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Summary: great book on a brave man
Review: This book is very well written and the subject is inspiring - a man who has the nerve and strength of character to tell the truth about the immoral and wrong war in Vietnam. I hope Kerry wins the Demo nomination and beats the Vietnam War avoider George W. Bush in November.Anyone who reads this book will appreciate Kerry's honesty - and will come away impressed.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Release Date
Review: I am a Vietnam vet and former resident of Massachusetts who always supported John Kerry. The longest section of this book on Vietnam is excellent, based on Kerry's diaries. The second half does read like a campaign bio, with a uncritical look at Kerry's time w/ Vietnam Vets Against the War and Mass. politics. It was
difficult to read, with Kerry constantly in the news on the attack against Dean. No politican is at his best when attaching someone else time and time again; the contrast between the Kerry in the book and TV is too great.
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Summary: Revealing & Dramatic Account of War
Review: I saw Doug Brinkley interviewed on the Today Show about this book and, although I don't know much about John Kerry, I thought "Tour of Duty" sounded interesting so I got a copy. Regardless of one's political views, this is an extraordinary book about the life and experiences of a young soldier in Vietnam grappling with what it's like to kill, survive emotionally and physically in a hellish environment (Kerry was wounded several times), and come to terms with a conflict he ultimately thought to be unwinnable--even thought he was right in the middle of it. This is not a Kerry campaign book, but a phenomenal, unbiased work of history on Professor Brinkley's part and, without question, one of the best and most riveting war books I've read. And I read a lot of them.
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Summary: Still waiting for the full story
Review: Brinkley's book contains many factual inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and fallacies; likely unintentional on his part. Several naval officers and enlisted who served with Kerry have submitted changes to Brinkley, often with supporting documentation. Most of Kerry's colleagues wonder if Kerry deserved any medal he received--as he proposed most of the awards for himself--so take any statement from Kerry about his three-month "tour of duty" with a grain of salt. Kerry clawed and scraped to get these awards, then called himself a war criminal on the Dick Cavett Show in 1971 and hurled the medals on the White House lawn. Now he wears the medals proudly. As a Bronze Star recipient from Operation Iraqi Freedom, I'm embarrassed to see others receive undeserved wartime recognition. I suggest waiting for re-release before taking this book on gospel.
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Summary: Kerry loves himself
Review: i hope kerry gave brinkley a reach around. its a love fest. does anyone remember bob doles service. we were told it had nothing to do with his ability to be pres. hillary in 08 dean for chairman dnc. in the words of loyd benson "mr kerry your no jack kennedy" amen
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Summary: Book'c content not supported by Kerry's military records
Review: This book is more a work of fiction than reality. As a historian Brinkley's book contributes nothing to the history of Vietnam and it is inaccurate in it's portrayal of Kerry's exploits. It relies too much on Kerry's diary and not enough on the recollections of the 200 plus men who served with Kerry. As a retired naval officer and a collector of navy medals for over 40 years, I found major holes in Kerry's records indicating conflict between the book and reality. Regretfully, Kerry has not released numerous pages of his record thus the truth of the matter will not be resolved. One would expect that if the records indeed supported Kerry, that he would have proudly shown them to the world. In the end, Brinkley's scholarship is lacking through a failure to pursue readily available sources. The result is an unbalanced view of Kerry and his service in the Navy.
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Summary: John Kerry is a real war hero!
Review: I find who is really John Kerry. He is a real war hero. John Kerry is very patriotic and loves this country so much... He is FIT to be the "Commander in Chief" of the United States of America.
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Summary: Nothing but fiction
Review: This book should be in the fiction category. I'm sure Kerry stayed up late every night and dreamed up what would sound good for a person with political aspirations before he wrote up the days 'After Action Reports'. I just wonder why the author didn't talk about Kerry's three deferments he applied for and received. When he applied for his fourth to study in France he was turned down so he rushed down to join the Navy where he thought he would be far from action. What a shock it must've been when after a few months he was assigned to somewhere where there was real danger. This is probably when he dreamed up his plan to get three purple hearts so he could leave after only four months. How can he talk about his 'Tour of Duty' when he was only there for four months?
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Summary: Professional Work Prior to Propaganda
Review: 1. Factcheck.org looked into the Swift Boat Vet controversy and summarized their ad like this: "[It] features vets who claim Kerry `lied' to get Vietnam medals. But other witnesses disagree-and so do Navy records."
Factcheck.org notes that one of the key vets who signed a statement against Kerry wound up retracting it, saying to The Boston Globe: "It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I'm the one in trouble here.... I knew it was wrong... In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake."
2. Jim Rassman, the army lieutenant saved by Kerry during a firefight, directly contradicted many of the claims made by the Swift Boat Vets. Rassman supported Kerry's Bronze Star and has always backed up Kerry's version of the story.
3. The Swift Boat Vets are politically funded by a major GOP donor, and are going after Kerry decades after the action in order to help their candidate-George W. Bush-retain control of the White House.
4. Nightline went to Vietnam to research the facts of Kerry's Silver Star firefight disputed by the Swift Boat Vets, talking to local villagers who had witnessed the battle. Nightline discovered that Kerry's version of the story was correct.
Present author has admitted he has some corrections to make and is working on a revision; no such comment from O'Neil who is proven to be false on many accounts. Brinkley is a professional who tries to get it right.
Rating:
Summary: Tour of Duty
Review: The book reads very well, but the analysis is pure political puff. As a Vietnam Vet, I can tell you that atrocities were few and far between. Brinkley ignored most of the Swift Boat charges against Kerry. He presented most of the Winter Soldier "Investigation" as fact when much of it has been discredited.
It is interesting to read this book in conjunction with Unfit for Command. You get a totally different interpretation of what went on. And it appears to me the numerous officers who contributed to Unfit for Command have it right.
One of the interesting things is that Brinkley never even bothered to delve into Kerry's admission on the Cavette and Russert shows that he committed war crimes, including the burning of civilian homes. Hard to believe he did not ask that question. A glaring ommission.
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