No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam: An Oral History

From Publishers Weekly

This oral history covers the experiences of numerous members of one Marine battalion, in which the author served and which he considers representative of the infantry experience in Vietnam. Unlike more dramatic oral histories of Vietnam, such as Mark Baker's Nam , this takes a chronological, battle-by-battle path, offering many logistical details. Often several voices briefly describe one event, creating a bland chorus, but there are interesting reflections, such as one on the art of scavenging for supplies. Moments of eloquence and poignance emerge infrequently: "I go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a lot to talk to my guys," says one soldier; another describes relocating villagers: "I felt like I was at the bottom of a toilet for the world." Undergirding the book is a staunchly patriotic attitude: interviewees say the Marine Corps lacked racial and drug problems, and emphasize enemy torture but ignore U.S. atrocities. In this account, best suited for military buffs, the soldiers hardly reflect on the bigger picture. "Once a Marine, always a Marine," say more than one. Lehrack sums it up: "Their casualties were not in vain but were a monument to their heritage and their brotherhood." Photos. Military Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The author himself led a company of the 3rd Marine Division's 3rd Battalion, whose men provided the narratives collected here. Their stories begin with the battalion's training in 1964 and end in October 1969, when it was withdrawn as part of U.S. disengagement. During those five years the young Marines, many barely out of their teens, endured extremes of suffering, loss, and injury; the transcriptions of their recollections are suffused with pain all the more eloquent for being expressed in pauses more than in words. Following a unit through its entire deployment enables the author to show how tactical changes higher up filtered down to affect the combatants' situation. The Marines faced much of the heaviest action in Vietnam; this oral history vividly captures their unique experience. Military collections on Vietnam will not be complete without it. Military Book Club main selection.
-Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.