Rating: 
Summary: Burning Bright!
Review: "Eye of the Tiger" is a beautifully written, almost poetic profile of a U.S. Marine in Vietnam. Eddie Delezen was in a USMC Recon Unit from March of '67 to December of '68. These guys were so deep in the bush that they actually infiltrated North Vietnamese Army infiltration routes! This reviewer has read several descriptions of the Vietnamese landscape and even seen a thin portion of it himself. But this observer has never read such keen verbal portraits of Vietnam-so stark, severe, striking and dangerous all at once. Much of the action takes place along (or over) the borders of the DMZ or that place of ultimate mystery, Laos. "Neutral" Laos.
The combat stories verge on the surreal, since recon patrols avoided contact with the enemy -in stark contrast to main force units, which sought it. The men also had to avoid contact with the poisonous snakes, vipers and leeches of the boonies. Most of us guys with safe jobs just worried about the rats! ET also features critical basic infantry practice as packing properly for patrol, walking front AND rear point, selecting a nighttime site, setting up the claymores as well as locking in artillery points and radio contacts. Some of that is not new, but Mr. Delezen does a first rate job of tying it all into his basic story. The author also weaves in fascinating descriptions of murky Vietnamese history and its' mysterious geography. It is poignantly obvious that the author came back to the World with a respect for Vietnam, a departure from the attitude of so many vets who never wanted to see the place again. And yes, there is a tiger! While on a listening post one day, the author realized he was not alone. A furry striped friend was watching him! Delezen doesn't fire so as not to expose himself to a possible nearby enemy! That's patrol discipline! This review cannot conclude without acknowledgment to those chopper pilots and door gunners. How many lives did those guys save in the course of the War? How many men did they extract under withering fire? Reading ET will reinforce that thought and give us respect for them anew. A final word: Shoppers SHOULD NOT be deterred from the hardcover price tag for this paperback. ET is worth every penny. The production values are very high. The typesetting is professionally eye pleasing and this reviewer has not enjoyed sharper photos anywhere! McFarland Publishers should be proud of their first rate work, the guys in the recon units proud of their service to their country and author should be proud of his intense report of Marines in stealthy combat.
Rating:
Summary: WRITTEN BY A FORCE RECON RVN COMBAT VETERAN
Review: Eddie Delezen writes lyrically with the voice of a combat hardened philospher. A plank holder in 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, a unit formed in 1965 at Camp Lejeune, NC, for clandestine activities in Vietnam, Delezen learned well in the company of extraordinary Marines, most of whom were qualified in parachuting, diving, jungle warfare, and small unit tactics; all were volunteers. Delezen's writing places the reader in the midst of patrols of a half-dozen or so Force Recon brothers who risked their lives on every multi-day patrol in NVA and VC territory. One can taste the fear, the joy, the sweat, the hunger, the thirst, the pain, and the blood, as he and his buddies report on and evade the enemy while patrolling in some of I Corp's most dangerous mountains and valleys. All the way, he contrasts the surreal beauty of Vietnam with the chaos of close combat. One can understand why he extended his combat tours as he came to love Vietnam, his recon brothers, and the magnetism of war.
If you have been there, you'll love it, if you haven't you'll appreciate and respect both Delezen's poetic writing and the heroism of highly trained Marine professionals accomplishing their hazardous job while keeping each other alive.
Rating:
Summary: A disturbingly powerful and impressionable recollection
Review: Eye Of The Tiger is the personal memoir of John Edmund Delezen (a United States Marine from the Third Force Recon Company) relating his experiences while in service during the Vietnam War. In the course of a year and a half, Delezen was stricken with malaria, wounded by a grenade, hit by a bullet, saw friends die, witnessed horrible acts of brutality, endured hunger, pain, and worse, in a deadly war which was to become renowned for the suffering it inflicted upon the minds and bodies of its participants. A disturbingly powerful and impressionable recollection, Eye Of The Tiger is a welcome and appreciated contribution to the growing library of Vietnam era military memoirs.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best new writer.....
Review: First, a bit about my perspective on this book. I was an S-2 Infantry Scout with the First Battalion, First Marines (1-1) in 1965-66 and experienced small unit (5-6 man) recon patrols into the jungled mountains and valleys near Khe Sanh and other Eye Corps locales described in this book. (Phil Caputo's deservedly famous book, "A Rumor of War", was mainly about his experiences as a platoon leader of Charlie Company 1-1 in the Danang TAOR during the first four months of my tour, and I had first-hand experience of many of the indviduals, locales and events described there.) Over the past ten years or so, I have read 40-50 books about Vietnam combat experience, mainly by USMC vets writing of their own experiences, but not exclusively. So that's the basis of my perspective on this relatively obscure book. For me it is among the best 3-4 of the books I have read on this war and any other. The author is simply gifted: as noted by one of the other reviewers, he has the unusual ability to describe scenes and emotions in a way that places you, the reader, inside his mind's eye and sensory perceptions: I relived the smell, the sounds, images, tensions and emotions he takes you the reader through. His word-pictures are almost lyrical, like paintings, as he describes the incredible physical beauty, history and culture of Vietnam in the sympathetic light that most of the thoughtful among my companions felt at the time -- and that includes an admiration and professional respect for the bravery, commmitment, hardship endurance and fighting skills of our adversaries, and a sympathy for the suffering and hardship of the civilians caught up in a war not of their choosing. In summary, I recommend this book most highly, first to all Marine Viet vets, as both a pleasurable reading experience and an expert writer's articulation of the experiences, emotions and memories that many of us shared with him and brought back with us. He deserves our thanks for capturing that intense, complex experience and memory so expertly. For the general reading public, all I can say is--if you want to truly experience with an almost firsthand immediacy what it was like out there in the bush, at least for those of us who experienced the special thrills and terrors of small unit recon patrols, there is no better book ever likely to be written about that (now long ago) time and (very distant) place.
Rating:
Summary: It's like you're in his mind's eye and body
Review: First, a bit about my perspective on this book. I was an S-2 Infantry Scout with the First Battalion, First Marines (1-1) in 1965-66 and experienced small unit (5-6 man) recon patrols into the jungled mountains and valleys near Khe Sanh and other Eye Corps locales described in this book. (Phil Caputo's deservedly famous book, "A Rumor of War", was mainly about his experiences as a platoon leader of Charlie Company 1-1 in the Danang TAOR during the first four months of my tour, and I had first-hand experience of many of the indviduals, locales and events described there.) Over the past ten years or so, I have read 40-50 books about Vietnam combat experience, mainly by USMC vets writing of their own experiences, but not exclusively. So that's the basis of my perspective on this relatively obscure book. For me it is among the best 3-4 of the books I have read on this war and any other. The author is simply gifted: as noted by one of the other reviewers, he has the unusual ability to describe scenes and emotions in a way that places you, the reader, inside his mind's eye and sensory perceptions: I relived the smell, the sounds, images, tensions and emotions he takes you the reader through. His word-pictures are almost lyrical, like paintings, as he describes the incredible physical beauty, history and culture of Vietnam in the sympathetic light that most of the thoughtful among my companions felt at the time -- and that includes an admiration and professional respect for the bravery, commmitment, hardship endurance and fighting skills of our adversaries, and a sympathy for the suffering and hardship of the civilians caught up in a war not of their choosing. In summary, I recommend this book most highly, first to all Marine Viet vets, as both a pleasurable reading experience and an expert writer's articulation of the experiences, emotions and memories that many of us shared with him and brought back with us. He deserves our thanks for capturing that intense, complex experience and memory so expertly. For the general reading public, all I can say is--if you want to truly experience with an almost firsthand immediacy what it was like out there in the bush, at least for those of us who experienced the special thrills and terrors of small unit recon patrols, there is no better book ever likely to be written about that (now long ago) time and (very distant) place.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!
Review: I expected a guts and glory tale. Far from it. What I found was beautiful prose expressing poignant recollections of a young Marine in a far away war. Delezen takes you on a hardship tour through eyes that see the paradox of horrific war framed by the beauty of nature in a rich cultural milieu. He makes you share the cultural heritage and natural beauty along with his pain, anger, loss, laughs and final betrayal that marks the sad tale of the Vietnam warrior. It makes you hope and pray our country never ever sends young men off to a far away war under the same circumstances again. A must read if you are interested in military history.
Rating:
Summary: Eye of the Tiger
Review: I've read this book four times, and each time I start reading, I literally can't put it down, it's spell binding and that good. His book captures the essence of a Force Recon Marine's war in Vietman. If one is of a military mindset, this book belongs in your library. If one is not of the military mindset, you will enjoy this book because of the writer's skill, he puts you in the jungles of Vietman during combat while giving you a history that the young Marines were up against. You will never get this close to the Vietman war again. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best new writer.....
Review: In my opinion the author is one of the most exciting writers to emerge from nowhere in many years. His use of unique prose is extremly refreshing.
How sad that this is such an obscure piece of literature. I feel that if it finds a larger audiance it will develope a following. I found the book by accident and have read it through a number of times; with each reading I discover fresh passages hidden within poetic prose.
I am a published poet with a number of collections to my credit; I recommend this work highly. It is not a "war book" but a lesson in life.
Rating:
Summary: A Warrior's Story
Review: The author takes you into the world of young warriors whose contribution to the defeat of five to seven North Vietnamese Army Divisions by the Third Marine Division has never been acknowledged. The poignant account of mortal combat and it's emotional impact on those who experience it goes further than a description of events, which in themselves seem imponderable, to bare his soul as few others have. He interjects humane insight into the horror of battle that only a handful of men, who operated in small teams deep in enemy territory are aware of. They were knew that they could not expect to be reinforced when in a fight with a larger enemy force. They had to rely on their own resources and those most gallant of all Marines; the helicopter crews who flew into almost certain death to rescue them. I know. I was his Commanding Officer for 22 months, eight of which he patrolled along the DMZ. Eddie Deleze is not only a gifted writer, he and his comrades are true American Heros, and should be read for that alone. Lt. Col. W.C.Floyd, USMC(Ret) CO, Third Force Recon,1966/1967
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This book is a brilliant account of a young Recon Marine's experiences in Vietnam. The saga is presented by eloquently interweaving Vietnamese folklore and history with powerfully gripping images of a small Marine Recon team's efforts to complete its missions while having to prevail in the face of overwhelmingly large enemy forces and the relentless environmental hardships of the unforgiving battleground. The author chronicles the truth of what he saw of war and death with great pathos. He treats his adversary with reverence as equally worthy warriors who suffer the same as he. The author's lyrical style and exquisite use of language create powerful images that will grab and move you. This book takes you into John Edmund Delezen's mind and body as he experiences the overwhelming sights, sounds and smells of jungle warfare and the death that lurks within. This book will be an invaluable asset to any educator's library.
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