The Junkyard Dogs

• Publisher:   CreateSpace
• Number Of Pages:   306
• Publication Date:   2008-05-27
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   1434845990
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9781434845993

A U.S. Marine Combined Action Platoon in Vietnam; a single Marine squad is located in Khung Toi, a Vietnamese village, working with the Popular Forces -- the local militia. Together, the Marines and PFs form CAP Whiskey 8. Three of the Marines, using the nom de guerres of Socrates, Captain Hook, and Sneaky Pete, get involved with a secretive and mysterious project, assigned to assassinate NVA cadre in villages other than their own. The corporal known as Socrates is disturbed by the project and tries to backtrack it, but finds nothing but more unanswered questions. On one mission, he and his two men find documents detailing a planned major NVA attack on CAP Whiskey 8. The Marines and their Vietnamese counterparts barely have time to prepare for the biggest fight any of them have ever been in.

This book really delves into every day life and the minds of the Marines in Vietnam. Written by a man who has been there. Explosive battle scenes draw you in to the moment and take your breath away. I would rate it higher than 5!

This mesmerizing look at Marines fighting in Vietnam will not change anyone's views on that war. But it will add a human dimension to understanding. We follow Marines who are imbedded with the civilian population of a group of rural villages, working with them and for them to keep out the Vee Cee-- Viet Cong. Shown are the quiet days when patrols go out and find nothing; and also battle scenes when everything happens at once. We see them interract with the locals, such as Sam who has a "restaurant" the Marines visit both to support and for their own diversion. What makes this book special is the sense a reader gets of being with these men on the ground: of their concerns, of the underlying tension of needing to be ready against attack when nothing seems to be going on, and of their real interaction with the villagers they protect. We also see Marine life in working within their hierarchies, the give and take between men of different stations. The only fault with the book -- the reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars -- is its having 3 flashback chapters which are supposed to explain why one Marine chose originally to join the Corps; these are weaker and unhelpfully digress from the action on the ground. But that's a quibble. This book gives great insight to the men, the place, and the times that continue to intrigue us. It grips the imagination, it is exciting, and we come to care for this odd lot of dedicated men. Highly recommended.

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