4 comments about Escape With Honor: My Last Hours in Vietnam (Memories of War).

1. In a time of uncertainty, danger and demoralization, this is a story that shows that even in the midst of the end of the Vietnam war our few remaining Americans cared deeply about the people that they had supported. A story of heroism generally not recognized and long overdue in the telling.



2. During every great event there occurs little-known tales of heroism and sacrifice; Ambasador McNamara's book tells the story on one of them. The evacuation of the handful of American civilians and Marines of the U.S. Consulate General in Can Tho, along with their South Vietnamese employees and families,reads like a movie, and is all the more exciting for being true. Their story of sacrifice, heroism, betrayal, and tragedy was lost in the greater story of the simultaneous evacuation of Saigon, but one with a historical bent will see in McNamara's tale a reflection of Xenephon's Persian expedition. Don't start reading this one before bedtime, or you'll be up all night to finish it!



3. This is a detailed account of the U.S. consul's last months in Can Tho, South Vietnam and his risky escape by boat on the Mekong River in April 1975. As the collapse of Saigon was nearing and as the airlift of Americans and third country nationals from Can Tho never materialized, McNamara himself took charge of guiding more than 300 people to safety on military barges along the Mekong River. He was recognized for his bravery and given a medal in 1977.

   The book was also a tribute to General Nguyen Khoa Nam, the IV Corps South Vietnamese commander who refused to be evacuated and remained at his post until the last minute. McNamara had known him for over a year as a brave and dedicated officer and a man of honor. General Nam and his deputy General Hung killed themselves instead of surrendering to the enemy a few days later.

   This is an interesting perspective of an American's last weeks in South Vietnam, his dealings with the Americans, the Vietnamese, and the CIA.




4. This book peaked my curiosity because my brother was one of the marines stationed at this particular embassy in Vietnam. he's only mentioned in it twice by name but it was great learning about what the had to do to get out. Now my brother had never talked about it but recently mentioned it (briefly) at a family dinner and I did my own research. He did end up with a 22 year career and retired as a sgt major. some of the ook is really technical because its told by the ambassador but its a decent read.

5 comments about Soldier's Heart: An Inspirational Memoir and Inquiry of War.

1. This book details Lee Burkins' experience in the Vietnam war and its aftermath. Written in a non-linear fashion, the book is a collection of poignant vignettes and memories. This allows for a psychologically realisitc and "big-picture" way of understanding the story of Mr. Burkins' past. Jumping between the mountainous jungles of Vietnam, Hawaiian VA hospitals, and civilian life in the States, the reader gets a simultaneous sense of the past, present, and future. What is most truly impressive, however, is not the story of the war itself, but the story of Lee's path in reckoning with the trauma of war, coming to terms with it, and purifying his heart.



2. Amid the increasing number of books about Vietnam this book is quite special. It is the personal memoir of a man who spent his time in Vietnam in the Special Forces, and has spent much of his life since recovering from the experience. Thus the narrrative covers his youth and joining up, service in Vietnam including fighting with the Montagnards, returning home, pineapple farming in Hawaii, another stint of military service again in Hawaii, and a lot of hard work fighting for veterans' rights and counseling other vets. What is striking about this narrative, however, is that it does not follow a linear conventional structure. Rather it has a sort of spiraling structure, with each successive section looping back or forward in time and space. But this isn't confusing, it is in fact very effective in conveying that sense of acute dislocation that accompanies post-traumatic stress and is suffered by so many veterans.
   It is a tribute too to the author's writing style that the reader is bowled along; I read most of it at a single sitting. The stories too in themselves are gripping, by turns sad, humorous, disturbing (some very disturbing), and inspiring. But the main sense that comes across is immensely life-affirming, a real impression of the author as a man who has faced his demons and is coming out the other side.
   Overall, this book is a good read. More than that too, it is one man's intensely personal testament to the post-Vietnam trauma of American society, and thus deserves a significant place in the broader corpus of the literature of war.



3. Forget the typical cliches like "riveting", "incredible", and "fascinating" because Lee's work goes above and beyond all of that. This is not simply a book or a memoir - it truly is an "Inquiry of War" and war is something that Lee Burkins has a fair amount of knowledge in. From the jungles and bomb craters that surround the Ho Chi Minh Trail system inside Laos and Cambodia, Lee and RT Vermont fight for their lives against hoards of North Vietnamese Army troops and the suicidal odds of MACV-SOG's secret war. But perhaps the most difficult war Lee wages is the one that dominates his psyche and his mental well-being. This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read; it is raw and unbridled and remarkably unique. Thanks for everything, Lee.



4. I have just finished reading Lee Burkins' remarkable book, Soldier's Heart. It touched me deeply and opened my eyes and my heart to so much that I could never have otherwise known. Those of us that sat on the sidelines during the Vietnam war - regardless of our politics - were not only blinded to the plight of those who fought, but also, through our own lack of concern, inadvertently contributed to their pain. In writing, Lee has reached out to us, reconnected, and given us all the opportunity to heal. For this, I am profoundly grateful.
   
   I will be passing Soldier's Heart on to my adult children. It should be mandatory reading for their generation and those that follow. Without access to a warrior's experience and vision, how will they ever be able to understand the human costs of contemporary warfare, or have any hope of piercing the veils of untruths and diversionary distractions that constantly envelope them. Lee Burkins' painful but life affirming book is a gift to us all.



5. While deployed to Iraq as a Mental Health Officer, I fortuitously discovered Lee' Burkin's Soldier's Heart, while searching for inspiring books to enhance my work with combat soldiers. I was so intrigued by what I read, I reached out to the author, who allowed me to interview him from Iraq, regarding his journey beginning 37 years before in Vietnam. What I wanted, and what is in short supply today are warriors who have been transformed by their experiences, versus being labeled by themselves or others as broken or permanently damaged. From his authentic PTSD "earned" as a SOG operator and healer himself (The author was an S.F. medic) through Post Traumatic and Stress-Induced Growth, Burkins thrives psychically where many did not, largely because of his transformative journey, and personally resilient personality, combined with a relentless pursuit of justice for other veterans, what the Buddhist's term "For the sake of all living beings".
   
   Like many of the soldiers I served with in Special Forces, in the end it is Burkin's unconventional outlook and relentless pursuit of authentic experience which take him from Southeast Asia, through Asian Metaphysical Arts like Tai Chi and Chi Gung, only to emerge as an advocate for peace and compassion. The book is controversial, direct and written in a narrative format which easily slips between deep penetration missions, authentic psychotherapy sessions and historical VA struggles, culminating in a warrior attaining no less than a Phoenix-like transformation. As Erik Erikson might call it, the author attains integrity versus despair which gripped so many of his generation and is affecting my brothers and sisters in arms today.
   
   Applicable for today? Absolutely, as the author has sat with his journey long enough to convey it with wisdom and compassion and relevancy during our time. Easily could be catalogued under Special Operations, psychotherapy, martial arts or wisdom literature. Especially recommended for those who will not volunteer themselves as a passport into the soul of a warrior who transmutes his suffering and experiences and brings back the teachings for us all of us with ears and hearts to listen.

1 comments about Happy Jack's Go Buggy: A Fighter Pilot's Story (Schiffer Military/Aviation History).

1. Jack Ilfrey was a WWII fighter pilot in Europe and Africa. His colorful career is recounted here in very interesting detail. This is not just a "There I was inverted at 500 feet with both engines out" book but rather an overview of what ALL of a fighter pilot's life was like during the height of the war. We read about hijinks on the ground, fear and bravery in the air, and under it all, a great will to be done with it. Ilfrey conveys what it must have been like to be 20 years old, with terrific freedom, in a foreign country, during wartime. He was quite the nonconformist, which led to his being demoted several times. Still, his attributes as a fighter pilot kept him in the fight, to the benefit of us all. If you like WWII aviation, read this book. If you end up liking Jack Ilfrey, as I sure did, visit the web page dedicated to him, A Tribute to Jack Ilfrey.

No comments about Winston Churchill - Biography of a Nobel Statesmen.

2 comments about Rommel.

1. I am not impressed by this book. The account of Rommel was rather sketchy, and the arguments were not laid out in details for the reader to judge for themselves. This book could certainly do more with its analysis of Rommel and his achievements - or lack thereof. In particular, much more could be said about Rommel's accomplishments and failings as Afrika Korp commander and as a commander in Normandy. There is much to be said about the 'Rommel' myth which was not discussed in this book.
   
   A reasonable read for those being introduced to Rommel, but not adequate for more informed and thoughtful readers.



2. Just like the majority of those new to WWII, years ago, I thought that Rommel was an excellent commander, tactician, strategist, etc. It was only when I began to delve into details and talking with authors that I realized the myths built up around Rommel, and many other Generals, were finally coming down. This book actually does an excellent job in showing Rommel's tactical knowledge and expertise and puts it into context with what actually was the reason for his achievements in France and North Africa.
   
   I have to point out that what I wanted to read the most about was the British addition to propaganda in regards to Rommel. The author shows that since the British were pushed off the continent, after the fall of France, Norway, the Balkans, etc, their only field of battle against Nazi Germany (aside from the Battle of Britain) was the North African theatre. This meant that their only 'claim to fame', so to speak, in showing that they had taken a part in taking down the German land Army was showing what odds they were able to overcome. Thus, Rommel became a 'superman' and the 'Desert Fox' and Montgomery, the commander who eventually defeated him, became THAT much better than Rommel himself.
   
   A lot of detail is given to Rommel's involvement with the assassination attempt on Hitler (or non-involvement). I wasn't surprised to see that Rommel was ignorant of what was going on around him in terms of German policies and strategy. He was a talented tactician, to a point, but the fact is he was sent to North Africa to help the Italians hold back the British, not wage war toward the Suez Canal and beyond, which is something he hoped to do. He never had the man-power for such an offensive and even so decided to go through with it, letting logistics sort themselves out. The end result was a sea-saw of battles that eventually led to the demise of the Afrika Armee.
   
   A recommended read for those interested in seeing Rommel's achievements in an objective light, his victories and losses, as well as how BOTH the Germans and British used Rommel for their own needs (the most photographed German general, it should be noted). Also, how even after the war he served as a token tool for, once more, both the Germans and British in propagating their respective causes. Lastly, I would agree with the previous reviewer who said that much was still left out in regards to both what Rommel achieved and lacked but this book is at least a step in the right direction, and for that I believe it deserves 5 stars.

5 comments about Changes.

1. U have got to read this and I'll tell u why. I have never read anything like this before. This book is real, it has to be. I mean, first there's Lelani. She seems all prim and proper, but later on in the book she seems a heck of less than perfect. Then, there's Jasmine aka Jazz. She seems kinda like me. She doesn't take nothing off nobody. She very no nonsense, but she kind of drops that when it comes to Moe. Now Moe, is just... I mean, I know that the character is a she, but it seems like she's is a he based on how she acts and how she talks. Her friends are like that too. This book was different and entertaining. I was up til like 2'o'clock in the morning reading this book I was so glued.

   All I can say is u have got read this!




2. I'm in the minority by giving this book 3 stars instead of 5 like everyone else. This was a good story, but parts of the book seemed like a broken record (i.e., "they just did that"). The characters, although misunderstood by everyone around them, are likable and smart. However, they are mostly untrusting and cannot make committments (to themselves or to others). The book's format keeps the reader interested, but the overall story is depressing. Except for the excessive slang, the language is moderate and the sex is relatively non-descript.
   
   To get the most from this story the reader should be melancholy, as it will likely bring down a good mood and reinforce a poor mood.



3. CHANGES is the revolving story of 20-somethings Lelani, Jasmine and Moe, players in the game of love--all at different skill levels.
   
   Lelani is the rookie, a mere virgin to both love and sex. Best friend Jasmine has had her share of rocky relationships, including a strained one with her baby's father. And Moe is the stud extraordinaire, who's had more women than she can count (or keep up with). These unique women are looking for different things from love--until their paths cross in several different and dramatic ways.
   
   Jasmine, who says she's bisexual, begins a sensuous flirtation with Moe, who regularly visits Jasmine's self-owned salon to deliver FedEx packages or to get her hair hooked up. They have a great first date, and although Moe believes Jasmine could be "the one" to make her give up the game, Moe still can't let go of her wicked ways.
   
   Meanwhile, Lelani is looking for "the one" herself. She thinks she may have found it in L.D., Moe's best friend. The pair meet one day when Lelani is distraught and strike up a quick friendship that gradually turns into something more. But all the romantic dinners and picnics in the park dissolve after Lelani asks to meet her mother; L. D. simply can't take it there because of the ex who still has a piece of her heart.
   
   This is when the drama erupts. There's a lot of back and forth, but the story ends happily, with everyone gettng their relationships intact, even playa-playa Moe.
   
   S. D. Lewis created a credible plot that keeps you riveted. She manages to give each woman a distinctive voice, as each woman has her own story to tell and changes to make.



4. CHANGES is the revolving story of 20-somethings Lelani, Jasmine and Moe, players in the game of love--all at different skill levels.
   Lelani is the rookie, a mere virgin to both love and sex. Best friend Jasmine has had her share of rocky relationships, including a strained one with her baby's father. And Moe is the stud extraordinaire, who's had more women than she can count (or keep up with). These unique women are looking for different things from love--until their paths cross in several different and dramatic ways.
   Jasmine, who says she's bisexual, begins a sensuous flirtation with Moe, who regularly visits Jasmine's self-owned salon to deliver FedEx packages or to get her hair hooked up. They have a great first date, and although Moe believes Jasmine could be "the one" to make her give up the game, Moe still can't let go of her wicked ways.
   Meanwhile, Lelani is looking for "the one" herself. She thinks she may have found it in L.D., Moe's best friend. The pair meet one day when Lelani is distraught and strike up a quick friendship that gradually turns into something more. But all the romantic dinners and picnics in the park dissolve after Lelani asks to meet her mother; L. D. simply can't take it there because of the ex who still has a piece of her heart.
   This is when the drama erupts. There's a lot of back and forth, but the story ends happily, with everyone gettng their relationships intact, even playa-playa Moe.
   S. D. Lewis created a credible plot that keeps you riveted. She manages to give each woman a distinctive voice, as each woman has her own story to tell and changes to make.



5. I must say... based on the reviews, I was leery of purchasing this book, but I am glad I listened to the better of the reviews, and my better judgement. This book was awesome, I read it fast... almost too fast, and I was sad when I had finished it in under 3 hours.. LOL ok well I speed read too, but that does not by any means discount the excellent story line, and engaging characters this piece of literature has to offer. I look forward to reading the follow up to this book, which I should receive by monday of next week if not by the end of this week. I think in the meantime though, I will reread Changes while I wait. :)

3 comments about Worthy Opponents: William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston: Antagonists in War-Friends in Peace.

1. Once again, Mr. Longacre has done a magnificent job of profiling two important leaders of the American Civil War. In his highly readable style, he follows the parallel careers of these two military leaders focusing on the periods where their paths converge. I highly recommend this book for even the casual reader of military history or biographies of important American leaders.



2. This book is an interesting dual biography picking two generals from the American Civil War that were not the most famous, but well known enough to make interesting biographical subjects.
   
   The two generals had much in common. Both were professional soldiers that understood the advantages the defense had over the offense during the war. They understood that it was better to out flank, out guess, and approach indirectly than bloody attacks against dug in defenders. The two generals seemed to admire each other, even while they were enemies.
   
   This book gives an excellent history of the battles where the two generals were involved as well as the 'on again, off again' nature of Johnston's relationship with Jefferson Davis. This is a well written and easy reading book, although it covers little new ground.



3. Good read. I'm partial to good U S Civil War Historical books. Longacre certainly did his homework. The research was very in-depth. The details and story telling were excellent. I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.

2 comments about Stonewall Jackson (Great Generals).

1. I thought this book provided a succinct and accurate assessment of General Jackson's life and career. I do, however, offer three criticisms.
   
   First, a few maps would have been most helpful. The author presumes that the reader has a working knowledge of Jackson's major battles--the places they were fought, the strategy and tactics employed, and the surrounding topography. I realize that the Great General Series must make certain accommodations in order to accomplish its goal of providing a BRIEF overview of the life and service of its subjects, but a few maps would have greatly enhanced my understanding of what Jackson accomplished.
   
   Second, I thought the comparisons between Jackson's strategy and tactics and those employed in the Iraq War were both gratuitous and a bit of stretch, a not-so-veiled attempt to make the Civil War seem somehow relevant to the conflict in the Middle East.
   
   Third, the editors should have read the text one more time before it went to print. There were several typographical and formatting errors that were a bit of a distraction.
   
   These, however, are minor complaints. If you don't know much about Stonewall and want to get a feel for the contribution he made to the Confederacy and towards the evolution of military tactics, you would do well to read this book.



2. Stonewall Jackson by Donald A. Davis
   (Palgrave Macmillan (2007), Hardcover, 224 pages)
   
   A review
   by
   Colin J. Edwards
   
   Stonewall or Oddball?
   
   I have to come clean immediately and confess that I have difficulty with the description, `tough fighting generals'. What they are describing are heartless individuals who send men to death or mutilation with reckless abandon. Let us remind ourselves that wars are started by politicians, fought by generals and won by soldiers. The American Civil War was the exception: the generals prolonged that one.
   Before you cast me aside as a peace-nik lefty, let me assure you that I saw action as an infantry officer, and know a little of what I speak.
   
   Books about wars: and this is a book about a war more than a biography of an individual, are either from an officer's perspective, or the enlisted man. Donald Davis is the exception being quite at home writing about either. His best seller `Lightening Strike', records the active service of a gunnery sergeant. However, I could find little sympathy for the fighting man in this volume. Mr Davis wrote with touching tenderness of the separation of General Jackson from his wife and new baby girl. A separation that didn't last long as the general called them to his side. Tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers from North and South would have thought precious, just a moment with their loved ones. Rank has its privilege it seems.
   
   Davis' detailed descriptions of the various battles are excellent, if a little tedious. This is due perhaps to a lack of information about Jackson who was such a secretive individual, that it's a wonder Davis was able to write the book at all.
   
   Born at Clarksburg West Virginia on January 21 1824 into an attorney's family, he preceded by four months another general and West Point chum who saw the light of day at Liberty Indiana in May: a future adversary, Ambrose Burnside.
   
   After a very unsettled childhood, he entered West Point more by luck than judgement. He struggled to keep up but had an almost eccentric ability to focus unswervingly on the subject at hand. This paid off and he was able to move up the rankings graduating 17th out of a class of 59. This was not good enough to get him into the esteemed engineers, but it did get him into the artillery as a second lieutenant. This single minded eccentricity bordering on autism became more apparent when he was under fire during the Mexican Way. Observation of his reckless valour caused him to be bumped up the ranks to acting major. Another manifestation of his disturbed mental state was his inability to work in harmony with others. His unresolved dispute with a brother officer while stationed at Fort Mead in Florida, resulted in him leaving the army and taking up a teaching post at Lexington Virginia.
   
   The general consensus was that Thomas Jackson was a poor teacher, but the eight years there gave him the opportunity to meet and marry two wives.
   
   The Civil War found him back in the army and up to his neck in muck and bullets in the battles so precisely delineated by Mr Davis. His eccentricity (or mental disturbance), new no bounds and he and his soldiers went from victory to victory even if it killed them. He even had one of his generals (A.P.Hill), dragged along behind a cart on an interminable march for some undisclosed actus reus. This so damaged the general's tender feet that he was out of action for some time. Not the action of a sound mind you might think; particularly when it concerns one of your better generals.
   
   Jackson continued to carry the whole war on his shoulders, confiding in no one until he experienced a nervous collapse. From then until the end of his life he was conspicuous for his ability to fall asleep anywhere. On one occasion he was summoned to see his boss Robert E Lee, and promptly fell asleep before he saw him.
   
   Thomas Jackson was a religious zealot who spoke more to God than anyone else. However, he did not practice what he preached, nor anything anyone else preached as he didn't stay awake long enough. He had no compunction in raking artillery fire into Mexican civilians when Mexico City failed to surrender in 1848, or later when he gunned down a retreating Mexican army. During the Civil War he showed no reluctance to destroy fellow Americans be them from the North or the South, and insisted that his officers do likewise.
   
   To experience fear while in the presence of danger is normal. To some extent it is possible to hide that fear. Jackson did not hide it; he did not have any fear. He constantly took needless risks and in front of his troops defied the conflagration to kill him.
   That was until Chancellorsville on May 2 1863. Throwing caution to the wind as usual, he took his staff beyond his own front lines to reconnoitre the enemy positions. True to form he omitted to inform anyone of his intentions. Upon his return he was fired upon by his own soldiers and hit three times. Six of his staff were killed outright. He however was not killed but was stretchered to an aid station falling off the stretcher on the way. The chief surgeon of Jackson's army, Dr Hunter McGuire, amputated his left arm, but did not notice General Jackson complaining about chest pain. The pain developed into pneumonia from which he died on May 10th 1863.
   
   Google Books list over 4000 entries for General Jackson, and most of them suggest that had he lived the result at Gettysburg would have been different. The generals lost the battle for the Confederates by their bickering and lack of direction. Jackson would have only added to the confusion. The soldiers of the South fought their hearts out at Gettysburg only to be betrayed by their officers.
   
   Donald Davis's book is a myth breaker, and a `must read' for anyone who has an interest in the first modern war.
   
   
   

2 comments about Destroyer Skipper: A Memoir of Command at Sea.

1. As an ex-sailor I couldn't put this book down. I served aboard a 2250 FramII can and this book is right on the money portraying life aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer (WESPAC) during the late 60's-early 70's Navy. I felt like I was back on the bridge, passing the word for watch relief's, making 12 o'clock reports to the skipper, or heading for the galley after the 20-24 for mid-rats. . I hope Mr. Sheppard continues to write. I'll buy anything he writes about the Greyhounds of the Sea.



2. Sheppard entered the Navy as a seaman recruit in 1948, became an officer and retired as a full commander in 1977. This book is the third in a series covering Sheppard's career in the Navy. It covers the period 1970 to 1977 when Sheppard was executive officer of one destroyer and captain of another. I found it particularly interesting because I was in the Navy from 1977 to 1983. Sheppard answered some questions I've had for a while, such as why officers wore V-neck T-shirts and enlisted personnel wore crew neck T-shirts. My only complaint is that none of the names (save the author's) is real. Sheppard explains that the characters are real people with phony names, or composites of two or more people. Of course, once I got 50 pages or so into the book I realized why he couldn't use real names. He would have been sued. For example, when Sheppard was executive officer of a destroyer visiting Olongapo City in the Philippines, his captain got infatuated with a teenage filipino girl and completed paperwork to have a $400/month allotment sent to her, claiming she was his sister. Sheppard intercepted the paperwork and saved his captain's career. I supposed Sheppard might be embellishing events, or even writing fiction, but it rings true to me.

2 comments about Westmoreland: A Biography of General William C. Westmoreland.

1. It is certainly true as the Kirkus Reviews blurb on the back cover notes that William Westmoreland has been "alternately overlooked and maligned by history." The former is inexplicable and the latter - sad. It is a shame that this fine book is not in print. As far as I know, this is the only full biography of Westmoreland and it deserves a wide audience.
   
   While sympathetic, it is not hagiographic. While not entirely persuasive, Westmoreland's defense of his conduct of the war is strong and has been too easily dismissed by some - such as Lewis Sorley in "A Better War" (though, nonethless, another fine book).
   
   What Zaffiri clarifies is that the strategy of attrition was not strictly Westmoreland's. At the Honolulu Conference in February 1966, Westmoreland received a memorandum drafted by McNamara and Rusk which explicitly authorized him to conduct a war of attrition: "... attrit by year's end, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces at a rate as high as their capability to put men in the field." McNamara and McNaughton devised this strategy and in the subsequent 3 years never seriously sought to modify or scrap it. The infamous "body count" was devised by the whiz-kid McNamara who believed he'd devised a mathematical formula for "winning" the war.
   
   In fact, the Johnson Administration never sought to "win" the war per se, but to prevent the North from winning. They erroneously believed that they could persuade the North, through carrot and stick, to give up their dream of a united Vietnam. It was Washington that would not permit an effective bombing campaign against the North. It was Washington that would not allow an invasion of Cambodia and Laos to destroy the Communist sanctuaries after Tet '68 when enough troops were available to do so. Westmoreland was repeatedly turned down when he requested permission to invade these base camps.
   
   As Westmoreland says in his autobiography:
   
   "I elected to fight a so-called big-unit war not because of any Napoleonic impluse to maneuver units and hark to the sound of the cannon but because of the basic fact that the enmy had committed big units and I ignored them at my peril. The big-unit war was in any case only a first step. As a former member of my staff in the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Richard G. Stilwell, wrote later, in likening the insurgency to a boulder, a sledge first has to break the boulder into large fragments; groups of workers can then attack the fragments with spalling tools; then individuals pound the chips with tap hammers until they are reduced to powder and the boulder ceases to exist.
   
   In the early months of American involvement it was risky, even perilous, in regions where the enemy's big units might be met, to commit troops in less than battalion strength, and even then at least a brigade had to be available in case of trouble. After our campaigns of 1966 and 1967 and after the enemy had expended his resources in a nationwide offensive in early 1968, I could commit companies and even platoons and multiple squad-sized patrols without major concern. The boulder was reduced to fragments, the fragments to chips. That the enemy could bring in another boulder from outside the boundaries of South Vietnam and strike again, as he did in the spring of 1972 and finally in 1975, was another matter, one of the peculiarities of a war in which one side respected international frontiers while the other did not."
   
   There is no question that Westmoreland was had his hands tied by irrational Administration policy to a great extent. That excerpt from his memoirs is a compelling rejoinder to those, such as Sorley, that insist Westmoreland should have begun fighting a small-unit war based on pacification from day 1. But there is no question that Westmoreland had little interest in pacification and that he did not do nearly enough on the Vietnamization front.
   
   In short, the lion's share of the blame for the failure to produce a final victory in 1966-9 belongs to Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara. (It was McNamara who insisted on the infamous "body count" which Westmoreland personally deplored).
   
   This book covers his fascinating family history going back to the English Civil War and his ancestors in the "Upcountry" of South Carolina. It details his personal life including his childhood, his marriage and his children. It follows his service in WWII in North Africa and at Remagan Bridge as well as in Korea. It also details his life after being COMUSMACV: his term as CSA, his abortive run for Governor of South Carolina, and his libel trial against CBS.
   
   In the account of his battle against CBS and Mike Wallace's shameful smear-job of him and his dedication to, and sincere pride and affection for, Vets, Zaffiri shows us a man of honesty, integrity and honor.
   
   This book is a fitting tribute to General William C. Westmoreland, who passed away last month at the age of 91.



2. like many others, i served with this man who we felt was a true warrior. his leadership was based on two words,"follow me." i've not finished the book yet, but so far find it is written objectively. thankfully, politics can alter history, but it can't alter memory.