Tunnel Rat in Vietnam

Tunnel Rat in Vietnam

Author: Gordon L. Rottman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-02-20

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 1780960425

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and flashlights – the 'tunnel runners' were born, known to the Australians as 'tunnel ferrets'. Starting as an ad hoc force of infantrymen, combat engineers and chemical troops, it was not long before units were 'formalized' as 'tunnel exploration personnel' and 4–6-man 'tunnel exploitation and denial teams' were created. They came to be known simply as 'tunnel rats' with the unofficial motto Non Gratum Anus Rodentum – 'Not Worth a Rat's Ass'. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an underground war against the Viet Cong in Vietnam.


Book Synopsis Tunnel Rat in Vietnam by : Gordon L. Rottman

Download or read book Tunnel Rat in Vietnam written by Gordon L. Rottman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-02-20 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and flashlights – the 'tunnel runners' were born, known to the Australians as 'tunnel ferrets'. Starting as an ad hoc force of infantrymen, combat engineers and chemical troops, it was not long before units were 'formalized' as 'tunnel exploration personnel' and 4–6-man 'tunnel exploitation and denial teams' were created. They came to be known simply as 'tunnel rats' with the unofficial motto Non Gratum Anus Rodentum – 'Not Worth a Rat's Ass'. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an underground war against the Viet Cong in Vietnam.


Tunnel Rat in Vietnam

Tunnel Rat in Vietnam

Author: Gordon L. Rottman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-02-20

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13: 1849087849

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and flashlights – the 'tunnel runners' were born, known to the Australians as 'tunnel ferrets'. Starting as an ad hoc force of infantrymen, combat engineers and chemical troops, it was not long before units were 'formalized' as 'tunnel exploration personnel' and 4–6-man 'tunnel exploitation and denial teams' were created. They came to be known simply as 'tunnel rats' with the unofficial motto Non Gratum Anus Rodentum – 'Not Worth a Rat's Ass'. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an underground war against the Viet Cong in Vietnam.


Book Synopsis Tunnel Rat in Vietnam by : Gordon L. Rottman

Download or read book Tunnel Rat in Vietnam written by Gordon L. Rottman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-02-20 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them. At first infantrymen volunteered to enter the tunnels armed with only pistols and flashlights – the 'tunnel runners' were born, known to the Australians as 'tunnel ferrets'. Starting as an ad hoc force of infantrymen, combat engineers and chemical troops, it was not long before units were 'formalized' as 'tunnel exploration personnel' and 4–6-man 'tunnel exploitation and denial teams' were created. They came to be known simply as 'tunnel rats' with the unofficial motto Non Gratum Anus Rodentum – 'Not Worth a Rat's Ass'. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the tactics and combat experiences, of those who fought an underground war against the Viet Cong in Vietnam.


Rat Six

Rat Six

Author: Jack Flowers

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2018-08-07

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 1642141992

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Based on a true story, Rat Six tells the story of Clifford Price who, like hundreds of thousands of other young men in the 1960s, was drafted into the United States Army and served in Vietnam. Price was from Indiana, where he was a college student who had recently returned from a year studying abroad in Denmark. He came from a long line of soldiers; his two grandfathers served in the First World War and his father in the Second. Vietnam proved to be his turn to fight. Little did he know that his war would not only be a conflict on the battlefield, but a conflict in his mind. Torn between his anti-war sentiments, which had been reinforced by his year abroad and the proud heritage of his forefathers, Price had to choose between right and wrong, survival and death, love and war. Having been a commissioned officer in the Army Corps of Engineers shortly after being drafted and selected for Officer's Candidate School, Price ended up in Vietnam in 1968. After three months of commanding a platoon of bridge builders, mine sweepers, and truck drivers, Price was offered the job of Rat Six, one of the most dangerous assignments in the war. Rat Six was the code name for the leader of the First Infantry Division Tunnel Rats. The Tunnel Rats were some of the most courageous soldiers to fight in Vietnam. All were volunteers, slightly built, cunning, rebellious, trained in demolitions, and dedicated to ferreting out the enemy below. In the beginning of the war, entering a tunnel with only a flashlight and a pistol was almost suicidal. Over time, the Army learned to successfully navigate the underground labyrinths, retrieve vital intelligence, and destroy the tunnels. The most organized of the Tunnel Rat teams in Vietnam was that of the First Infantry Division's First Engineer Battalion. The team was led almost from the beginning by Sergeant Robert Bateman, a crusty, hard-nosed non-commissioned officer from New Jersey. He was dubbed "Batman" by his men and his reputation spread far and wide. He became even more famous among the enemy, of whom he had killed many, than among other warriors in the Army. "Batman" was on the Viet Cong's "10 Most Wanted List," which included the most prominent generals and not one other non-commissioned officer. Lieutenant Price was put in charge of the team and the conflict with Batman was immediate. Although there was no rank underground, Rat Six and Batman slowly built a mutual trust and the team's exploits and reputation grew even more. Harrowing missions and close calls engulfed the two men and their team. The tunnels were the setting and the enemy inside was just as fearsome as the men who pursued them. After four months of working together, Batman was sent home after his fourth reenlistment for Vietnam was denied. Suddenly Price was alone and vulnerable. The fear became insurmountable, climaxing on his last mission. Rat Six tells one of the most important yet little known stories of Lieutenant Clifford Price and his men. They were known as the Tunnel Rats, and their courageous exploits during the war in Vietnam are breathtaking and extraordinary.


Book Synopsis Rat Six by : Jack Flowers

Download or read book Rat Six written by Jack Flowers and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2018-08-07 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on a true story, Rat Six tells the story of Clifford Price who, like hundreds of thousands of other young men in the 1960s, was drafted into the United States Army and served in Vietnam. Price was from Indiana, where he was a college student who had recently returned from a year studying abroad in Denmark. He came from a long line of soldiers; his two grandfathers served in the First World War and his father in the Second. Vietnam proved to be his turn to fight. Little did he know that his war would not only be a conflict on the battlefield, but a conflict in his mind. Torn between his anti-war sentiments, which had been reinforced by his year abroad and the proud heritage of his forefathers, Price had to choose between right and wrong, survival and death, love and war. Having been a commissioned officer in the Army Corps of Engineers shortly after being drafted and selected for Officer's Candidate School, Price ended up in Vietnam in 1968. After three months of commanding a platoon of bridge builders, mine sweepers, and truck drivers, Price was offered the job of Rat Six, one of the most dangerous assignments in the war. Rat Six was the code name for the leader of the First Infantry Division Tunnel Rats. The Tunnel Rats were some of the most courageous soldiers to fight in Vietnam. All were volunteers, slightly built, cunning, rebellious, trained in demolitions, and dedicated to ferreting out the enemy below. In the beginning of the war, entering a tunnel with only a flashlight and a pistol was almost suicidal. Over time, the Army learned to successfully navigate the underground labyrinths, retrieve vital intelligence, and destroy the tunnels. The most organized of the Tunnel Rat teams in Vietnam was that of the First Infantry Division's First Engineer Battalion. The team was led almost from the beginning by Sergeant Robert Bateman, a crusty, hard-nosed non-commissioned officer from New Jersey. He was dubbed "Batman" by his men and his reputation spread far and wide. He became even more famous among the enemy, of whom he had killed many, than among other warriors in the Army. "Batman" was on the Viet Cong's "10 Most Wanted List," which included the most prominent generals and not one other non-commissioned officer. Lieutenant Price was put in charge of the team and the conflict with Batman was immediate. Although there was no rank underground, Rat Six and Batman slowly built a mutual trust and the team's exploits and reputation grew even more. Harrowing missions and close calls engulfed the two men and their team. The tunnels were the setting and the enemy inside was just as fearsome as the men who pursued them. After four months of working together, Batman was sent home after his fourth reenlistment for Vietnam was denied. Suddenly Price was alone and vulnerable. The fear became insurmountable, climaxing on his last mission. Rat Six tells one of the most important yet little known stories of Lieutenant Clifford Price and his men. They were known as the Tunnel Rats, and their courageous exploits during the war in Vietnam are breathtaking and extraordinary.


Tunnel Rats

Tunnel Rats

Author: Jimmy Thomson

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1743317352

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

WARFARE & DEFENCE. AUSTRALIAN. The thrilling story of the young Australian Army engineers who risked their lives in the Vietcong tunnels of South Vietnam.


Book Synopsis Tunnel Rats by : Jimmy Thomson

Download or read book Tunnel Rats written by Jimmy Thomson and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2013 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WARFARE & DEFENCE. AUSTRALIAN. The thrilling story of the young Australian Army engineers who risked their lives in the Vietcong tunnels of South Vietnam.


The Tunnels of Cu Chi

The Tunnels of Cu Chi

Author: Tom Mangold

Publisher: Presidio Press

Published: 2013-05-08

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0307833364

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At the height of the Vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from Cu Chi Province to the edge of Saigon. In these burrows, the Viet Cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike. They had only one enemy: U.S. soldiers small and wiry enough to maneuver through the guerrillas’ narrow domain. The brave souls who descended into these hellholes were known as “tunnel rats.” Armed with only pistols and K-bar knives, these men inched their way through the steamy darkness where any number of horrors could be awaiting them–bullets, booby traps, a tossed grenade. Using firsthand accounts from men and women on both sides who fought and killed in these underground battles, authors Tom Mangold and John Penycate provide a gripping inside look at this fearsome combat. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a war classic of unbearable tension and unforgettable heroes. Praise for The Tunnels of Cu Chi “A claustrophobic but fascinating tale.”—The Wall Street Journal “Chilling . . . what war really was and how it was fought.”—The New York Times “Gripping . . . highly recommended.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Remarkable.”—The Washington Post


Book Synopsis The Tunnels of Cu Chi by : Tom Mangold

Download or read book The Tunnels of Cu Chi written by Tom Mangold and published by Presidio Press. This book was released on 2013-05-08 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the height of the Vietnam conflict, a complex system of secret underground tunnels sprawled from Cu Chi Province to the edge of Saigon. In these burrows, the Viet Cong cached their weapons, tended their wounded, and prepared to strike. They had only one enemy: U.S. soldiers small and wiry enough to maneuver through the guerrillas’ narrow domain. The brave souls who descended into these hellholes were known as “tunnel rats.” Armed with only pistols and K-bar knives, these men inched their way through the steamy darkness where any number of horrors could be awaiting them–bullets, booby traps, a tossed grenade. Using firsthand accounts from men and women on both sides who fought and killed in these underground battles, authors Tom Mangold and John Penycate provide a gripping inside look at this fearsome combat. The Tunnels of Cu Chi is a war classic of unbearable tension and unforgettable heroes. Praise for The Tunnels of Cu Chi “A claustrophobic but fascinating tale.”—The Wall Street Journal “Chilling . . . what war really was and how it was fought.”—The New York Times “Gripping . . . highly recommended.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Remarkable.”—The Washington Post


Journey Into Darkness

Journey Into Darkness

Author: Stephen Menendez

Publisher:

Published: 2004-05

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 9780971055162

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Stephen (Shorty) Menendez was a Tunnel Rat in Vietnam. He takes you deep into those enemy tunnels, making you taste the acrid gunsmoke and feel the cold black earth. Shorty's below-ground battles are nothing less than incredible.


Book Synopsis Journey Into Darkness by : Stephen Menendez

Download or read book Journey Into Darkness written by Stephen Menendez and published by . This book was released on 2004-05 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stephen (Shorty) Menendez was a Tunnel Rat in Vietnam. He takes you deep into those enemy tunnels, making you taste the acrid gunsmoke and feel the cold black earth. Shorty's below-ground battles are nothing less than incredible.


Life and Death in the Central Highlands

Life and Death in the Central Highlands

Author: James T. Gillam

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1574412922

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Jim Gillam experienced real combat in his Vietnam tour. His stunning accounts of killing and avoiding being killed ring true. Although wounded several times, Jim did not leave the field for treatment in a field hospital, so he never generated the paperwork for a Purple Heart or two or three. Although he would be appalled at the thought, his attention to duty was `lifer' behavior, a concern for the well-being of his squad that represents the best of NCO leadership in any army."---Allan R. Millett, author of Semper Fidelis and coauthor of A War to Be Won "[Gillam] looks back on his experiences of Vietnam not solely as a participant in the war, but also with the critical eye of a trained historian... [He] uses an impressive array of after action reports, duty officer logs, battlefield reports, and other primary source material, to back up and reinforce his recollections."---Journal of Military History review by James H. Willbanks, author of The Offensive "Gillam, a `shake and bake' sergeant, presents a good account of small unit infantry action during the war. He is very good at explaining the weaponry, tactics, and living conditions in the field."---James E. Westheider, author of The African-American Experience in Vietnam In 1968 James T. Gillam was a poorly focused college student at Ohio University who was dismissed and then drafted into the Army. Unlike most African Americans who entered the Army then, he became a sergeant and an instructor at the Fort McClellan Alabama School of Infantry. In September 1968 he joined the First Battalion, 22nd Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Within a month he transformed from an uncertain sergeant---who tried to avoid combat---to an aggressive soldier, killing his first enemy and planning and executing successful ambushes in the jungle. Gillam was a regular point man and occasional tunnel rat who fought below ground, an arena that few people knew about until after the war ended. By January 1970 he had earned a Combat Infantry Badge and been promoted to staff sergeant. Then Washington's politics and military strategy took his battalion to the border of Cambodia. Search-and-destroy missions became longer and deadlier. From January to May his unit hunted and killed the enemy in a series of intense firefights, some of them in close combat. In those months Gillam was shot twice and struck by shrapnel twice. He became a savage, strangling a soldier in hand-to-hand combat inside a lightless tunnel. As his mid-summer date to return home approached, Gillam became fiercely determined to come home alive. The ultimate test of that determination came during the Cambodian invasion. On his last night in Cambodia, the enemy got inside the wire of the firebase, and the killing became close range and brutal. Gillam left the Army in June 1970, and within two weeks of his last encounter with death, he was once again a college student and destined to become a university professor. The nightmares and guilt about killing are gone, and so is the callous on his soul. Life and Death in the Central Highlands is a gripping, personal account of one soldier's war in the Vietnam War


Book Synopsis Life and Death in the Central Highlands by : James T. Gillam

Download or read book Life and Death in the Central Highlands written by James T. Gillam and published by University of North Texas Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Jim Gillam experienced real combat in his Vietnam tour. His stunning accounts of killing and avoiding being killed ring true. Although wounded several times, Jim did not leave the field for treatment in a field hospital, so he never generated the paperwork for a Purple Heart or two or three. Although he would be appalled at the thought, his attention to duty was `lifer' behavior, a concern for the well-being of his squad that represents the best of NCO leadership in any army."---Allan R. Millett, author of Semper Fidelis and coauthor of A War to Be Won "[Gillam] looks back on his experiences of Vietnam not solely as a participant in the war, but also with the critical eye of a trained historian... [He] uses an impressive array of after action reports, duty officer logs, battlefield reports, and other primary source material, to back up and reinforce his recollections."---Journal of Military History review by James H. Willbanks, author of The Offensive "Gillam, a `shake and bake' sergeant, presents a good account of small unit infantry action during the war. He is very good at explaining the weaponry, tactics, and living conditions in the field."---James E. Westheider, author of The African-American Experience in Vietnam In 1968 James T. Gillam was a poorly focused college student at Ohio University who was dismissed and then drafted into the Army. Unlike most African Americans who entered the Army then, he became a sergeant and an instructor at the Fort McClellan Alabama School of Infantry. In September 1968 he joined the First Battalion, 22nd Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Within a month he transformed from an uncertain sergeant---who tried to avoid combat---to an aggressive soldier, killing his first enemy and planning and executing successful ambushes in the jungle. Gillam was a regular point man and occasional tunnel rat who fought below ground, an arena that few people knew about until after the war ended. By January 1970 he had earned a Combat Infantry Badge and been promoted to staff sergeant. Then Washington's politics and military strategy took his battalion to the border of Cambodia. Search-and-destroy missions became longer and deadlier. From January to May his unit hunted and killed the enemy in a series of intense firefights, some of them in close combat. In those months Gillam was shot twice and struck by shrapnel twice. He became a savage, strangling a soldier in hand-to-hand combat inside a lightless tunnel. As his mid-summer date to return home approached, Gillam became fiercely determined to come home alive. The ultimate test of that determination came during the Cambodian invasion. On his last night in Cambodia, the enemy got inside the wire of the firebase, and the killing became close range and brutal. Gillam left the Army in June 1970, and within two weeks of his last encounter with death, he was once again a college student and destined to become a university professor. The nightmares and guilt about killing are gone, and so is the callous on his soul. Life and Death in the Central Highlands is a gripping, personal account of one soldier's war in the Vietnam War


Tunnel Tales of Our Heroic Tunnel Rats in Vietnam

Tunnel Tales of Our Heroic Tunnel Rats in Vietnam

Author: Robert F. Burgess

Publisher:

Published: 2019-09-22

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 9781691291205

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Those of you who fought in Nam... did you ever have a buddy disappear in a firefight but his body was never found? Did you ever think you had the enemy cornered when they suddenly disappeared? Did you ever sweep a village clean, and then have the VC suddenly appear where they weren't before?Most of you know what I'm talking about. But most of you might not know that these disappearances - including your buddy's body - were just the enemy trying to mess with your head.This paperback book combines the research and case histories of some of our bravest of the brave Tunnel Rats. The author digs into the details of how they survived fighting through a system of underground passageways some of which were three levels deep and stretched up to 100 miles in length! A vast network of tunnels that was virtually under your feet!Not many of you would believe that back at your base of security eight feet down under your hooch the enemy could be resting in his coffin-sized hole reading in the flickering light of a bottle lamp. But those bases that were over-run in the middle of the night by their suicide squads might wonder how the hell all of those crazies got through their perimeter defenses without triggering a firefight. Readers have asked for more tunnel stories and this book brings them all together. Enjoy them but when the lead gets to flying in those blacked out tunnels, wear your flak jacket and keep a low profile. Fear not, usually good guys always win...what's so freaking amazing is how they did it!


Book Synopsis Tunnel Tales of Our Heroic Tunnel Rats in Vietnam by : Robert F. Burgess

Download or read book Tunnel Tales of Our Heroic Tunnel Rats in Vietnam written by Robert F. Burgess and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-22 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Those of you who fought in Nam... did you ever have a buddy disappear in a firefight but his body was never found? Did you ever think you had the enemy cornered when they suddenly disappeared? Did you ever sweep a village clean, and then have the VC suddenly appear where they weren't before?Most of you know what I'm talking about. But most of you might not know that these disappearances - including your buddy's body - were just the enemy trying to mess with your head.This paperback book combines the research and case histories of some of our bravest of the brave Tunnel Rats. The author digs into the details of how they survived fighting through a system of underground passageways some of which were three levels deep and stretched up to 100 miles in length! A vast network of tunnels that was virtually under your feet!Not many of you would believe that back at your base of security eight feet down under your hooch the enemy could be resting in his coffin-sized hole reading in the flickering light of a bottle lamp. But those bases that were over-run in the middle of the night by their suicide squads might wonder how the hell all of those crazies got through their perimeter defenses without triggering a firefight. Readers have asked for more tunnel stories and this book brings them all together. Enjoy them but when the lead gets to flying in those blacked out tunnels, wear your flak jacket and keep a low profile. Fear not, usually good guys always win...what's so freaking amazing is how they did it!


We Gotta Get Out of This Place

We Gotta Get Out of This Place

Author: Doug Bradley

Publisher: UMass + ORM

Published: 2016-01-06

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 161376426X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“The diversity of voices and songs reminds us that the home front and the battlefront are always connected and that music and war are deeply intertwined.” —Heather Marie Stur, author of 21 Days to Baghdad For a Kentucky rifleman who spent his tour trudging through Vietnam’s Central Highlands, it was Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” For a black marine distraught over the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., it was Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” And for countless other Vietnam vets, it was “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die” or the song that gives this book its title. In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. They explore how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the World back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. They also demonstrate that music was important for every group of Vietnam veterans—black and white, Latino and Native American, men and women, officers and “grunts”—whose personal reflections drive the book’s narrative. Many of the voices are those of ordinary soldiers, airmen, seamen, and marines. But there are also “solo” pieces by veterans whose writings have shaped our understanding of the war—Karl Marlantes, Alfredo Vea, Yusef Komunyakaa, Bill Ehrhart, Arthur Flowers—as well as songwriters and performers whose music influenced soldiers’ lives, including Eric Burdon, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Country Joe McDonald, and John Fogerty. Together their testimony taps into memories—individual and cultural—that capture a central if often overlooked component of the American war in Vietnam.


Book Synopsis We Gotta Get Out of This Place by : Doug Bradley

Download or read book We Gotta Get Out of This Place written by Doug Bradley and published by UMass + ORM. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The diversity of voices and songs reminds us that the home front and the battlefront are always connected and that music and war are deeply intertwined.” —Heather Marie Stur, author of 21 Days to Baghdad For a Kentucky rifleman who spent his tour trudging through Vietnam’s Central Highlands, it was Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” For a black marine distraught over the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., it was Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” And for countless other Vietnam vets, it was “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die” or the song that gives this book its title. In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. They explore how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the World back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. They also demonstrate that music was important for every group of Vietnam veterans—black and white, Latino and Native American, men and women, officers and “grunts”—whose personal reflections drive the book’s narrative. Many of the voices are those of ordinary soldiers, airmen, seamen, and marines. But there are also “solo” pieces by veterans whose writings have shaped our understanding of the war—Karl Marlantes, Alfredo Vea, Yusef Komunyakaa, Bill Ehrhart, Arthur Flowers—as well as songwriters and performers whose music influenced soldiers’ lives, including Eric Burdon, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Country Joe McDonald, and John Fogerty. Together their testimony taps into memories—individual and cultural—that capture a central if often overlooked component of the American war in Vietnam.


Cherries

Cherries

Author: John Podlaski

Publisher: John Podlaski

Published: 2010-04-20

Total Pages: 458

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 1970, John Kowalski is one of many young, naive teenage soldiers sent to Vietnam to fight in an unpopular war. Dubbed “Cherries” by their more seasoned peers, these newbies suddenly found themselves thrust into the middle of a terrible nightmare - literally forced to become men overnight. On-the-job-training is intense, however, most of these teenagers were hardly ready to absorb the harsh mental, emotional, and physical stress of war. When coming under enemy fire for the first time and witnessing death first-hand, a life changing transition begins...one that can't be reversed. The author is an excellent story teller, readers testify that they are right there with the characters, joining them in their quest for survival, sharing the fear, awe, drama, and sorrow, witnessing bravery and sometimes, even laughing at their humor. It's a story that is hard to put down. When soldiers return home from war, all are different - changed for life. "Cherries" tells it like it is and when finished, readers will better understand what these young men had to endure, and why change is imminent.


Book Synopsis Cherries by : John Podlaski

Download or read book Cherries written by John Podlaski and published by John Podlaski. This book was released on 2010-04-20 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1970, John Kowalski is one of many young, naive teenage soldiers sent to Vietnam to fight in an unpopular war. Dubbed “Cherries” by their more seasoned peers, these newbies suddenly found themselves thrust into the middle of a terrible nightmare - literally forced to become men overnight. On-the-job-training is intense, however, most of these teenagers were hardly ready to absorb the harsh mental, emotional, and physical stress of war. When coming under enemy fire for the first time and witnessing death first-hand, a life changing transition begins...one that can't be reversed. The author is an excellent story teller, readers testify that they are right there with the characters, joining them in their quest for survival, sharing the fear, awe, drama, and sorrow, witnessing bravery and sometimes, even laughing at their humor. It's a story that is hard to put down. When soldiers return home from war, all are different - changed for life. "Cherries" tells it like it is and when finished, readers will better understand what these young men had to endure, and why change is imminent.