No mere coincidence. Johnson did so to win the election. No other factor accounts for Johnson's arrogant insistance on immediate retaliation to an event which never occurred. A 24 hour delay would have revealed there was no Tonkin Gulf attack as claimed. Johnson adamantly demanded an immediate attack for he feared any delay would deny him the use of his trump card as CinC. Air strikes were used to defeat Goldwater. Johnson won the election then defeated himself by his arrogant miss use of military power. Johnson's effort to intimidate Ho Chi Minh failed miserably. Ho recognized retaliatory strikes as the superficial show of force it was. Without a commitment to win Johnson's efforts were doomed to failure from the start. Certain defeat was recognized, long before Johnson stepped aside in '68. 'Prelude' provides evidence of the impending tragedy as it unfolded. However the most damming evidence was left out. The purpose of the air strike was to win the election. Johnson's fear, greed & grasp for power must be recognized if we are to avoid future acts of arrogance leading to war by a renegade president. Our constitution did not grant dictatorial power to a ruthless tyrant. How then, did Johnson acquire sufficient power to over ride congressional restraint & military dissent? He did so by lies, deceit & intimidation for all who stood in his way including his Vice President. Humphrey was denied access to LBJ's inner circle of advisors on Vietnam. JCS members were blocked from attending crucial strategy sessions. Johnson reduced JCS members to pawns, merely carrying out miss guided 'strategies' concocted by McNamara & his 'War Room' of civilian 'experts'. Military officers were intimidated, insulted, humiliated & ignored by Johnson. Military strategies were dictated by Johnson's political agenda. Without a compelling national security threat, military logic or justification for acts of war in Vietnam, Johnson created the ruse of a Tonkin Gulf attack to over ride congressional & military reluctance to war. He then launched unprovoked acts of war to enhance his political image. Johnson's arrogance in resorting to war to win the '64 election is supported by evidence presented in 'Prelude to Tragedy'. The authors failure to state this self evident fact is understandable. Doing so would have invited disbelief, criticism and ostracism. Lies perpetrated by Johnson & McNamara have been assimilated into the very fiber of American perceptions of defeat in Vietnam. The dregs remain today. American foreign policy remains a threat to many, including our allies. Claims of justification for American efforts in Vietnam no longer hold water. 'Prelude to Tragedy' puts an end to McNamara's claim of a well intentioned humanitarian effort. It reveals false claims & deceit by LBJ then and McNamara now in their efforts to distort the reality & rewrite history. American aggression in Vietnam must be revealed & recognized if we are to restore a balance of power. Existing presidential powers enable incumbents to initiate acts of war without the advice or consent of congress. The War Powers Resolution has been ignored by presidents as unconstitutional. This breach of our constitution must first be recognized if it is to be corrected. Americans have yet to grasp this essential lesson from defeat in Vietnam. Failure to curb presidential war powers and restore the balance of power leaves the tragedy without redeeming value. The least we can do is make full use of lessons learned in Vietnam. This nation will not endure without an effective balance between congressional & presidential powers. Will Americans awaken in time to turn the ship of state around before running aground on another distant shore for the sake of political expediency? Or will McNamara & others succeed in efforts to rewrite that tragic chapter? This book contributes to an essential dialog. Recognition of "The Greater Tragedy" may follow. 'Dereliction of Duty' and 'The Wrong War' provide further insight into this American tragedy.

That's true they couldn't talk about it... My father served in 509th RRG in 68-69 and has never said anything about his time in the military even when I asked. I have an entire (overflowing) bookcase full of books on the conflict in SE Asia 1945-79, and I have found one, and only one book that even so much as mentions ASA or specifically my father's unit. This is after d--- near thirty years of searching! I mean, come on... there are whole books out there on MACV-SOG!

The book in written by the people who have been there, done that.
Most could not say what they were doing or did and after some 40 years it is leaking out. These men were the top 10 percent of the US Military. That is a fact and not a TANS.
Written by men for men.
Now children, parents, wives and others get a view of what these men did while in Vietnam and around the world.
George T
"TAM"

The book is offered as a collection of reminisces of events that occurred nearly 40 years ago, the stories are anecdotal in nature, meant for entertainment and information not to be taken as academic reference. I served with Jack Waer in the time periods of the early sixties and despite his "larcenous spirit" he has no need to prevaricate to impress any whom served with him. Mr Moises' dismissal of his work because of perceived inaccuracies is patently unfair as well as petty. The very fact there are no documented references to our mission or us attests to the level of secrecy we working under during those times.

...A MURDER IN WARTIME is one of the best books to have emerged from the Vietnam debacle. Jeff Stein deserves full credit for the extensive research he did, and for tying together such a complicated story in such a readable way. All sides are fairly represented, and that indeed is something rare in a book about the Vietnam War.

The only problem I have with the book is that it sometimes has a bigger-than-life quality that makes one wonder if the author was willing to stretch the truth here and there for the sake of a good read. For example, Stein paints the book's central figure, Col. Robert B. Rheault, as a warrior-philosopher, both a thinking man and a highly-decorated combat leader revered by his men. To make the point, Stein writes that Rheault had earned the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star, valor awards rated only one and two steps behind the Medal of Honor. However, according to Rheault's entry in the United States Military Academy Register of Graduates, he actually had very limited combat service and had never been decorated for valor. Additionally, Rheault's name does not show up on an exhaustive list of Vietnam DSC winners compiled by the late Lt. Col. Albert F. Gleim, USA-Ret.

This is no small matter and makes me wonder about other passages in a book which was great enough to stand on its own without any exaggerations. I'd be curious as to where Stein got his information about Rheault being a highly-decorated war hero....

Jeff Stein's "A Murder in Wartime" bravely tackles all of the moral issues of wartime in general and the moral ambiguities attached to the Vietnam War, in particular. In 1969 eight Green Berets were accused of murdering a Vietnamese who may or may not have been a spy for North Vietnam. The case called into question the morality of waging a guerilla war, the role of the regular U.S. Army in such a context, the control of the CIA, and the politics of waging an unpopular war. Stein manages to weave all of these issues and dozens of key participants in the alleged murder and its aftermath without losing focus. Stein's narrative style flows easily through the perspective of all the key personnel and pulls the reader into the moral and ethical wilderness these people faced. Stein is careful not to pass judgement on the Green Berets charged with the crime, or on the regular Army establishment who may have seized on this incident just to put the Green Berets in their place. Instead he allows the reader to face the same dilemma all of these people did and make their own choices. An outstanding piece of historical writing.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam war. Well written. If I could get the rights, I would turn it into a film. Well worth the read. Find it if you can.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It seemed to be well thought out with lots of interesting characters. The book has one flaw. The author is presented as a Vietnam vet. He is not. He was a Navy chopper pilot and performed a rescue in combat.........in Grenada. Carroll never set foot in Vietnam. The impression that he was comes from Clancy's Foreward. Looks like old Tom got it wrong. I dont blame Mr. Carroll for not refuting this assertion since he died before this book hit the streets. Still, the record must be set straight......

Of his three books, this was perhaps the best. He obviously had researched it well and put together a most exciting story line. About the author: Gerry saw combat with HC-7 during Viet Nam flying combat support from the decks of the CVA's deployed to the Tonkin Gulf. Their mission was search and rescue (SAR). They flew the "Big Mothers" off the coast of North Viet Nam primarily in support of strike operations from the carriers. He served his country proudly, with distinction and was most certainly a Vietnam veteran.

Harrowing and authentic. These guys did the walk man. From the Mexicn Village to the air control conversations with the E2--Carroll wrote from experience.I don't think Clancy or Griffin, or for that matter, Dale Brown ever knew what it was to "cumshaw" a hand pump or adjust their "Gigline" From the A7 cat shoot to the emergency auto-ro in the huey it is all NATOPS. Refreshing to read good action adventure by a guy that knows. We are all the loosers from this multi-tallented mans early passing.

There was too much about logistics and not enough about combat.

Col.Alex Lee nailed it.
Thats the way is was. Thats the way we were and thats how we all felt about Leon Utter. I spent most of my time as the radio half of a two man FO team for 81 motors. Worked with Capt Lee many times. E company and later F company riflemen and I all thought just a highly of Alex Lee as we did Col Utter. With few exeptions all the officers of 2/7 were just superlative. I made every operation covered in the book and to borrow a quote, I was no hero but I sure served in a battalion of heros.
Super job getting our story out.
Thanks Alex !

Dan Anderson. 2/7 H&S Co. comm plt. 64-66

Another outstanding book about the Marines in Nam. Ltc.Utter is the type of man that an individual would follow into hell if ask to do so. The Army had very few of these type commanders at Battalion level. We had some very outstanding officers at platoon , and company level though.

Roadrunner 6 Out

"Gary A. Linderer is the publisher of 'Behind the Lines,' a magazine that specializes in U.S. military special operations. In Vietnam, he earned two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star with V devise (for Valor), the Army Commendation Medal with V devise, and two Purple Hearts. His first two books were selected by the Military Book Club."

**************************

National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100
OFFICIAL LIST OF AWARDS
The Official Military Records of GARY A. LINDERER (SSN removed) show that he
is authorized the following awards and decorations for his service in the US
Army:
SILVER STAR
BRONZE STAR MEDAL W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND "V" ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AIR MEDAL
GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE
SERVICE MEDAL
VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL W/4 BRONZE SERVICE STARS
COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN RIBBON W/DEVICE (1960)
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM GALLANTRY CROSS W/PALM UNIT CITATION BADGE SHARPSHOOTER
BADGE W/RIFLE & MACHINE GUN BARS EXPERT BADGE W/AUTO RIFLE BAR
////////NOTHING FOLLOWS/////////////
R. L. HINDMAN,

Director

Mr Gary Linderer tells you how teamwork really pays off. He isn't one of these writers who can do everything himself, as some claim they can. The greatest glory and honor come from helping one another achieve the best of themselves.

The stories in this book had to come from the real stuff. Only LRRPs/Rangers who had been there could tell these stories. Not Rambo stuff but brave young men doing special operations. A good eye opener.