The only negative factor of this book is that Baker is not a veteran. He is a journalist who did not serve in Vietnam. Consequently, a few of his snapshots are open to question. They certainly make for good copy but as a two tour USMC Vietnam vet I offer with absolute certainty that some parts of this book do not ring true.

Nevertheless, this is an important book. Baker reaches out to vets and allows them to bare their soul. Some sections of this book are horrible. Others reflect well on the quality of the American fighting man. All in all, any young kid who foolishly thinks war is glorious and that the battlefield is a place of honor should read this book. It will probably save his or her life.

Bert Ruiz


Man at his worst (and occasionally at his best...)   March 19, 2001
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book by Mark Baker relates in the words of the participants the war in Vietnam. It is a shocking book, at times it makes you wonder what sort of creature man really is. More than anything it teaches the reader that war is probably the most traumatic and mind-wrecking experience we can find ourselves in. The book is for all the horror totally alive and fascinating, and one feels a great deal of compassion for all those who were marked by the conflict in Vietnam. For me, all ideology, all questions of who is right and who is wrong, is drowned in the sea of bestiality recounted in this book. I would also recommemd to those interested in the subject the excellent book by Hugh McManners "The Scars of War", and "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason.