In these excerpts from his diary, a young soldier records the ordeal of his war experiences and his inner conflicts as he reexamines his values in life.

“The first definitive eyewitness account of the combat in Vietnam, this unforgettable, vividly illustrated report records the story of the 14,000 Americans fighting in a new kind of war. Written by one of the most knowledgeable and experienced of America’s war correspondents, Vietnam Diary shows how we developed new techniques for resisting wily guerrilla forces. Roaming the whole of war-torn Vietnam, Tregaskis takes his readers on the tense U.S. missions—with the Marine helicopters and the Army HU1B’s (Hueys); with the ground pounders on the embattled Delta area, the fiercest battlefield of Vietnam; then to the Special Forces, men chosen for the job of training Montagnard troops to resist Communists in the high jungles. Mr. Tregaskis tells the stirring human story of American fighting men deeply committed to their jobs—the Captain who says: “You have to feel that it’s a personal problem—that if they go under, we go under;” the wounded American advisor who deserted the hospital to rejoin his unit; the father of five killed on his first mission the day before Christmas; the advisor who wouldn’t take leave because he loved his wife and feared he would go astray in Saigon. And the dramatic battle reports cover the massive efforts of the Vietnamese troops to whom the Americans are leaders and advisors. An authority on the wars against communism is Asia, Tregaskis has reported extensively on the Chinese Civil War, Korea, the Guerrilla wars in Indochina, Malaya, and Indonesia. He was the winner of the George Polk Award in 1964 for reporting under hazardous conditions.-Print ed.

Merriam Press Military History. A history of military and civilian medicine in Vietnam from World War II when the Japanese occupied Indochina through the French occupation after World War II and the American involvement in Vietnam, up to the present day. It is also a journal of the author's service as a doctor in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and later when he organized humanitarian aid for the Vietnamese and in particular assisting one hospital and its staff with training, equipment and supplies. Foreword by Patrick Brady MG, USA, Ret, who served as a Dustoff helicopter pilot in Vietnam and recipient of the Medal of Honor. 63 photos, 2 illustrations, 5 maps.

Some warriors are drawn to the thrill of combat and find it the defining moment of their lives. Others fall victim to fear, exhaustion, impaired reasoning, and despair. This was certainly true for twentieth-century American ground troops. Whether embracing or being demoralized by war, these men risked their lives for causes larger than themselves with no promise of safe return. This book is the first to synthesize the wartime experiences of American combat soldiers, from the doughboys of World War I to the grunts of Vietnam. Focusing on both soldiers and marines, it draws on histories and memoirs, oral histories, psychological and sociological studies, and even fiction to show that their experiences remain fundamentally the same regardless of the enemy, terrain, training, or weaponry. Peter Kindsvatter gets inside the minds of American soldiers to reveal what motivated them to serve and how they were turned into soldiers. He recreates the physical and emotional aspects of war to tell how fighting men dealt with danger and hardship, and he explores the roles of comradeship, leadership, and the sustaining beliefs in cause and country. He also illuminates soldiers’ attitudes toward the enemy, toward the rear echelon, and toward the home front. And he tells why some broke down under fire while others excelled. Here are the first tastes of battle, as when a green recruit reported that “for the first time I realized that the people over the ridge wanted to kill me,” while another was befuddled by the unfamiliar sound of bullets whizzing overhead. Here are soldiers struggling to cope with war’s stress by seeking solace from local women or simply smoking cigarettes. And here are tales of combat avoidance and fraggings not unique to Vietnam, of soldiers in Korea disgruntled over home-front indifference, and of the unique experiences of African American soldiers in the Jim Crow army. By capturing the core “band of brothers” experience across several generations of warfare, Kindsvatter celebrates the American soldier while helping us to better understand war’s lethal reality--and why soldiers persevere in the face of its horrors.

Don Lomax's critically acclaimed Vietnam Journal is back with all new tales of Scott 'Journal' Neithammer as he reports on the heartache and headache, and the young soldiers on both sides of the Vietnam War. THIS ISSUE: "The Death of Firebase Ripcord" - The shooting down of a resupply Chinook helicopter sets off a chain reaction that renders Ripcord virtually impossible to continue as a viable fire support base. The decision is finally made to abandon the ill-fated fire base. As Scott 'Journal' Neithammer would write: "It is always easier to get into a fight than to get out of one." The evacuation of Ripcord would be the exception that proved the rule. A Caliber Comics release.

Vietnam Journal, the award-winning series, returns! July 1970. Scott (Journal) Neithammer has been reporting first-hand on President Nixon's military incursion into Cambodia to root out the North Vietnamese Army's, until then, untouchable sanctuaries. However, this all comes to an abrupt end when he is kidnapped by over-zealous Military Police and returned to South Vietnam to face the Provost Marshall's wrath. The incident sparks Neithammer's unexpected journey back into the dreaded A Shau Valley where the 101st Airborne Division, once again, attempts to bloody the noses of the NVA. This brings us to the siege of Fire Support Base RIPCORD. This is a story of over-confidence, arrogance, and revenge on the part of Military Assistance Command Vietnam in Saigon, coupled with an under-strength U.S. force sent to face an enemy who outnumbers them ten to one. RIPCORD was the final large unit battle in the waning days of the Vietnam War for the United States. The troops were expected to face a massive enemy presence, have minimal or no casualties, and receive limited ordinance and support, while vanquishing a highly motivated and well supplied enemy. In the jargon of the boonie rats of the day - "f**king typical". RIPCORD...a little known battle with an all too predictable outcome. Collects Vietnam Journal: Series 2 issues 11-15. A Caliber Comics release.

Correspondent Scott 'Journal' Neithammer returns to Vietnam but his expectations of being relegated to a safer areas dissipate as he is dropped in the middle of a fire fight in the Mekong Delta in this tale of "Brown Water Warriors." Peace Activist, Leonardo Rifis, called Vietnam Journal, "vivid and convincingly drawn."