Dead Center : A Marine Sniper's Two-Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War

Rating:
Summary: A real acount of what life was like
Review: Author has written a very good detailed account of what life was like in the Marines during his service. Written with cold hard truth mixed with his opinions of what was really happening. He has written one of the best books I have read. Even in the hell he was living in he was still able to find an unusual sense of humor in some of the things he seen. If you want a book with daily accounts of the reality of Vietnam this book is for you. There is not one of the "Superman" hero type books.

Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: Dead Center is a compelling book about an ordinary 18-year old kid from middle America faced with extraordinary situations. The circumstances that led up to his Marine sniper job are interesting. His account of boot camp is interested. It's straightforward, easy to read and hard to put down. Kugler doesn't play himself as a hero, just as a kid making a transformation to a good soldier. The book, however, is full of explicitive language.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: Dead Center is a straightforward, no BS, skip the fluff, unglamorous account of Ed Kugler's two years as a Marine sniper in Vietnam. That's exactly what made it such a great book. I think this is an excellent book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Too many war stories and books are full of glamour, heroes, and lame love stories. You won't find any of that in Dead Center. Not to say that Kugler and his fellow Marines weren't heroes, you just won't find him bragging about it. This book is an excellent, true account of a boy faced with the harsh reality of war that would eventually turn him into a man. From boot camp to Santa Domingo, on to Vietnam and the Co Bi-Than Tan Valley, you'll feel like you're a Marine the second you start reading this book. You won't be plagued with the boring details contained in many war stories, just raw action. However, this book does have a deeper side. Kugler demonstrates the importance to make good decisions, whether you're a sniper in the bush, or a politician in Washington D.C. He makes it known that the bad decisions made in Washington directly affect the young men we send to battle, and that a bad decision made in the bush could get you killed. Dead Center also shows the strong camaraderie and friendship between members of the United States Marines. Ed Kugler writes with his own kind of style. You'll likely never see him win a Pulitzer, but you'll enjoy his book regardless. The story is told through the eyes of a teenager, using the language of a teenager. It is not unlikely that you'll spot {an offensive word} more than five times on a single page, or any other vulgar words for that matter. But the language makes it more real, giving the reader the feeling that it came from an eighteen year old kid. I would definitely like to see Dead Center turned into a movie, mostly because of the fact that it goes against most other Hollywood war movies. I would definitely rather see the reality war and the lessons that come with it, rather than see a hero with a red bandana and a lame love story. All in all, it was an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone; who can handle the language that is.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: Dead Center is a straightforward, no BS, skip the fluff, unglamorous account of Ed Kugler's two years as a Marine sniper in Vietnam. That's exactly what made it such a great book. I think this is an excellent book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. Too many war stories and books are full of glamour, heroes, and lame love stories. You won't find any of that in Dead Center. Not to say that Kugler and his fellow Marines weren't heroes, you just won't find him bragging about it. This book is an excellent, true account of a boy faced with the harsh reality of war that would eventually turn him into a man. From boot camp to Santa Domingo, on to Vietnam and the Co Bi-Than Tan Valley, you'll feel like you're a Marine the second you start reading this book. You won't be plagued with the boring details contained in many war stories, just raw action. However, this book does have a deeper side. Kugler demonstrates the importance to make good decisions, whether you're a sniper in the bush, or a politician in Washington D.C. He makes it known that the bad decisions made in Washington directly affect the young men we send to battle, and that a bad decision made in the bush could get you killed. Dead Center also shows the strong camaraderie and friendship between members of the United States Marines. Ed Kugler writes with his own kind of style. You'll likely never see him win a Pulitzer, but you'll enjoy his book regardless. The story is told through the eyes of a teenager, using the language of a teenager. It is not unlikely that you'll spot {an offensive word} more than five times on a single page, or any other vulgar words for that matter. But the language makes it more real, giving the reader the feeling that it came from an eighteen year old kid. I would definitely like to see Dead Center turned into a movie, mostly because of the fact that it goes against most other Hollywood war movies. I would definitely rather see the reality war and the lessons that come with it, rather than see a hero with a red bandana and a lame love story. All in all, it was an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone; who can handle the language that is.

Rating:
Summary: Dead center is right on target...
Review: Ed Kugler isn't the best writer in the world. He'll likely never win the Pulitzer. However, he does tell a great war story, and his story points out most of the problems that our fighting men faced in Vietnam. If you like war stories from people who have been there. This is your read.

Rating:
Summary: No BS Great Read
Review: How someone can write a review of this book that is bad I have no idea. It was completely awesome. Ed Kugler skips political 'correctness' and goes straight to the point. Raw, the uninhibated truth. The story of his two years in Vietnam is compelling. In the begining of the book, he's an ordinary middle america kid. By the end of the book I feel Vietnam took a toll on his sanity. Alot of the book isn't really sniper warfare, but close to it. The focus is more on what he called 'Rouge' patrols, a group of 4-5 men, going out into the badlands and killing the enemy. The language, yes it is vulgar, but I think it captures the way he was back then. As others have wrote, I felt I knew Mr. Kugler at the end of his book, which I thought was great. Awesome read, couldn't put it down!!

Rating:
Summary: No BS Great Read
Review: How someone can write a review of this book that is bad I have no idea. It was completely awesome. Ed Kugler skips political 'correctness' and goes straight to the point. Raw, the uninhibated truth. The story of his two years in Vietnam is compelling. In the begining of the book, he's an ordinary middle america kid. By the end of the book I feel Vietnam took a toll on his sanity. Alot of the book isn't really sniper warfare, but close to it. The focus is more on what he called 'Rouge' patrols, a group of 4-5 men, going out into the badlands and killing the enemy. The language, yes it is vulgar, but I think it captures the way he was back then. As others have wrote, I felt I knew Mr. Kugler at the end of his book, which I thought was great. Awesome read, couldn't put it down!!

Rating:
Summary: Not that great
Review: I have to disagree with most everyone here. I was disappointed that there were very few stories that were directly related to sniping. It was an all right book, meaning he did tell his story of what he did during his tour in Veitnam, but not that much seemed to be related to sniping. Joseph T. Wards book "Dear Mom" was much better. As far as the launguage in the book, I was extremely disappointed. For a person who thinks he is saved and claims Jesus Christ as his Savior, his launguage proves him otherwise. Don't buy this book if you want stories on sniping. But buy this book if it is "cool" to you if someone cusses. I would say "grow up".

Rating:
Summary: on target..
Review: I really liked this book, it is very truthfuly writen .I really felt that I Knew Mr. Kugler once I was finshed with the book. Ed Kugler accounts for alot in his life from; the jungles of Nam, to his mid-tour leaves. It is an easy book to read even if you are not a military minded person it will be easy to follow.

Rating:
Summary: As a woman....
Review: I've read a few Nam books and this was by far my favorite. Sometimes I feel excluded from books about Nam being a woman. This book allowed me a glimpse into the minds of young men at war. I loved it. I literally could not put it down. I laughed and I cried and I felt anxiety from the suspense. My dad served in Nam and I feel like I understand him better after reading this book. I'll look for more books from Ed Kugler.