John Burnam's "Dog Tags of Courage" is a must read book! It not only chronicles his service to our country but also shows just how these dogs impacted his life and the "approximately 10,000 war dog handlers and 4,000 war dogs" that served during the Vietnam War.

He described the different types of K-9 units used by all branches of the military. John wrote it in simple language that children could read and understand what he was saying. AND yet this book was intense at times.

John wrote that when dog handlers were wounded, killed or returned stateside that the dogs were turned over to new handlers. He explained also that the dogs were left behind when the war ended. Our government felt they were military surplus and expendable just like our men and women in uniform.

John wrote this so children could also read it and learn. One of the nice things I noticed was that he took the time to explain some of the equipment he carried or had to use while in the Army. Although you may see these things in the movies they are never really explained the way John did in his book. For example he explained what came in a box of C-rations as well as the "dark brown plastic bag full of goodies."

He wrote of his own encounters with the enemy and explained various aspects of a battle. John explained how it felt while bombs were being dropped all around his unit. "The aircraft was so close, that we could see the pilot in the cockpit." His writing made you feel like you were there with him.

After he was wounded John was sent to Okinawa where he operated forklifts and trucks until he noticed a "possible opportunity" working with sentry dogs. He was soon assigned to handle Hans. John explained their extensive training for this position. "Sentry dogs were trained that their primary functions were to guard and attack on command." And they were guarding "a stockpile of chemical warfare weapons." John wasn't completely satisfied. He had something calling him back to Vietnam.

He was headed for another infantry position but jumped at the opportunity to work with the dogs and soon was assigned to the 44th Infantry Platoon Scout Dogs. More training was in store for John. Scout "dogs alerted on things like booby traps, VC in foxholes, and even other animals." He was first paired up with Timber who was "high strung, had a mean streak, and didn't like to be disciplined." John and Timber trained on the obstacle course built for the dogs. "Dog training was all about repetition and consistency."

John learned "to keep your eyes on the dog at all times. A dog's natural instinct will tell you what he smells, sees, and hears, and when danger is near." John would have to learn to "translate his dog language into English." When he and Timber were wounded though John recovered quickly "Timber didn't respond to commands....Timber wasn't going to be ready for any missions in the near future....Although he recovered physically, he never fully recovered mentally."

John had to select another dog to work with. "I felt excited the first time I saw this dog, and he took to me as if we'd worked together before....Clipper responded to me as no other dog had." He and Clipper became a team and began training together. Clipper could alert John at least "one hundred yards" from a decoy. John could only imagine how well he would do if the enemy were out there in the bush. "Clipper was like a walking radar beam. I learned to trust him more than my rifle."

John and Clipper were soon out on patrols. Once again there was enemy contact. "Clipper raised his head and alerted up into the trees. I didn't give it a second thought, because there was too much activity all around us." Later when John saw a dead VC "hanging from the tree....I remembered that...this was the tree that Clipper had alerted on....Clipper had sensed danger in that tree and he'd been right."

John "found the scout dog business to be a never-ending learning experience." On yet another patrol Clipper gave several alerts and began a zigzagging motion. Later John would learn that he was deliberately going around tripwires and booby traps. The lieutenant that John and Clipper were leading "knelt and gave Clipper a hug and told him what a great dog he was."

As I read each and every page of this amazing book I could feel the love John had developed for his fellow soldiers and the dogs they each worked with. John knew that his time in Vietnam was coming to a close. By March of 1968 he would be going home. BUT he also knew that Clipper wouldn't be allowed to go with him. His heart began breaking when doctors told him that his knee would have to be operated on again, that he wouldn't be able to see Clipper or work with him any longer.

John's struggle to get back to Clipper became evident. "When Clipper recognized me, he went crazy....Words can't begin to describe the emotions that poured out of me for this dog. He was my best friend." Clipper "was a real American hero, but he'd never get to go home and receive the hero's welcome he deserved." Clipper and other scout dogs weren't allowed back in the US.

I've only scratched the surface of this wonderful book. You need to read it from cover to cover as I did. Be prepared to cry as you read it because it is written that well. My heart goes out to John, the dogs and all the other dog handlers that John introduced in this book. They all did an amazing job.

I've just finished reading this book and I am very impressed with the author's writing style. It is written in a clear, conscise, and understandable language. For those of you who do not know much about war dogs or the Vietnam conflict, please read this book. John Burnam presents his personal account of what it's like to be both a foot soldier as well as a dog handler in Vietnam. After reading this book, I have more respect for Vietnam veterans and a better understanding of what the average foot soldier went through in that war. The book also opened a new door for me in that I learned more about the abilities of dogs. This has increased my general interest as well as my respect for dogs. Read it!!!!

If you're a dog lover, buy this book. If you're interested in learning what it was like being a soldier in Vietnam, buy this book. If you're interested in learning what it was REALLY like being a War Dog handler, buy this book. After I saw the War Dogs documentary on the Discovery Channel a year or two ago, I got interested in Vietnam War Dogs. I finally got this book and found it hard to put down. You really feel how the author felt being in Vietnam. This is one of the best War Dog books out there. It is difficult to describe how great this book is. It's hard to know what it was like to serve in Vietnam unless you had been there. After reading this book, however, we can understand better what these men went through for our country.

This book brought back painful memories for me. As a young sailor on a River Assault Boat in River Assault Division 92, I participated on "Operation Barrier Reef" in January 1969, from the MACV compound described in this book. Although this book does not cover boat operations and the part that Mobile Riverine or River Patrol Units played during this period of time, it is an excellent description of the warfare of the period and operations in a remote area of Vietnam without fire support or air support. Those of you that want a graphic description of
river operations in that area, read the prologue from Brown River, Black Berets, a description of a firefight on the Dong
Tiem Canal, that I participated in January 1969. Both books
are excellent background sources for river warfare and the
seldom covered special unit operations.

I was stationed in Duc Pho, Southern I Corp, and spent over 8 months living in a remote village with my platoon during 1969 and 1970. I saw so very much and understood so little. This book brought back the conflicts that haunted me for years and helped me come to grips with the most significant year of my life. Fear, anxiety, exhaustion, isolation, and confusion blended into an environment that this book describes like none that I have read.

This is absolutely the best first hand account of the Vietnam War. Very well written, detailed and introspective.

To describe courage and bravery, strength and resilience, pride and professionalism, it only takes two words....Robinson Risner. In an ordeal that began in 1965 and lasted for a monumental seven and a half years, he was incarcerated in the Hanoi Hilton and Zoo prison compounds in North Vietnam after he was shot down.

Subjected to unspeakable tortures and barbaric conditions, Robinson Risner literally descended into a pit of hell from which he was eventually delivered out of by his relentless perseverance and his faith in God.

After reading The Passing of the Night, it reinforced my pride in America, our military, and the extraordinary stature of our convictions and beliefs in the most desperate of times.

Robison Risner's book is heartfelt, down to earth, and very moving in its portrayal and leaves a resounding message for everyone. No matter how difficult things may be in life, never lose faith in yourself and always know God will never give you more than you can handle.

This book comes highly recommended to anyone and everyone.

This book is so moving I don't feel I can do it justice in a short review. I have never been so affected by one person's story, it makes me catch my breath just thinking about it. I too have had the pleasure of meeting Gen Risner. He is a very kind and easy-going person. His account of his 7 ½ years as a POW in Hanoi Hilton is very inspirational. He tells his story so vividly that it made me cry several times. I agree it not only should be re-released, but mandatory reading for all high school/college students. I am a member of the Air Force and I tell everyone I know they need to get this book! It will change your outlook on life!

While attending Baylor University General Risner spoke to our ROTC detachment. I was fortunate to meet this fine man and great patriot. He also was kind enough to autograph my copy of his book. It is a book I have read more times than I can count. His story is presented in a matter-of-fact manner, without boasting or bragging. While I did not make the Air Force a career, his book has been a positive influence on how I try to conduct myself with integrity, purpose, and honor. This is a must read for anyone considering a serving time in the military. Actually, everyone should be required to read this book to learn and appreciate what it means to be an American.

Joanna C. Scott was born in London during an air raid, was raised in Australia, is a widely published poet and author of a book about refugees in Indochina, and now lives in Hunt Valley, Baltimore County, with six children - all or part (or none) of which may explain her powerful descriptions of pain and injury and suffering in her new (and second) novel, a tale of the Vietnam War, Charlie and the Children. The protagonist is a young Texan, Charlie Lucas, who is drafted into the Army infantry after graduating from law school in D.C. and marrying the sophisticated daughter of a U.S. [sic] diplomat. In Vietnam he kills a lot of "dinks" (or "gooks") and cuts off their ears. He also marries one and has a son by her - without informing either wife of the other. Then, while out on a search-and-destroy mission, every soldier in his squad except Charlie is blown to bits by a booby trap, and he's captured by two Viet Cong "children" - as he perceives them - and imprisoned alone in a narrow tunnel. He also thinks of his captors as VCs or "Victor Charlie," which is sort of hideously ironic (since his own first name, remember, is Charlie). In the tunnel, apparently for a long time, Charlie is tormented by fear of torture, chiggers, an injured toe, rotten food, primitive hygienic facilities, flashbacks of a dead buddy's recitation of distractingly pornographic letters from home, thoughts of his American wife, hallucinations about his Vietnamese wife and son and - almost as nauseating to the reader as to the prisoner - a constant stink of blood, guts, sweat, tears, human waste, cordite, wet fungi, etc. Scott is especially good at describing odors. Charlie and the Children is a strong novel, very strong, probably too strong for the squeamish.THE STAR Democrat by John Goodspeed Friday, August 1997 Joanna C. Scott was born in London during an air raid, was raised in Australia, is a widely published poet and author of a book about refugees in Indochina, and now lives in Hunt Valley, Baltimore County, with six children - all or part (or none) of which may explain her powerful descriptions of pain and injury and suffering in her new (and second) novel, a tale of the Vietnam War, Charlie and the Children. The protagonist is a young Texan, Charlie Lucas, who is drafted into the Army infantry after graduating from law school in D.C. and marrying the sophisticated daughter of a U.S. [sic] diplomat. In Vietnam he kills a lot of "dinks" (or "gooks") and cuts off their ears. He also marries one and has a son by her - without informing either wife of the other. Then, while out on a search-and-destroy mission, every soldier in his squad except Charlie is blown to bits by a booby trap, and he's captured by two Viet Cong "children" - as he perceives them - and imprisoned alone in a narrow tunnel. He also thinks of his captors as VCs or "Victor Charlie," which is sort of hideously ironic (since his own first name, remember, is Charlie). In the tunnel, apparently for a long time, Charlie is tormented by fear of torture, chiggers, an injured toe, rotten food, primitive hygienic facilities, flashbacks of a dead buddy's recitation of distractingly pornographic letters from home, thoughts of his American wife, hallucinations about his Vietnamese wife and son and - almost as nauseating to the reader as to the prisoner - a constant stink of blood, guts, sweat, tears, human waste, cordite, wet fungi, etc. Scott is especially good at describing odors. Charlie and the Children is a strong novel, very strong, probably too strong for the squeamish.

THE CHILDREN WE FOUGHT(reviewer Stan Sirmans) How many Vietnam Veterans saw dead or captured Vietcong and thought they were just children? Many of them were. In her insightful and beautifully written first novel, Charlie and the Children, (Black Heron Press, 235 pp., $22.95), Joanna C. Scott has captured the essence of an enemy a French general referred to with disdain as "these little people." She has also portrayed the physical and mental deterioration of an American captive of the Vietcong. During the 1980's, on the Bataan Peninsula, refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos were infused with hope as they waited acceptance by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service for an American visa. It was in these camps that Scott interviewed many refugees and published their stories in Indochina's Refugee: Oral Histories from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (McFarland, 1989). Touched by the account of an Amerasian teenager abandoned by his U.S. Navy officer father, Scott conceived the story of Charlie. Drafted soon after he is married, Charlie Lucas arrives in Vietnam and is befriended by a second-tour veteran who teaches him how to survive. One afternoon, as Charlie and his new friend sit drinking at a sidewalk cafe, an enemy grenade explodes. Charlie rescues a young woman named Minh from the rush of the crowd and promptly falls in love with her. Although he continues to write home faithfully to his wife, Charlie marries Minh, and soon a son is born.Torn by love for his wife in the States and for Minh and his son, Charlie begins to feel trapped in a hopeless situation. He channels his emotional distress into merciless assaults against the enemy. While on patrol, his platoon is wiped out, and Charlie is captured by children in black pajamas. His captors march him deep into the jungle and place him in a dark hole inside one of their tunnels. Left alone and fed little, Charlie's body and mind deteriorate. His world becomes a series of hallucinations as he descends into despair and death approaches. The singing lilt of Scott's clear narrative reflects her background as an accomplished poet. She has peppered the story with metaphors and similes that are stunning. A medevac helicopter, carrying one of Charlie's dead platoon-mates, for example, goes ^Qsobbing its way across the treetops.' Her meticulous research is reflected in the conversations of her soldiers. They talk the language of the war. The combat scenes, too, ring true. Unlike other authors with no military background who attempt to write about war, Scott is believable. She doesn't stumble. She has crafted an unusually graceful war story that depicts the experiences of young soldiers in Vietnam. It is a prodigious feat for a writer who is not a Vietnam War veteran, and it is a reflection of her enormous talent.

Riveting . . . a heartstopper . . . yet more than just another story about war. In taking on the issue of the children soldiers leave behind, 'Charlie and the Children' transforms itself into a fable for our time. I was astonished to find myself in tears

"The Wall" is a patriotic book. It was easy to read; that made me understand how the Vietnam War turned out in the end.

The boy and his father try to find the grandfather's name on the Vietnam Wall memorial when they pass many other names. When the father reads the names on the wall, the boy imagines each name as a real person, standing next to him and talking to him.

If you are interested in the Vietnam War and how people sacrificed their lives fore us, then "The Wall" would be a good book for you to read.

I gave this four stars out of five because I found the book to be very moving. If you like books about wars, then you'll like "The Wall."

For over a quarter of a century the key imperative in American Foreign Policy has been to avoid another Vietnam. Now we have a new generation of children, born to the sons and daughters of those who fought in Vietnam but never came home. How do we tell them the story of Vietnam so they understand how much it scarred the national psyche and how their is such a national resolve never to let it happen again in some way more substantial than showing them "Forrest Gump?" Eve Bunting comes up with one way in "The Wall," ably assisted by the watercolor illustrations of Ronald Himler. "The Wall" is the simply story of a little boy and his father who have come from far away to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. to find the name of the boy's grandfather.

What makes "The Wall" so moving is that instead of answering questions it will get children to ask them. Like the little boy in the story, children reading this book will see man in combat fatigue in a wheelchair because he does not have any legs; an older couple hugging and crying; flags, teddy bears and letters laid against the wall. The little boy does not ask any questions about what he sees, but I have to believe that students reading this book certainly have questions that they want answered. Whether it is used for Memorial Day or Veterans Day, or any discussion in which children are thinking about war and its consequences, "The Wall" is a very thoughtful book that should be very helpful to teachers and students alike.

I am a sixth grade social studies teacher. Yes, this book is below the average sixth grade reading level. However, I read this along with other books, orally, to my classes at the beginning of the school year. It gives the students a sneak preview as to what their studies are going to be all about. It also encourages the idea that history is not so bad after all. It should encourage them to read about history and may even introduce the genre to some students. The book also provides realism to the plight of the Vietnam War. It is a good book experience for all who read and/or listen to it.

As a nurse of almost 25 years who graduated from high school in 1975 (just after Nixon's negotiated "peace with honor"), I have a sense that I could have done just what nurses like Winnie Smith and Lynda Devanter did. Gone to war to take care of people who would have needed me. Only time did save me...

This is a disturbing book and ultimately convincing in one of its' pleas: Let's NOT send young people to combat anymore. I'd send a copy to our war-bent president if I thought it would make a difference.

As an experienced ICU and ED nurse, I was horrified at the conditions these nurses worked (and lived) in.

At the end of the book, though you feel less worried about Winnie Smith, you never get the sense that life will be "all better" for her. This pain, this scar is deep and everlasting.

A raw and real book. I'd recommend it to anyone as I would DeVanter's book (Home Before Morning).

I thought this memoir was excellent. I was in Da Nang, Viet Nam from "69 to "70. I saw and experienced what she did; today, I feel the same way that she does. This great country of ours and the people in it have let all of us "Viet Nam Veterans" down because, I believe, of the devisiness of the war. All that we ask is that we be treated with respect as other Vets are. A wonderful book of how she coped. This is real.

Long ago, my boss gave me a copy of a thin (by my standards) book, and said it had been written by a friend of his; would I like to read it? I said yes; I love to read, and Bob Thomas was someone I admired. If he said a book was worthwhile, then I knew it was. "American Daughter Gone To War" has been with me ever since.

Winnie Smith's writing is straightforward. Her account of her childhood and adolescence is as clear as her account of her tour in Vietnam, even when the horrors start mounting up; although Smith's narrative sometimes skimps on description, the reader should keep in mind that she's writing her memoirs, not a novel. She shows a gallows humor throughout, particularly when she tells of dealing with arrogant doctors, officers, and (later) men who lie about having served in the war; she gives glimpses of the day-to-day life at the bases (tarantulas in the latrine are just one ordinary occurrence). When I finished the book, I felt as if I'd spent the time actually speaking to Smith, sharing in her memories, and was just as emotionally wrung as if I had.

If all history is relative, a patchwork of accounts from witnesses in high and low places (as well as on the giving and taking ends of orders), then the American involvement in the Vietnam War is a kaleidoscope. Of all the literary fragments worth piecing together, "American Daughter Gone To War," although small, is one to keep.

Paul Scotti presents a thoroughly researched and documented history of the Coast Guard in Vietnam. He expertly uses first-hand sources to supplement and tell his story. Real people with very human emotions and reactions. It is a historical overview but reads like a novel. You will enjoy.

I am a CG Vietnam veteran having served aboard the CG Cutter Chase, CG Squadron 3 in 1969-70. Paul Scotti's book is the definitive book about the CG operations in Vietnam. Paul gets you up front and personal to the point you can smell the smoke and hear the gunfire. His book vividly describes the everyday life of a Coastie in Vietnam be it on the water, in the air or at the base and will touch your hearts as you read not only about combat but about the many humanitarianism projects that the folks back home never new about. After reading this book you will realize just how important and diverse our Coast Guard is and have a new respect for the brave men and women of our oldest "Naval" military service. "I know, I was there". Read this book and you'll be there too!!

Paul Scotti's interesting and well-researched work deserves to be read by all Americans. The Coast Guard is the smallest of the five Armed Services yet arguably provides the public with the most value, dollar for dollar, than any of them. Many Americans are unaware of the myriad duties and responsibilities assigned by law to the Coast Guard, and too many more are incredulous upon learning of the significant Coast Guard presence in Vietnam. This book goes a long way toward telling that story; a story without which the history of American involvement in Vietnam cannot be complete.

This book is for anyone interested in the Vietnam War and particularly the US Army Rangers. The story concerns two New Englanders who wind up in the same company but become involved in their own private feud while battling the NVA enemy. The battle scenes are realistic and very graphic and it gives the reader an insight into how this brutal war was fought from the perspective of the average infantryman. The second part of the book is about what happened to the two main characters as they live and relive these experiences many years later. I recommend this book for anyone who seeks to find out the motivation of our soldiers when in battle and how they are able to cope with all of it in later life. This book was certainly an eye-opener for me and I'm sure for others who have read it.

I've just reread this book for the second time. It's a favorite on my shelf. Each time I have found in it a new insight on the humanity that struggles within all of us, buried under our hopes, insecurities and fears. Reilly has truly written of the incredible experiences of two men intertwined by one of the greatest tragedies of human life of our times -- a cathartic literary experience one hopes for him and a delightful, riveting read for us. There were times when I laughed out loud and others when I felt moved with a great compassion. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next. Bring it on Reilly!

Charles Reilly's characters,Gavinand O'Connor,are so real it seems like someone you grew up with.

Do I dare to give this book a less-than-glowing review? I am inclined to do so not because of the power and dignity of the people and the stories in the book--those speak for themselves. It was Palmer (the author) that bothered me. As I was reading the book, I could not help but feel that she was trying to manipulate me, tugging at heartstrings that needed no tug to be moved by these heartfelt stories. I felt a bit patronized by her. A good book (or movie, or whatever), if it moves me, should not make me feel the push; this one did, and it left me feeling the way people usually feel when they were pushed in a direction that they would have gone anyway--irritated.

Shrapnel In the Heart is a book to be read by everyone no matter what generation they were born in. Shrapnel In The Heart is a book that has letters and rememberances left behind at the Vietnam War Memorial. Some of the letters tell the story about the people behind the letter. The stories are sad, but the courage of the men and women is a true inspiration. The people written about in this book were extrememly young (18, 19, 20) and it seems like they died in vain. But through their letters that were left behind it is easy to see that these young men knew their duty and refused to shirk from it. These men and women are true heroes.

I read this book for a college history course and until now have thought very little about war, military, or world politics. Young people today rarely understand or realize what goes with becoming a soldier. This book gives real images of the devastation war brings from the people who lived through the tragedy of losing their loved ones. It opens our eyes to things we just shouldn't close our eyes on.

My father was a H-46 helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and after seeing this book in his bookshelf I had to read it. It is a very clear and uniform account of what helicopter pilots in Vietnam experienced. There are gripping stories of courage and carnage, and several scenes that stand out in my mind as testimony to the bravery, comraderie, and absolute horror that so many men have experienced in times of war. I loved the quotations throughout the book from all periods of history, but which really never grow old. This book helped give me some understanding of a time that has been confusing to me, (and I'm sure many others) and it adds the perspective of the people actually participating in the struggle.
"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, 1863

The pilots and crew members who flew under the call sign "Bonnie Sue" personify the unselfish duty and love of country expected of the baby boom generation. This book is testimony that when our genetation was asked to step up we reacted with the zeal and committment quietly taught to us through living examples of the veterans of WWII who were our fahers, coaches and community leaders. When I flew the same area three years after the time period mentioned in the book, I was humbled when flying over the helipcopter crash sites that I now know where those of the "Bonnie Sue" squadron. The book also alludes to the fact that once these warriors returned home, they went on to be fathers, coaches and the quiet role models that were also expected of them. Bonnie-Sue is an accurate tribute to those who faught and died in the belief that they were fighting for an honorable cause.

I bought this book for my Father, mainly a H-34 pilot while in Vietnam. He immediately started leafing through it and recognized a number of old and still current friends. While reading it he was impressed by how accurately Sturkey described missions that my Father was also a part of. He said that if I wanted to have any understanding of what Vietnam for him was like, that I should read it as well.

The first thing that struck me, and continued to strike me, was the casualness of how missions and battles were described. Marion describes a squadron mate's H-46 colliding with a grounded Huey in the same way that I would explain a Computer crashing while at work. It's all part of the job, and getting distracted from the task at hand could spell disaster for both the pilots and their crew. As I neared the end of the book, I noticed that even I was starting to view hot LZ's, steady ground fire, and rear wheel only landings as normal occurrences to be dealt with every day, by every pilot.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a glimpse at what it would be like to put your life on the line for your country, and your friends. I look at my Father, and all Veterans, in a whole new light.