<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: America's Heros
Review: As a country we seem to forget all of the men, woman, and children who's lives are drastically changed or taken by war. History repeats itself, and this book should be an inspiration to our youth to change the pattern. I am proud of my Uncle Jack for putting his thoughts and emotions out there for the whole world to judge. Honor all of our brothers and sisters who stand up for your rights by giving up their youth or holidays with their children. My Grandma passed away only 7 months prior to the books release, but those who knew her loved her. She and my Grandfather raised 8 childern, all who I am proud to know.They are surely smiling down on Jack now!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Back in college I took a course entitled "Vietnam: An American Perspective", this opened me up to a wealth of literature on the Vietnam experience and the impact it has had on our nation as well as our culture. Therefore, when a friend of mine told me about this book, I had to get it. There are many books about Vietnam, each with different perspectives. Some discuss the historical or political issues, others may discuss the theological, moral, or philosophical issues. This book doesn't do any of those things. It goes one better, it deals with the human condition and how the horror of war impacts it. "West Dickens Ave" tells the story of one young marines experience in Khe Sanh during the height of the Vietnam War. This first person account is an incredible story of what our soldiers went through. Corbett's narrative and style submerge the reader right into the action, you feel like you're there, but you thank God you're not. Once I started reading I was unable to put the book down, I was so captivated that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I highly reccommend this book, and would like to thank the author for sharing his story with me.
Rating:
Summary: War stories from Khe Sanh.
Review: I have read many stories from the Vietnam War and this is one of the better ones. Jack does a good job of detailing his 77 days at Khe Sanh. No wonder the Vietnam War scarred so many people at so young an age. Jack is set down in Khe Sanh and the North Vietnamese Army targets the base day and night. Marines get little sleep as rockets, mortars, and artillery are flung at them at odd hours. Jack details his life during this 3-4 month ordeal. Loss of friends, million dollar wounds, and the West Dickens street sign are just some of the stories told in this book.This is a great read. I managed to read it in two days because of the easy flow and good stories. Great job writing your first book Jack.
Rating:
Summary: War stories from Khe Sanh.
Review: I have read many stories from the Vietnam War and this is one of the better ones. Jack does a good job of detailing his 77 days at Khe Sanh. No wonder the Vietnam War scarred so many people at so young an age. Jack is set down in Khe Sanh and the North Vietnamese Army targets the base day and night. Marines get little sleep as rockets, mortars, and artillery are flung at them at odd hours. Jack details his life during this 3-4 month ordeal. Loss of friends, million dollar wounds, and the West Dickens street sign are just some of the stories told in this book. This is a great read. I managed to read it in two days because of the easy flow and good stories. Great job writing your first book Jack.
Rating:
Summary: Khe Sanh: A Foxhole's Eye View
Review: In 1968 an isolated, Marine garrison held out under heavy shelling for 77 consecutive days while American's watched from the comfort of our own living rooms. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, and sometimes, President Lyndon B. Johnson would then explain the necessity of holding this remote, landing strip on the Laotian border. None of this made any difference to the Marines. They were preoccupied with one thing: living to see another day! The place was called, Khe Sanh. Author John Corbett was a Marine Private there. This short book tells his story. It's the story of 6000 other Marines as well.
Corbett was a young man looking for adventure. He more than found at Khe Sanh! During his time there, he was subjected to shellings of up to 1500 rounds per day fired by, "Mister Charlie," the North Vietnamese Regular (NVA) Army troops assigned to make Khe Sanh, Americas' Dien Bien Phu. Completely isolated and surrounded by the NVA who outnumbered them 7 to 1, their grim determination made the NVA pay a heavy price trying to take this extinct volcano overlooking the Ho Chi Minh Trail. To the Marines credit, they never did!
Corbett describes the daily life of the troops on the ground: the daily rituals of eating C Rations, burning waste, the elation of "mail call," filling and carrying water containers, and `humping" ammunition to the guns, all done while walking in a low crouch called the "Khe Sanh shuffle." He tells how he learned to listen for telltale signs of enemy "incoming" rounds. Once detected, you had only seconds to find a hole, or die. He talks about his fellow Marines, where they were from, their hopes, dreams etc. and shows how a strong bond was forged between them. He vividly describes the relentless shelling they endured daily. His stories have an authentic ring. They could only come from someone who has, "been there."
West Dickens Avenue gives the reader a foxholes eye view of one of the most significant battles in Vietnam. Short and easily understood, it should be read by everyone going into combat and by the men who contemplate sending them there. His story verifies General Robert E. Lee's famous statement, "War seldom avails anything to those unfortunate enough to have to fight it."
Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: It was like reading a diary. Very to the point. It was as the old saying goes. Like watching a trainwreck. You don't want to watch but you can't take your eyes off it. Anyone that is interested in a human look at the Vietnam war. A view that is not sterilized by military jargon, dates, and places. This book is for you. It is the quickest 200 pages I have ever read. Amazing.
Rating:
Summary: 77 Deadly Days in Combat
Review: John Corbett enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to Vietnam because a friend said he didn't have the balls to do it. Corbett ended up at Khe Sanh with about 6,000 other Marine, Army, Navy, Air Force and ARVN personnel surrounded by about 20,000 North Vietnamese regulars. The NVA pounded Khe Sanh with artillery, mortars, and rockets. This book is very reader friendly. It is written in the first person and in the present tense. The latter gives the reader a sense of immediacy with the book's action and the narrator's thoughts. There are four excellent maps at the beginning of the book. You will want to refer to them often as you read. They help a lot. There are also twelve pages of photos. The chapters are as follows: (1) Enlistment, (2) Vietnam, (3) Welcome to Khe Sanh, (4) West Dickens Avenue, (5) A Million-Dollar Wound, (6) On the Job Training, (7) Under Enemy Fire, (8) In Enemy Sights, (9) They've Come to Kill Us, (10) Home Is Where You Dig It, (11) Seventy-Seven Days of Combat, (12) Back to the Jungle, (13) I'm Leaving. There is also an epilogue. Each chapter is divided into sub-chapters with titles such as "Survived Again," "My Shower," "Air Strikes," "Patrol," "Ambush." You can read a sub-chapter and put the book down for later. Each is a kind of vignette in and of itself. Military jargon is explained in text. I gave it five stars because it kept my interest and moved me emotionally. You'd better get this book while it's still in print. Once you start reading it, I'll bet you can't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Been there, done that
Review: This is the first Viet Nam book that I have read and it has opened my eyes. An excellent 1st person account of what it was like to be on a fire base. Jack is a friend of mine and he has hit the nail squarely on the head with his depiction of what it was like for American kids growing up in Viet Nam. Just because you were on a fire base, didn't mean you were safe. Shelling, sappers, friends, stupidity, sleepless nights, the overlooked heroism, were all a part of it. Large bangs still make me jump. I used to feel guilty about having "only" been on a fire base. No more. I whole heartedly endorse this book.
Rating:
Summary: Been there, done that
Review: This is the first Viet Nam book that I have read and it has opened my eyes. An excellent 1st person account of what it was like to be on a fire base. Jack is a friend of mine and he has hit the nail squarely on the head with his depiction of what it was like for American kids growing up in Viet Nam. Just because you were on a fire base, didn't mean you were safe. Shelling, sappers, friends, stupidity, sleepless nights, the overlooked heroism, were all a part of it. Large bangs still make me jump. I used to feel guilty about having "only" been on a fire base. No more. I whole heartedly endorse this book.
<< 1 >>
|
