Good books lately?

[MEGR]

Anyone read any good military books lately? I just finished "In the Company of Heroes" by Michael Durant. If your interested in operation Gothic Serpent (and the whole black hawk down thing), I highly recommend it. By the way, did anyone read the new GW1 book "Jarhead?" Good or bad?[/i]

[Scrim]

Jarhead was pretty good, gave a good view of the war from a lowly Marines point of view, the day to day grind and everything that was fu#*ed up about the war. Only problem I had is that he didnt paint a very favourable picture of my beloved Corps! Bastard.

[Dennis G]

In the Company of Heroes look very good I think I might get it.
Jarhead dont waste your time or money. I was reading a few chapters and its alot like Raymond Liddy say it is below.(I did not even finish the book I should have given it a chance but This was a difficult book to read because lacks mature analysis)

A Marine reading the book will see this fast. There are a host of better books, so do not be lured in by a desire to learn about the Gulf war. Read Webb's Field of Fire for a look into a Marine's mind. wait for a good Gulf war book.

(www.amazon.com)
Reviewer: Raymond Liddy from California USA
This was a difficult book to read because lacks mature analysis. In the military, platoon and company leaders complain that 90% of their time is taken by the bottom 10% of the Marines, which are those who think being a punk and being tough is the same thing. Swofford appear to be one of the 10%. Swofford lays the "troubled youth" on thick. An adolescent thinker, Swofford spends more time talking about drinking, acting suicidal/homicidal and other complaints than on thoughtful analysis of the topics he raises. A Marine reading the book will see this fast. There are a host of better books, so do not be lured in by a desire to learn about the Gulf war. Read Webb's Field of Fire for a look into a Marine's mind. wait for a good Gulf war book.


A good book was "SOLDIER" by James Gibbore its a Sniper's story of Veitnam. It was a good one it talks about the authors tough childhood as he grows up and joins the Army become a Ranger/Recondo and later in NAM he becomes a Sniper and a member of the 21 Club. And horrific stories from the jungle tales not only of Vicious Combat, but of Fragging, drugs, racism, psychotic comrades. Gibbore shoves your face in it He sees no reason to pull punches, likening such images as the sound a boot makes kicking the head of a dead enemy soldier to that of a carved out Jack-O-lantern the reading experience is intense. The Author has a stronge sense or right and wrong, Sheer devency and wry, subtle sense of humor This book isn't a celebration or war and killing; it's a celebration of duty and Survival.

Three more very good books are 13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam and Steel my Soldiers Hearts. and Dead Center: A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War

13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam
“It’s not easy to stay alive with a $1,000 bounty on your head.”

In 1967, a bullet cost thirteen cents, and no one gave Uncle Sam a bigger bang for his buck than the 5th Marine Regiment Sniper Platoon. So feared were these lethal marksmen that the Viet Cong offered huge rewards for killing them. Now noted Vietnam author John J. Culbertson, a former 5th Marine sniper himself, presents the riveting true stories of young Americans who fought with bolt rifles and bounties on their heads during the fiercest combat of the war, from 1967 through the desperate Tet battle for Hue in early ’68.

In spotter/shooter pairs, sniper teams accompanied battle-hardened Marine rifle companies like the 2/5 on patrols and combat missions. Whether fighting their way out of a Viet Cong “kill zone” or battling superior numbers of NVA crack troops, the sniper teams were at the cutting edge in the art of jungle warfare, showing the patience, stealth, combat marksmanship, and raw courage that made the unit the most decorated regimental sniper platoon in the Vietnam War. Harrowing and unforgettable, these accounts pay tribute to the heroes who made the greatest sacrifice of all–and leave no doubt that among 5th Marine snipers uncommon valor was truly a common virtue.

Steel my Soldiers Hearts

I've heard several comments made about about 'Steel My Soldiers Hearts' saying that Hackworth deals a whole lot with self- aggrandization. My answer is that from my perspective, he deserves every bit of praise and honor possible for writing a very truthful book about how the fighting in Vietnam SHOULD have been conducted.

As a combat veteran of Vietnam, I was most taken with his very truthful and accurate description of the many 'perfumed princes' whose goals were ultimately skewed and self-serving. Many commanders in Vietnam were more concerned about climbing the ladder and 'punching tickets' for future promotions than the welfare of the soldiers who served under them. Give Hackworth the highest of credit for two things: molding a tactically sound fighting force and caring enough about those serving under him that American lives lost were kept to a bare minimum as compared to lives lost by the enemy.

For any conflicts that this country may face in the future, the tactical leadership of this country should take a page from Hackworth's accomplishments and study it hard. Sadly, it appears as though the lessons learned in Vietnam have not made an adequate enough impression upon our current leaders.

A wonderful book written by perhaps one of America's last true warriors.

Dead Center: A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War


WHEN YOU'RE IN THE DEATH BUSINESS,
EACH DAWN COULD BE YOUR LAST.
Raw, straightforward, and powerful, Ed Kugler's account of his two years as a Marine scout-sniper in Vietnam vividly captures his experiences there--the good, the bad, and the ugly. After enlisting in the Marines at seventeen, then being wounded in Santo Domingo during the Dominican crisis, Kugler arrived in Vietnam in early 1966.

As a new sniper with the 4th Marines, Kugler picked up bush skills while attached to 3d Force Recon Company, and then joined the grunts. To take advantage of that experience, he formed the Rogues, a five-sniper team that hunted in the Co Bi-Than Tan Valley for VC and NVA. His descriptions of long, tense waits, sudden deadly action, and NVA countersniper ambushes are fascinating.

In DEAD CENTER, Kugler demonstrates the importance to a sniper of patience, marksmanship, bush skills, and guts--while underscoring exactly what a country demands of its youth when it sends them to war.



If you like Sniper storys or Vietnam these books are for you.

[James]

What kind of books are you interested in? Obviously, stuff about the military, but what kind? Fiction? Modern non-fiction? Older history?
I ask because I was looking at my shelves and I don't want to start writing down dozens of titles. I have a lot of suggestions, though.

[MEGR]

I am really into the Non-fiction stuff. I have a few faves of my own too..

1. In the Company of Heroes
2. Black Hawk Down (obviously)
3. Inside the Delta Force
4. Charlie Beckwith's Delta Force (Almost done, but so far an excellent read)
5. Guns Up!: A great story of an M60 machinegunner in Vietnam
6. Good To Go: A very good account of a SEALs time in Vietnam
7. Free Fire Zone: Just a good starter book for people who want to get info on important SEAL ops in Vietnam.
And many others....

I read alot of these books, and dont mind talkin about them with others who are interested in these types of books.

[MEGR]

This Pegasus Bridge a widely distributed book?? I dont recall ever seeing it at the book stores. Sounds good though. By the way, did anyone read Pork Chop Hill?

[DE_Six]

I just finished "My Jihad", by Aukai Collins. Rough around the edges, but definitely a good read to understand why some people just leave everything behind to go fight a war halfway around the world. Also, it offers another perspective on the supposed terrorist "sleeper cells" in America.

I also read "The Hunt for bin Laden" by Robin Moore. I really like "the Green Berets" by the same author, so I was looking for something real great, but it's really a lot of good-vs-evil cheerleading. No really, he makes every Taliban look like an evil bin Laden clone spawned by Satan himself. Also, he's in total awe of the Army Special Forces (not that there is anything wrong with that per se) to the point of mocking everybody else, including SEALs, AFSOC operators and above all, CIA. Add to this the fact he seemed to swallow Keith Idema's stories hook, line and sinker, which is much to say. FYI, Keith Idema is somewhat of a bogus ex-SF (with a criminal rec to boot) who "glorified" himself a little too much, from what I gathered from the reactions at SOCNET from his CNN interview, so that kills some credibility. But he had access to a lot of material and interviews, so the book is a good account of the role of SF on the ground in Afghanistan. Some of the writing is cheesy, though (sentences the like of "From now on, the terrorists will be on the run but they can't escape America's avenging angels of death, yadda, yadda...well you see the type).

John Plaster's "SOG" is a total blast. It's a must read for anyone interested in America's secret war in SE Asia during the 1961-1975 period. Lots of material, well-written, it reveals pretty exclusive stuff, the kind you don't read about in the token Vietnam War history book. For example did you know that prior to the Tonkin Gulf incidents, the CIA hired former Norwegian navy skippers to navigate Nasty-class patrol boats on infiltration missions around Haiphong? And that throughout the war, Air America C-123 planes used on covert infiltrations in Laos and Cambodia were flown by crack Taiwanese crews? Really, this book is a page-turner filled with bigger-than-life stories. Anyone interested in special ops and clandestine warfare should read this book about what was probably the most efficient, most badass American SOF unit ever.

[MEGR]

I read SOG a few years ago, and I agree 100%. That book was excellent, and I couldnt help but read over some parts again (especially abou the NVA looking at the "strange box" filled with tnt). KAAAAABOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!