Rating: 
Summary: Fmr Sen Bob Kerrey on the Young Bob Kerrey
Review: This is the story of Bob Kerrey coming of age.
We get a portrait of what sounds like a pretty typical 1940's and 50's upbringing of a Midwestern boy in a large middle class family. That boy goes off to Vietnam as a Navy Seal and loses part of his leg -- as well as his innocence.
Bob Kerrey's book is about the best I've seen of those biographies done by presidential wannabe's (he arguably was still in play when this was written). By that I mean it is less self serving and more honest (mistakes made, mindsets typical of his time and place held, no claims to have embraced our current societal mores before his time, etc.). Kerrey talks of his mistakes, fears and misdeeds as well as his hopes and dreams. Nothing rocked his world and he was on track to be a faceless part of our country's backbone (town pharmacist in the middle of Nebraska) who you'd never heard of until Vietnam changed him.
His experiences left him critical of his country's leadership and wary of war after he witnessed combat first hand and suffered a debilitating wound during his service in the Mekong River Delta. He came back to the war a better informed citizen (in his portrayal) who had real personal objections to continued involvement in Vietnam (and to his credit didn't lead any wholesale condemnation of his soldier peers like the other Senator named Kerry (no relation and no "e").
The book ends with his discharge from the naval hospital in Philadelphia and also with a postscript on a minor thread of the story. His father had a brother lost in the Philippines during WWII who Kerrey never even knew existed until he accidentally came across a picture of the man. His father, stereotypically reluctant to talk about his war experiences or the pain of his loss, finally asked Kerrey near his death to find out what happened to his brother. This Kerrey did during his first term in the Senate. This forgotten uncle didn't explain Kerrey as much as tie in the tragedy that is war -- even "good" wars like WWII.
This is a very personal story, tightly written in simple and plain sentences. It is an easy read, but also has the feel of honesty because of its lack of varnish as well as adjectives or claimed insights which many politicans doing bios place in their works to relfect on their future potentials as opposed to describing their past experiences.
All in all a quick read that helps explain Bob Kerrey, a former Governor, Senator, current college president who was known as both quirky and thoughtful and independent.
Rating: 
Summary: Kerry was a Very Poor Leader
Review: Vistica's non-ficition book (The Education of Lt Kerrey)details how Navy SEAL Robert Kerrey panicked under pressure and ordered three children' throats to be cut when he had other options. He further discraced the Navy and all special operations men by panicking again and ordering more than 20 women and children murdered--to include a baby too young to walk. He claims the Vietnamese could have warned the enemy--yet--his gunfire was more of a warning than a crying baby. He received a VALOR award for the cold-blooded murders!!!Kerrey also was awarded the Medal of Honor that generated from an up-graded Bronze Star for Valor (A mercy award for him loosing his foot during another bloched mission.) He actually claims his team climbed a 350 foot cliff BARED-FOOTED at night!!!
Also seven highly trained Navy SEALS took on seven SLEEPING VC. (A MOH fight?) Kerrey's book is a pathetic attempt at justifying his poor leadership in combat by shifting the blame. He has used his phony MOH to hide behind for thirty-five years. It is time he fessed up to the truth. He was the commander and he was responsible. Donald E. Zlotnik Major (Ret)
Special Forces
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