Stealth Patrol by Bill Shanahan & John P. Brackin

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MWSA Review

This is the true story of Bill Shanahan and his two tours of duty in Vietnam.  Bill and his co-author John Brackin have created a book that gives the reader a fox-hole view on a unique kind of warfare.  In Vietnam at this period of time, the Army and the Marines were all engaged in large operations with big units going into battles.  Meanwhile, small Ranger units began to play by another set of rules with the enemy forces.  They would ambush and engage the enemy where and when they chose.  Sometimes the NVA and VC had greater numbers but these silent and invisible killing forces were able to pull success after success.

The authors give the reader some rich imagery through their wording and descriptions.  This story is well worth telling and it will inspire and entertain.  Bill was a real hero as were the men he fought with in his Ranger unit.  I believe that this book gives justice to what they did.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
From Stealth Patrol:"He spoke in a sort of clipped cadence, his words tumbling out quickly, one on top of the other; and his voice was deep and throaty, the way a bear might sound, if he could talk, after a night of drinking. 'Basically I'm here recruiting guys for the Lurps.... We operate in teams of five, maybe six, members apiece. In the Lurps, every man counts-and that's why we only take the best.'"Just four months after he arrived in Vietnam in 1968, Bill Shanahan joined the LRPs (Long Range Patrol). The mission of the Lurps, as they were called, was dangerous: Five- or six-man teams were dropped into the dense forest behind enemy lines. With quiet stealth, they observed enemy troop movements and staged ambushes that often ended in fierce firefights. When their mission was accomplished, they called for quick helicopter extraction. Back on base, they debriefed and tried to sleep off the adrenaline. Two days later they were back in the brush. The missions changed from week to week, but every day the goal was the same-stay alive.

Highest Traditions by Tony Lazzarini

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MWSA Review

When I finished reading Tony's book I found it to be right on the money about that long ago life event; I felt I was back in my old helicopter company in Vietnam. Tony takes you back and shows you how it was to be a door-gunner, crew-chief or a pilot. For those who have been there it feels real and is authentic--to those who were not, it is an education in how it felt to be there. This is a must read book. It is okay for teenagers to read - it is not overly offensive and sticks to the story line. I rate this book among the best written in 2003 on the Vietnam War. 

This book is an easy read - it follows a logical path and can be read all at once or in pieces as time permits. It is an award winning book having received awards and recognition from various organizations including the American Authors Association and the MWSA. 

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
Fly in a UH-1D (Huey) helicopter in Vietnam as a door gunner when the average life span was an expected 20 seconds in combat. Learn about the equipment, men and missions. A different kind of war story takes the reader inside the author's mind during his 21 month tour of duty. Read how helicopter missions were flown and why. Fly with the 25th Aviation "A" Company "Little Bears", one of the most decorated helicopter units of the Vietnam War. Twelve full color pictures.

A Buffalo's Revenge by Bob Lupo

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MWSA Review

I found Bob Lupo's novel about the Vietnam War to be a real page turner. I couldn't put it down and read half the book at frist sitting. The descriptive images that the author used, made me feel like I was back in the jungles 35 year's ago, when I was a just a young man there myself.

Bob Lupo's novel is a good study in human relationships - in the most trying of situations. Although it deals with race relations - I found it was more about emotional and personal spiritual issues that at are basic to all men. I found myself thinking much deeper about the whole experience after putting down his book.

I highly recomend this book to veterans of any war - or to those who want to get a feel for what it might have been like. Although the story line is not one comon to anyone's experience that I have ever meet - it uses the situation as a way to reveal the inner warrior, that those who fought there might relate to.

This book would make a great movie, if it was ever discovered by the media. This book is well worth spending some time with. I rate it 5 Stars!

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
A Buffalo's Revenge, a Vietnam negative, explores the limits of a nation engaged in a struggle for freedom when the mirror reveals a fractured image. Racism is bundled in an interlocking grid of white and black and oriental hatred. The backdrop of the home front, the plague of assassinations, a spiraling anti-war movement, a sandwiched Media, and politicians and a military caught in the glare of appeasing conflicting demands underscores the plight of individuals fighting for their lives and their loves. Doc Lusane must overcome his need to die; James Jaggers his need to kill; Pee Wee Anson to hate.The home front explodes in a frenzy of hate and violence.The boys discover love beyond the peculiar cadence of language and dialect. They discover life beyond race or color. They discover themselves.America was at war thirty-five years ago and we are at war today. A Buffalo's Revenge is a snapshot of America, then and now.

Born in Brooklyn ...Raised in the CAV! by John Flanagan

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MWSA Review

Review missing

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
In 1966 John Flanagan was drafted into the Army at the age of nineteen. Upon graduating from flight school he went to Vietnam and served as a pilot and aircraft commander with the famous 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). This book is his personal account of that time. Retiring from the Army in 1986 as a Major, his awards and decorations include the Bronze Star (2 Awards), Distinguished Flying Cross (2 awards), Meritorious Service Medal (2 Awards), 54 Air Medals, and the Purple Heart. He is a Master Army Aviator and has logged over 3000 flight hours. John Flanagan is proud to be associated with USACares (www.usacares.org) as a virtual committee member since its inception in March 2003. USACares provides direct assistance to servicemembers and their families involved in the Global War on Terror. You are invited to view the web site and help these true American Heroes.

C. M. A. C. - A Vietnam era Trilogy by James J. Finnegan

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MWSA Review

Author James Finnegan has followed his other great book " The Sage of a Student Warrior" with a continuation of his warrior's -James Callaghan - adventures. This time, we are taken to Vietnam where the young Lieutenant finds himself in the heart of South Vietnam - Saigon; and deep in war.

The story is only fiction - but you become involved with the story, just as if it were happening to yourself. Well told tale - and well worth reading.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
Radios, Rockets and Radar greatly influenced the life of Lieutenant James. A. Callaghan during his U.S. Government sponsored stay in Viet Nam. The Conflict, prior to his arrival in country, had spawned what was known to the world as the Tet Offensive, an extensive and well coordinated action launched by the Viet Cong on the Republic of Viet Nam. During the mayhem caused by the advance of the 13 regular regiments from the north it became obvious that there was a need for a coordinating command to insure the protection of Saigon. This was the birth of the Capital Military Assistance Command, C.M.A.C.. It was hastily setup in an old French Foreign Legion compound and was soon home for the new Radio Officer, Lieutenant James Callaghan. C.M.A.C. highlights his adventures.

Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order by Dan Dane

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MWSA Review

A no-holds barred insight into the military maelstrom of Viet Nam.

The author presents a JAG (Judge Advocate General) lawyer who represents soldiers accused of murder and drug offenses. And the censors are not allowed to lessen the brutal telling of the pitfalls.

This audio presentation brings the listener into the fray, allowing him to feel, taste, touch and react to military life in Viet Nam. Using the experiences of a non-career Army lawyer assigned during the last days of duty in Viet Nam, we discover that the justice served in the military is a fight in itself. 

At times that legal battle is influenced by high command input not necessarily beneficial to the lawyer’s role or to the meting out of justice to the defendant.

We listen to the lawyer protagonist fight his personal battle of bafflement and anger towards his immediate superior whose sole ambition is to promote himself. Thoughts of killing enter the lawyer’s mind. This mind frame is grown out of the futility felt due to Generals doing the opposite of the facts published to the American public. “I fight to stop a moron poising as an Army officer from screwing up the life of a soldier.”

The five CD’s of this moving presentation guide us through the daily experiences faced by the “grunts” which, of necessity, become the foundation of the ordeal of the defense counsel. Fortunately, where he finds innocence of the purported crime, our lawyer battles through the layers of military law to bring about a “not guilty” decision.

This is a “must listen to” story of little known area of the conflict in Viet Nam.

Reviewed by: Joe Fabel (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
 

Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order offers a glimpse of conditions around Bien Hoa during the last years of the war. Bill Blake encounters fragging, racism and heroin addiction while defending soldiers in court-martial trials as a young Army lawyer. Much like the soldiers he defends, Blake finds himself in conflict with his superior officers.

The story of a drafted, civilian attorney serving as an Army lawyer in Vietnam gives this book a unique perspective. Captain Blake's experiences accentuate many of the troublesome aspects of the war, including the draft, authority of Commanding Generals, domestic demand for troop withdrawal and in the end, the delivery of heroin to the American troops.

The historical fiction genre allows vets to recognize historically correct settings in Vietnam during 1971-1972 in this book. The fictitious characters and circumstances provide an entertaining read for those who lived through the era as well as those for whom Vietnam is only a curiosity out of the distant past.

Other books by Dan Dane include Fireflies in the Delta and Bloodlines of Tyranny.

The Two-Dollar Bill by Roger H. Soiset

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MWSA Review

The author graphically illustrates his experience of “The taste of fear and the knowledge of mortality.”  The incidents portrayed in “The Two-Dollar Bill (the 200th Brigade),” a fictional Army group, are based upon actual experiences in the camp life and the front lines in Viet Nam.

Roger Soiset immerses the reader in the vibrant fire zone of the “grunts.”  As he exposes each soldier’s reactions to “his taste of fear and the knowledge of mortality,” the reader vicariously becomes part of the patrol deep in the hostile jungle environment.  We are immersed in the daily challenges the combatants must deal with, some successfully, others with variations due to personalities.

Each “grunt” in the “hot zones” can be described as “You look the same and sound the same, but you have undergone some serious changes you really cannot adequately explain even to yourself.”

The author offers the reader an excellent insight into the fear ridden tour of the American fighting men in the Viet Nam conflict “who came from the house next door to yours.”

Reviewed by: Joe Fabel (2004)

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Author's Synopsis
 

Novel of the author's year in Viet Nam.

Black Water by Neil Millar

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MWSA Review

Neil Millar takes on kidnappers, ex-KGB agents, cannibals, snakes, poisonous spiders, and even supernatural forces, as he takes an armed team to an island in the Bay of Bengal to try and rescue a woman.  His book, “Black Water – A Place of No Hope,” has all the suspense and action one would want in any action thriller.  The hero fights personal demons for his own sanity—which he medicates with alcohol.  The hero is flawed but it makes the story more interesting and complex.

A must read!

For good synopsis of this book and an excellent review that I cannot honestly add much to check out the New York Times Book Review:http://www.neilmillar.net/Black%20Water%20Review.htm

Description:

The decision not to pull the trigger on an arms dealer during a covert mission is haunting SAS Patrol Commander Mike Edwards.  Now, on a mission to find and free a kidnapped environmentalist he comes face to face with the man who caused his nightmare to begin.  But, in the perilous jungle of Kali Pani, he must deal with more than just the physical confrontation with his enemy.  Now he must deal with the emotional and spiritual issues inside himself that will either deliver or destroy him.  Enjoy the tale of a soldier in the military as well as a soldier in life and have your own moments of illumination amongst the wisdom, wisecracking and whizzing bullets of Black Water.

Reviewed by: Bill McDonald (2004)

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Author's Synopsis

The decision not to pull the trigger on an arms dealer during a covert mission is haunting SAS Patrol Commander Mike Edwards. Now, on a mission to find and free a kidnapped environmentalist he comes face to face with the man who caused his nightmare to begin. But, in the perilous jungle of Kali Pani,he must deal with more than just the physical confrontation with his enemy. Now he must deal with the emotional and spiritual issues inside himself that will either deliver or destroy him. Enjoy the tale of a soldier in the military as well as a soldier in life and have your own moments of illumination amongst the wisdom, wisecracking and whizzing bullets of Black Water.