Beyond Valor: World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat

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The success of Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation has sparked a renewed interest in books about World War II and the people who fought in it. Patrick K. O'Donnell maintains, however, that behind those official histories and carefully crafted memoirs lies a "hidden war"--"a bottled up, buried version shielded even from family members because many of the memories are too painful to discuss." In Beyond Valor, O'Donnell brings this hidden war to the surface, allowing men from the elite forces to tell their own stories, thus creating a fascinating combat history of WWII.

O'Donnell introduces readers to some of the greatest of the greatest generation--men such as Robert Kinney of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, wounded by a mortar at Anzio ("it tore my fanny open, took a big chunk of meat out of there--I could afford that"). While in the hospital, wounded members of the regiment were asked by one of their officers to return to the front:

We all went down, about forty of us in casts, bandages, arms in slings and everything. He said, "Your buddies up there are catching hell and we've got to go back if we can. You don't have to, we're not going to order you, but we're looking for volunteers." We said, "Hell, we'll go." We had just the best-spirited bunch of scrappers you ever saw.

There are also stories about compassion in the midst of carnage. Albert Hassenzahl of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was seriously injured on a drop during the Normandy invasion. While waiting to be rescued, the wind blew his blanket off him. A man on an adjacent stretcher reached over and carefully tucked the blanket in around Hassenzahl. The other man was a German POW. "I didn't say a word to him, but I was able to move my head a little and looked over at him ... neither of us said a word, but mentally I might have said 'thank you' with my eyes and he might have said 'you're welcome' with his."

Though it will certainly appeal to them, O'Donnell insists that Beyond Valor is not aimed at war buffs--it's for the soldiers themselves. "My work has been one of preservation, done in gratitude for a generation that sacrificed so much." By sharing these stories, O'Donnell has helped to preserve and honor their memory. --Sunny Delaney

Book Description

Previous books have promised to describe the combat experience of the World War II GI, but there has never been a book like Patrick O'Donnell's Beyond Valor. Here is the first combat history of the war in Europe in the words of the men themselves, and perhaps the most honest and brutal account of combat possible on the printed page. For more than fifty years the individual stories that make up this narrative -- shockingly frank reflections of sacrifice and courage -- have been bottled up, buried, or circulated privately. Now, nearing the ends of their lives, our WWII soldiers have at last unburdened themselves.

Beyond Valor recaptures their hidden history. A pioneering oral historian, Patrick O'Donnell used his award-winning website, The Drop Zone, to solicit oral- and "e-histories" from individual soldiers. Gradually, working from within the community, O'Donnell convinced some of the war's most battle-hardened soldiers to tell their stories. The result is WWII seen through the eyes of the men who saw the most intense of its action. O'Donnell focuses on the elite units of the war -- the Rangers, Airborne, and 1st Special Service Force -- troops that spearheaded the most dangerous operations and often made the difference between victory and defeat.

From more than 650 interviews O'Donnell has chosen oral- and e-histories that form a seamless story line, a pointillistic history of the war in Europe from the first parachute drops in North Africa through the final battles in Germany and the long trip home. It is the story of the war not discussed in polite company. O'Donnell presents the wreckage of entire battalions nearly annihilated, invisible personal scars, and haunting revelations of wartime atrocities. But more important are the men who recount lives risked without hesitation for comrades and cause, and those who did not return: the friends who died in their arms. Their stories remind all of us that victory came only at the highest price.

Remembering the infamous cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc, bloody Omaha Beach, the bitter fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, and Hill 400 in the Hürtgen Forest, the soldiers reveal war as seen, heard, and smelled by the GIs on the front line. Also included is the unique story of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, and the trailblazing African-American "Experimental" Test Platoon that had to fight its own battle behind the lines.

Beyond Valor captures the truths that exist among soldiers. It is one of the most inspiring accounts of the war ever produced.

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Beyond Valor is a stunning tribute to our "greatest generation" in the words of the men themselves. Pioneering oral historian Patrick K. O'Donnell, the founder of the award-winning Web site The Drop Zone, draws from over 600 interviews with veterans to weave together the full personal account of WWII's elite troops and tell the combat history of the war in the men's own words. The book covers the entire European theater, from North Africa to Normandy to Germany. Through these eyewitness accounts and previously unpublished photographs, readers experience the infamous fighting on Omaha Beach, in the Hurtgen Forest, and at the Battle of the Bulge. These intensely personal stories are often horrific: tales of best friends killed, of whole units decimated, and of the madness of wartime atrocities. Given a rare chance to speak, our soldiers have unburdened themselves of fifty years' pent-up emotion. The result is both shocking and moving.

Customer Reviews:

Beyond Valor.......2007-09-15

I have read all four of Patrick O'Donnell's books. Each and everyone of them will touch your heart, especially if you have had a loved one who fought in WW2 or in Iraq.

Beyond Valor should be required reading for all Americans. We need to know the sacrifices that many have made for Freedom in order to truly appreciate all that we have in the United States.

Heartfelt Emotions.......2007-02-09

This book is a novel idea and a good break from the regular "play-by-play" recounting of WWII action that seems to have become the norm. Here you will find the scene set by the author (for example, Mr. O'Donnell describes the lead up to the Normandy invasion) and then the veterans tell their tales. What really struck me was the multiple stories of dealing with what we now know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Some of these men dealt with their personal problems from the war for more than fifty years with little or no help. What price for freedom?

detailed, but fractured.......2005-08-25

One of the best features of this book is the campaign map and summary at the start of each chapter. The soldier's position on the battle map is provided. I enjoyed reading the detailed war stories, some not told elsewhere.

However, I found the book read a bit like a web site. Instead of clicking on a link, you turn the page and some items are rehashed for you. I feel the editor could have done a bit better putting some flow to the stories. Some of the stories skip around a lot in time order, which can be confusing. I only need to see "CP [Command Post]" edited once, just the first time it appears, not in every story. I would read a story, then half way through I would find out the speaker was actually the unit's commanding officer! Would have been better to identify each person's rank / role clearly up front before getting into the details.

Despite these editing / structural annoyances, I learned a lot and enjoyed the veteran's candor.

[...]

beyond valor.......2005-07-22

From the horses mouth is how we define a direct source. These stories, from those that experienced first hand, continually remind us how thankful we need to be for those who have fought for us, and those who are fighting for us, as well as those who will yet fight for us and our freedom.

honest slice of combat experience.......2004-02-15

I have read O'Donnell's Into the Rising Sun which I thought was a superb book that gives you the honest slice of combat experience as told by the veterans. This book was written before that one so I expected the same and was not disappointed. Many of these stories get told 45-50 years after the fact, memories may fade but experiences and understanding of combat does not. Once more, this book collects a short set of stories as told by the veterans of their combat experiences. The stories were short but honest and with far more insight then most World War II movies put together. Some of them come with a late hour confessions of killing of enemy POWs or wounded enemy, some time in the heat of battle, some time out of need for survival. One man even kept photos of the three dead Germans from their paybooks. Maybe some of the more negative reviews didn't like that, after all it was more comfortable to know that ONLY Germans and Japanese troop were the ones that murdered POWs and shoot defenseless wounded soldiers. Shocking that we Americans did something like that in war. (It also allowed me to have a new perception whenever I read about enemy soldiers shooting American POWs or woundeds in battle...maybe they felt anger and hatred toward the Americans who were killing their buddies, comrades and mentors. Who say war was fair, eh?)

Book Description

"No way in hell you could survive 'out there' with six men. You couldn't live thirty minutes 'out there' with only six men." [pg. 13]

In 1965 nearly four hundred men were interviewed and only thirty-two selected for the infant LRRP Detachment of the lst Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Old-timers called it the suicide unit. Whether conducting prisoner snatches, search and destroy missions, or hunting for the enemy's secret base camps, LRRPs depended on one another 110 percent. One false step, one small mistake by one man could mean sudden death for all.

Author Reynel Martinez, himself a 101st LRRP Detachment veteran, takes us into the lives and battles of the extraordinary men for whom the brotherhood of war was and is an ever-present reality: the courage, the sacrifice, the sense of loss when one of your own dies. In the hills, valleys, and triple-canopy jungles, the ambushes, firefights, and copter crashes, LRRPs were among the best and bravest to fight in Vietnam.

Customer Reviews:

-.......2007-08-17

Martinez writes about the early years of the LRRPs in Vietnam; about formation and transformation of the unit and their training and equipment. Furthermore the book is filled with dozens of accounts of LRRP missions. From observation missions to kidnap missions etc. These accounts come from a nummber of ex-LRRPs who Martinez interviewed and from the author who was a LRRP himself. Result is a book full of interesting facts and stories full of heroism, action, drama, humor or whatsoever.

EXCELLENT.......2006-03-11

THE THIRD OF THE THREE BOOKS TELLING THE STORY OF THE LRP'S ROLE IN THE VIETNAM WAR. TOLD BY ONE WHO WAS THERE FOR MORE THAN ONE TOUR. GO ON PATROL, FEEL THE TENSION AND EXPERIENCE THE FEAR AND EXCITEMENT OF COMBAT. A GREAT READ!!

Excellent book, very informative.......2005-08-07

This book is very informative, and includes the accounts of various LRRPs who served in the LRRPs of the 101st. This is excellent, as you get different views on the experiences. If you are interested in the LRRPs of Vietnam, then this is one you should definately add to your collection!

Brave Men.......2004-10-21

Six silent men Reynel Martinez
101st LRRP
The 101st Long Range Reconnainsce Patrols worked all over Vietnam, from I Corp in the North to the delta in the South. At times they worked with the Marines and the Special Forces. They went out in 6 man teams. The goal was to locate the enemy and target it for others to kill.
The 101st arrived in Vietnam in July 1965, at Cam Ranh bay. They were highly trained due to the efforts of Major David Hackworth, the brigade operations officer. In September, 1965, to gather intelligence, the Long Range Recon Patrol group was set up under the command of 1srt Lt. Joel Stevenson. The unit was formally established on 15 October. 337 men volunteered, and 32 were accepted.
The book relates the histories of several of the men that the author knew. This is the 1st of 3 books written about the LRRPs by the men who served with them. It covers this authors time there. Other time periods are covered by other authors. The author is the son of one of the Darby Rangers of World War II. He went around in the 1980's and got each person's story for the book. Maps would have helped in this book.

Part of the training was knowledge of the rules of 1759, of Rogers Rangers, still valid today, and in an appendix.
Doing this kind of work was new for Americans. The Special Forces had been doing it for years, and the LRRPs borrowed some of their tactics. However, the SF worked with local people on patrol It was widely expected that the LRRP all American team would not last a week in the jungle.
One problem was the headquarters would want to send the LRRPs out as bait for the North Vietnamese, and then attack the North Vietnamese when the LRRPs were attacked. This tactic was fought by the LRRPs, as they did not have the firepower to stop large groups of enemy.
The author goes into lots of detail about who was on each mission, combat loads, and training. In an appendix, is a list of a variety of weapons the LRRPs used as well as the enemy. LRRPs used the Special Forces tiger uniforms that they acquired via barter or stealing.
A bunch of times the teams were inserted into hot landing zones and had to be extracted immediately.
This included their very first mission, which was being monitored by brass all the way to Saigon. On the first mission they almost lost the classified codes used, and had to go back to retrieve them while being fired upon.
Sometimes while under fire chopper pilots refused to retrieve the teams. Braver substitute pilots had to be found. As time went on, a bonding occurred between the pilots and the LRRPs, as the pilots knew that the LRRPs would come and get them if they got shot down. The LRRPs greatly admired the pilot's bravery.

The LRRPs carried whatever weapon they wanted. Most used M-16's but some carried shotguns, grease guns from WWII, SKS's, Thompson's, whatever. They borrowed strobe lights from the chopper pilots for use in signaling.
Many of the fights were within a few feet of the enemy. Several accounts relate the enemy looking directly at the men on one side of a bush, the LRRPs on the other side, and the enemy not seeing them due to LRRP camouflage.
Choppers at the time had to descend to the ground for the men to get aboard, as ladders and harness's had not been devised yet.
There were several occasion were teams were inserted into the wrong spots and got into big trouble, as there were lots of unexpected enemy, or they were in the target zone of a B-52 arc light bomb strike.
A bunch of the LRRPs were former Special Forces people.
Special Forces camps such as Dong Tre and Tra Bang were used as jump off points for some of the teams.
Sometimes they got orders that they knew were making them bait, so they said OK to the orders, but ignored them.
Once in a while they got inserted via boat. One Vietnamese crew put them in 30 miles North of the target area, and they ran into many VC and were in the way of a B-52 strike.
Some teams had scout dogs, but the teams considered them worthless as the dogs ate and drank too much, and gave away their locations by growling and whining. One dog kept biting the team members and mysteriously got fragged. (Killed by a grenade).
Sometimes they had time to fish and used "Dupont lures" (M-26 grenades.)
One mission was up north near Duc Pho, near Nui Dang hill, where Marine Carlos Hathcock got his 2500 yard sniper kill using a 50 caliber machine gun. Hathcock was a legend with the 101st too.
There were lots of people killed in this book. A lot of medals were given, Medals of Honor, Silver Stars. One person had acquired 13 purple hearts.
On one mission, they were flying for an insertion and spotted troops on the ground. They radioed this and were told that there were no friendlies in the area. They called in an air strike and found out later that the target was a group of American troops who had been inserted in the wrong landing zone.
May 1966 was the second generation of LRRPs, as the originals were being sent home. The 3rd generation came a year later. In 1967. Some men kept extending, staying overseas 5 and 6 years. LRRP troops were recruited for SF duty, and visa versa.
One mission they were on was to snatch a prisoner. He was a high ranking VC and they were in a no shooting mode, so as not to kill the potential prisoner. Shooting started immediately, and they got the prisoner they wanted plus a bunch of others.
Several funny incidents in local bars are included. One Lt had a pet bird that he used to take to the bar and buy drinks for. He told the bird to attack, at which point th bird would run out on his arm and squawk at the crowd. The bird always passed out. At another bar, they ran into a bunch of Koreans. There was a face off, and finally a Korean grabbed a beer out of a LRRPs hand, drank half of it, and handed it back. The LRRP finished it and the party was on. Other times they took beer back to base with them, a no-no. They had arguments with MP's trying to take the beer away. A Marine major was giving a bunch of static right after they had returned from a mission. The LRRPs listened to this for awhile, and one in the back finally yelled out "let's shoot the MF!". The Marine major advanced in the other direction quickly.
In July 1967, the LRRPs were running missions from the Tra Bong Special Forces camp. The author liked the Montagnard rations better than his own. Theirs was fish heads and rice, and hot peppers. The author did not envy the SF as they always had VC spies among their troops.
The author also went to the Recondo school while there, and participated in 10 mile runs with a 40 lb pack, plus weapons.
Men like Top Smith were idolized for his leadership ability. He never raised his voice or gave orders, just suggestions. He defended his men from headquarters. So did Superspade.

There was a mission where they called in an air strike and the planes and choppers came and shot the target up. There was a VC 51 cal machine gun that was shooting at the aircraft. Strike after strike came in, and the VC with the 51 cal kept shooting and wounded a couple of the planes. The LRRPs were impressed with the VC gunners bravery and cheered him on. After several passes, the aircraft finally silenced the machine gun.
Weather and leeches were a constant problem. They were on a mission when a typhoon came over them.
The monsoon season kept them wet and cold all the time. Electrical storms got so bad that it would set off the claymore mines and trip flares.
One man in their group was a medic. He was one of 3 brothers. He got killed on Nov 1, 1967, exactly 17 years to the day as his older brother, who died in Korea. He was one of the authors best friends.
An incident is related where the unit is out in the boonies and comes to a hamlet with a restaurant. They order a meal, and while eating a VC group comes in and orders lunch too. Both sides eat and leave, in opposite directions.

At one time the LRRP. s were working out of Song Be, on the Cambodian border. At least once they got picked up for extraction on the Cambodian side.
On leave in the states, he meets one of his team members for some drinks and go to a bar. A good looking girl sits with them. The author knows the girl has something on her mind. He has something on his mind. Both keep drinking. The author felt something was wrong. She finished her mixed drink and finally asked, "Well, how many babies did you kill in Vietnam"? Thinking this over, the author finally replied, "Not near enough. That's why I'm going back!". End of relationship.
Within 48 hours of landing back in Vietnam, he was in the bush again, in action.

They caught a VC paymaster with a bunch of gold leaf, and turned him in to the Vietnamese. Superspade turned the guy over to the Vietnamese. A few days later, the author saw the VC out. He had bought himself ort of prison. After returning from leave, he noted to Superspade how unfair the situation was, letting the VC paymaster go. Superspade showed the author his new gold teeth and said that the VC paymaster paid for them. He had kept a bunch of the VC money. He also noted that he saw the VC paymaster in the jungle later. The paymaster was arrogant to Superspade, thinking he had bought Superspade's silence. Fatal mistake.
The book ends after Tet, and the elimination of the 1st Brigade LRRPs as an independent organization.

There is an epilogue explaining where surviving members went.

A good book that would be better with maps.

Informative but...Boring.......2003-03-21

I've read a lot of books on Special Ops and especially Lurps in Vietnam. I haven't read a book yet that I didn't like but this one was rather boring. I have to agree with another reviewer that there "wasn't anything making me want to turn the page." If you like sit on the edge of your chair, can't put the book down for hours read this isn't it. Still the book is informative and the series is pretty good.

Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone

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A great read
Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone
Through the Eyes of a 19 Year Old
Diary of an Airborne Ranger
DIARY OF AN AIRBORNE RANGER

Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone
Frank Johnson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0804118809
Release Date: 2001-02-27

Book Description

Perhaps the most accurate story of LRRPs at war
ever to appear in print!

When Frank Johnson arrived in Vietnam in 1969, he was nineteen, a young soldier untested in combat like thousands of others--but with two important differences: Johnson volunteered for the elite L Company Rangers of the 101st Airborne Division, a long range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) unit, and he kept a secret diary, a practice forbidden by the military to protect the security of LRRP operations.

Now, more than three decades later, those hastily written pages offer a rare look at the daily operations of one of the most courageous units that waged war in Vietnam. Johnson served in I Corps, in northern Vietnam, where combat was furious and the events he recounts emerge, stark and compelling: walking point in the A Shau Valley, braving enemy fire to rescue a downed comrade, surviving days and nights of relentless tension that suddenly exploded in the blinding fury of an NVA attack.

Undimmed and unmuddied by the passing of years, Johnson's account is unique in the annals of Vietnam literature. Moreover, it is a timeless testimony to the sacrifice and heroism of the LRRPs who dared to risk it all.

Customer Reviews:

A great read.......2006-09-25

There's no fluff or hot air because Johnson basically wrote this while in-country, which makes trusting his word a no-brainer. He spares nothing, especially those whom he served with; he's not afraid to say what he thinks. All too often, time changes the perception of the author from how they thought and felt during war, into what they now think and feel.

I must also commend Johnson for coming forward with a review that set the record straight about Herman Brown and the events that unfolded on 11 January 1970 - that takes character.

Otherwise, it was a fast read, but if you're not familiar with how the LRRPs operated, you may want to start with a book that provides more explaination.

Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone.......2006-08-22

I have to admit that I'm prejudice because I wrote the book. I bought the copy for a friend. But let me take this time to clear up a matter I wrote about in my book. I wrote a about Herman Brown's team getting into a fire fight where SSG Salters, the TL, and Sgt Jones, the ATL, were killed. I said in my diary that I didn't think Herman should have gotten the DSC for his actions in the fight. Even though Heman was a friend of mine, and I really liked him alot, I didn't think he deserved the DSC. What I didn't get a chance to say in my book because it was published before I knew it, was what really happened during Herman's fire fight. So let me take the time now. I talked with our 1st Sgt, Gilbert, years later and Top asked me why I said what I did about Herman. I said because it was the way the fight was explained to me. But Top said that about three days after the contact, the Loach pilot that pulled the team out came by the company area and asked if anyone had gotten medals for the contact. Top said no. The Loach pilot than began to tell Top what he had observed. It was very socked in, meaning it was raining and the clouds were ground level. But the pilot was able to fly up a draw and reach the team. When the pilot got there the team was in a shooting match with the bad guys and Herman was standing up and firing in all directions. The pilot got as close to the ground as he could but was unable to touch down. Herman, firing his weapon the whole time, grabbed Salters body and one handed Salters to the gunner. Herman then grabbed Jones' body and again one handed the body to the gunner, the whole time firing in all directions at the bad guys with his free hand. The pilot flew off and dropped the bodies off at a safe place and returned. The pilot again observed Herman going around the small perimeter and firing in all directions like a one man army. The pilot again got as close to the ground as he could and said he could only take two out. The other two members of the team got onto the Loach and Herman stayed back by himself, still firing in all directions. The pilot said he really didn't expect to find Herman alive upon his return, but when he returned, there was Herman still holding off the bad guys. It seemed like to the pilot that Herman had been the only one firing at the bad guys and each of the times the pilot flew in, there was Herman, going around the small perimeter and doing all the firing like a one man army! There was no hesitation of Herman being the last guy out, but the other two rushed on board the Loach. So...that is the real story about Herman Brown. As far as I'm concerned Herman should have gotten the Medal of Honor, and I'm not just saying that because he was my friend. I slammed him in my diary and he was my friend, and I'm now saying he should have earned the CMH because of what he actually did. Top did not want Herman to go out to the field anymore after that fight and that is why. Top said that anyone who goes through a fight and fought like Herman did, he doesn't have to go out. But Herman did go out one more time and that was with me when we had a fobar mission in the Ashau Valley to blow up some bridges. Anyway, I wanted to set the record straight. I know this a little long and alot of years have passed, and I don't know who will actually read this, but I pray for only the best for Herman and that he gets the credit he deserved.

Through the Eyes of a 19 Year Old.......2001-06-09

It was my privilege to have known Frank Johnson while serving with him in Vietnam. There were many times we set across from each other on our bunks and thanked God we were still alive. Frank indeed was a warrior and a man of great courage but there was also another side that was warm kind and gentle. A man that would take the time to listen to your problems, to help you when you were down and to support you when you needed a friend. This book is an accurate accountant of places and events that took place as seen through the eyes of Frank Johnson.With great pleasure I recommend you read this book. It is a supreme insight into what it was like for a 19 your old to have been exposed to the horrors of war. Burgess Wetta

Diary of an Airborne Ranger.......2001-06-02

This book really gives you the first hand account on what happen day by day to this soldier. What a great history lesson. It isn't soften down by someones memories of the Vietnam War but gives you the actual feelings that happen on that day. I find that when I am reading I get lost in the moment and feel like I am right in the jungle with this soldier. I was only 10 yrs old little girl when this was taking place. I looked up my birthday because I wanted to see what this guy was doing on that day when I was celebrating my birthday. Gave me a strange feeling. Thank you to ALL the war veterans who have fought for our freedom.

DIARY OF AN AIRBORNE RANGER.......2001-03-25

A LRRP'S YEAR IN A COMBAT ZONE...This was an excellent book. I just bought the book 2 days ago, and just finished it tonight. I had to read it every chance I got. The hell these guys went through, detailed explicitly in this book, is amazing. The honor and courage that these men showed, went above and beyond the call of duty. Definitely a must read, especially for those who have been in the military, and especially for those who have seen combat...it has certainly brought back memories for me.....

Six Silent Men...Book Three (101st Lrp/Rangers)

Average customer rating:

Another thrilling read from Gary Linderer
Brilliant piece of writing
These men truly lived this war
Fake Military Medals --- to sell more books!
ýYou couldnýt live 30 minutes out there with only six men!ý

Six Silent Men...Book Three (101st Lrp/Rangers)
Gary Linderer
Manufacturer: Ivy Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0804115672
Release Date: 1997-09-28

Book Description

"The Eyes and Ears of the Screaming Eagles . . ."

By 1969, the NVA had grown more experienced at countering the tactics of the long range patrols, and SIX SILENT MEN: Book Three describes some of the fiercest fighting Lurps saw during the war. Based on his own experience and extensive interviews with other combat vets of the 101st's Lurp companies, Gary Linderer writes this final, heroic chapter in the seven bloody years that Lurps served God and country in Vietnam. These tough young warriors--grossly outnumbered and deep in enemy territory--fought with the guts, tenacity, and courage that have made them legends in the 101st.

Customer Reviews:

Another thrilling read from Gary Linderer.......2006-04-20

I highly recommend any & all of Gary Linderer's books; all are packed with great recollections of our brave fighting men in Vietnam, and are fast reads. Once you start this book (Vol 3), you'll find it very hard to put down. Reading Vols 1 & 2 are not necessary, as each is a stand-alone account.

I have enjoyed all of Mr Linderer's publications, and can recommend this one as well without hesitation. You won't be disappointed!

Brilliant piece of writing.......2005-08-06

Excellent piece of writing from a guy who served with the team. As a UK reader, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the 101st LRRPs/Rangers in Vietnam.

These men truly lived this war.......2003-09-18

...This book is, as well as the others by Linderer an interesting recollection of his own experiences as well as experiences of others. Spend the bucks and you won't get disappointed. Try reading his other books to get a good sum of what he and his teammates experienced during Vietnam.
Don't let yourself be blamed by such [bologna]. I mean, the war is long gone, Linderers and Chambers books are a recollection of their feelings, thoughts and experiences. Truly and honestly written. The way I understood it, this book and the other books aren't a recollection of commo details or other things. These are facts of men fighting a war not REMFs ... spitting on a good job and being jealous about what they could do. So buy this book or the others by Linderer and you will understand a lot more.

Fake Military Medals --- to sell more books!.......2003-07-03

The men from Lima Company, Rangers from Vietnam deserved someone better and more qualified to write about the unit than this author, Gary Linderer. In the past, Linderer, has been busted for copyright infringement and caught in numerous lies about his military awards and decorations. No one ever receives 2 Silver Stars and 2 Purple Hearts for the same day's combat as Linderer claims he was awarded for the combat action of Nov. 20, 1968, in which nine Vietnamese (mostly unarmed females and males) "rice porters" were ambushed and killed according to the U.S. National Archives DA1594 records.

Inside all of Gary A. Linderer's books he has the following: "Gary A. Linderer is the publisher of `Behind the Lines,' a magazine that specializes in U.S. military special operations. In Vietnam, he earned two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star with V devise (for Valor), the Army Commendation Medal with V devise, and two Purple Hearts. His first two books were selected by the Military Book Club."

**************************
From the FOIA I have the following:
National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100
OFFICIAL LIST OF AWARDS The Official Military Records of GARY A. LINDERER (SSN removed) show that he is authorized the following awards and decorations for his service in the US Army:
SILVER STAR
BRONZE STAR MEDAL W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND "V" ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AIR MEDAL
GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE
SERVICE MEDAL
VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL W/4 BRONZE SERVICE STARS
COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN RIBBON W/DEVICE (1960)
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM GALLANTRY CROSS W/PALM UNIT CITATION BADGE SHARPSHOOTER
BADGE W/RIFLE & MACHINE GUN BARS EXPERT BADGE W/AUTO RIFLE BAR
////////NOTHING FOLLOWS/////////////
R. L. HINDMAN,

Director

Don C. Hall
Author of the award-winning book "I SERVED."
Military researcher, historian and Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary "SILENT VICTORY: The men of F Co., 51st LRP (Airborne) Infantry."

ýYou couldnýt live 30 minutes out there with only six men!ý.......2002-06-14

The LRRPS did. Time and time again the long-range-reconnaissance-patrols went out to "see" and not be "seen", and sadly, some individuals wouldn't return home.

This is fantastic series of books covering the history and evolution of the LRRPS/LRPS/RANGERS during the Vietnam War.

Rey Martinez, Kenn Miller, and Gary Linderer interviewed a great number of the surviving members of the LRRPS/Rangers to bring their history alive. While some members were able to tap into their memories, others wouldn't touch the pain from long ago. The authors did a terrific job bringing the histories together for a strong narrative.

If anything, I found myself wanting to know more! What were they thinking? What were you feeling? I'm sure much ended up on the "editing room floor".

The "SIX SILENT MEN" books are a very honest account if the units actions. They're packed with adventure and daring. While reading their books, I was filled with tension and dread, other times I had to laugh aloud, and a few times I became misty-eyed. You feel for the teams as they "will" themselves to become invisible while on patrol.

Don't be mis-lead by a negative review. The reviewer misquoted the book. This I know since I pulled my copy off the shelf and checked the text. The reviewer claims the authors are liars --- NOT SO. A great number of books on the Vietnam War are written very honestly, and the publishers do "Fact Checking" before publishing these books. Read the review by Harold Nealy, who was a LRRP! His testimonial supports this fine series. If these books were embellished tales, then Vietnam Vets who served in the LRRPS/Rangers wouldn't hesitate to post a review here and let the truths be known. As you see this isn't the case.

I have never met a veteran who has panned these books. Never.

If you enjoyed this series, I would also recommend Jim Morris' WAR STORY, John Plasters' SOG, James Rowe's FIVE YEARS TO FREEDOM, Larry Chambers RECONDO, and Leigh Wade's TAN PHU.

I had the honor of meeting Kenn Miller, Jim Morris, and John Plaster (and other Vietnam Vets) two years ago. They freely answered my questions. I was going to `buy a round' when one of them said, "Put your money away kid." I was 33, and that gathering was enjoyed by all.

Product Description

I Served is a first-person account of the lonely childhood and manhood rites of passage of a Catholic orphanage schoolboy and plankholder in Company F, 51st Long Range Patrol (Airborne) Infantry. From separation from most of his siblings, to life in an orphanage in Virginia, to the dank jungles of Viet Nam, and finally to homecoming and marriage to his childhood sweetheart, Don Hall keeps us on edge.

Customer Reviews:

Great book! .......2006-06-06

I felt really touched by the life story of Don Hall. It is one of those veteran memoirs that are also a great story about love, healing, faith, redemption, compassion, courage and friendship. This book has all those things that can make your heart break or warm up. It is a story of a young boy who endures many emotional and physical hardships in a lonely and cold hearted orphanage, long before he was on his way to Vietnam to face the NVA and VC.

Knowing Don and Annette as I do, made this story even better because I can tell that what was in the book was really all about love. That romance is still alive and well today. The book explores their relationship but it also explores the world that a young Don found himself in during the Vietnam War.

What Don faced in Nam and how he handles himself makes for a real action packed adventure sure to satisfy those readers who enjoy war genre books however, there is much more spiritual and emotional depth to the story line as you follow the unfolding of the man Don was to become.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. I believe that women may find this a book that they can take to their hearts. This is not a combat book but a book about one man's personal journey through his life in search of meaning and love.

An Important Perspective.......2006-02-22

Don and Annette Hall's "I Served" is plainspoken when compared to more literary works such as Michael Herr's "Dispatches" or Neil Sheehan's "Bright and Shining Lies". But it is an engaging first person account that accurately reflects the world view of some extraordinarily brave soldiers who were routinely in contact with the enemy.

Reviewers who served with Don's unit have attested to the veracity of his story and I certainly concur. I was an Army photojournalist in 1967 and 1968 and to my knowledge was the only reporter/photographer to cover an F Company team on an ambush mission. I trained with Sgt. Carter's team for a week before we were inserted in an area of suspected enemy activity. The team was extremely well disciplined and were masters of stealth, moving silently from the LV through dry brush that would snap crackle and pop under the careless feet of most infantry units I accompanied. When the point man climbed a tree and spotted a base camp across a river, we hunkered down in a small clearing to observe enemy activity and determine the size of the force. That night an emeny patrol walked by no more than 10 feet from our concealed position. The next day, a team inserted nearby came under fire and we were extracted in advance of an artillery barrage and an infantry sweep.

Decades later my memories of F Co. 51st Infantry LRPS are very clear but reading Don's book gave me insight into the unit I would never have known otherwise. It's clear that he and Annette have gone to great lengths to reconstruct events where memory alone fails. Back in the day most of us were prohibited from keeping journals so Don's National Archive research is instructional for anyone who would look to write about their own experiences. For those who study the Vietnam experience, Don and Annette provide an important testimony for those who served in front of the front lines.

Disappointing.......2006-02-13

I was under the impression that this book was a true to life accounting of events leading up to the Tet Offensive of 1968. I bought the book based upon the recommendations here. I was disappointed to find that it was more of a heavily gilded diary, with little to no credibility where actual events are recounted.

Further, I did not enjoy the overall ego-centricity of the contents, and would've like to read about the accomplishments of the men in this LRP unit, rather than the personal jabs (sometimes scornful) and off-hand speculations of the first-person author.

I've judged the contents of this book as misleading, but perhaps others will enjoy it more as a story that plays fast and loose with the facts. I guess I was just expecting this book to be more of a hard-core Vietnam era combat account. [...]

This book is the best on Vietnam War.......2005-09-13

This book sets a new standard in memoir writing with supporting documentation backing up the facts in this book, 'I Served.' It was the motto of the unit, 'I SERVE' that the author, Don Hall takes the title from and he has done the men a great service in this award winning book.

Wait for the documentary 'Silent Victory' by, Don Hall and Annette Hall to come out! These two projects are the best to have been made showing the real faces of the Vietnam War from the men who were there and did the most dangerous job in the Army at the time ---- LURPING.

On a side note, it is unconscionable how so many trifling and jealous Random House/Ivy/Ballantine Book authors (a dozen or more at least) have tried to stop the filming of their documentary and how they have smeared the names of all the good veterans in this outstanding book. Read it, believe it, because it's not one of those, "believe me 'cause I was there, this is what I remembered three decades later and I have all these fake and made up military awards" types of books.

This book is based on actual radio communications and records from teams on the ground, other units, the gunships and controlled by the C&C ship of Lt. Colonel William C. Maus, Jr. (commanding) who was put in for the Medal of Honor for his actions during Tet 1968 with this unit.

These men (220 strong), pulled an inordinate back-to-back patrols never witnessed before in military history and unlike the other platoon-sized Lurps of the time period. These men are the silent warriors written about with clarity, in-sight, character, and bravery in a modest way that Don Hall touchs you with each person in the book. This unit, as a whole, was so valuable in obtaining intelligence on the enemy, destroying the enemy that, in fact, the U.S. Army War College studied this unit Foxtrot Company, 51st LRP (Airborne) Infantry to set up the current-day 75th Ranger Regiment of the U.S. Army Rangers and F Company, 51st LRS (Long Range Surveillance) at Fort Bragg, NC. A must read with valuable lessons to be learned for the military historians and those interested in the times because it is more than a war tale. It's about the characters.

Riveting, Truthful, Heroic, Right from the Heart........2003-05-09

...It is beyond the shadow of a doubt, the best book I have ever read.
I am retired, and reading non-fiction books about the Vietnam experience is what I like to do best. In the year I've been retired, I have read as of 5/8/03 between 75 and 80 books all relating to Vietnam and what these people went through.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall's book "I Served" is without a doubt the best I have ever read. In all honesty and truthfulness, I can't imagine a better book to read. It has more to offer than any book, and I loved every word of it. The writing has a way of making you feel like your standing right there watching it all take place. It is a very rare quality to be able to write like that. I honestly feel if Mr. Hall ever wanted to, he could be one heck of an auther, and probably could write a good number of book's and have before long, a following of faithful readers.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone over any other book I have ever read. I would like to say, Please check this book out. It's not an expensive book, it's worth is far greater than any amount you would pay for it. I can guarentee, you will love it the same way I and everbody else who read it does. This is a book you will be sorry you didn't read. And that's the truth. So help me God.
From his day's in an orphanage, to the end of his tour in Vietnam, Mr. Hall reveils so much about himself that other people wouldn't want anybody to know. It is so honest and forthright as to put it a league all it's own.
I will keep this book for as long as I live. And I will hope and pray that my two son's find the time time read it. I know it will have a positive effect on them both. And I'm sure it will have the same effect on you. You won't be sorry you bought and read this book, so please do for your sake.

Airborne Ranger (Monster Jam Wheelie Books)

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Airborne Ranger (Monster Jam Wheelie Books)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0789499347

Book Description

Watch out when Ranger gets big air. When he lands, he'll be crushing and smashing cars.

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airbourn rangers
Great pictures with info
It's awful dry...

Airborne Rangers (Power)
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To Be a U. S. Army Ranger (To Be A)

ASIN: 0879386061

Book Description

Follow the history of these specialized forces performing raids, interdictions, and recovery missions around the world. See the Ranger Training Brigade and the 75th Ranger Regiment, with a glimpse of what it takes to become a part of the Ranger team. Includes an examination of the specialized weapons and equipment of todays Airborne Rangers.

Customer Reviews:

airbourn rangers.......2006-02-24

Accurately portrays the type of training I had to go through 1951-1954 during the Korean Conflict (WAR). Althought I was never assigned to a line outfit at the time I spent all my time in the Ranger Training Command @ Ft. Benning, GA assinged to Eglin Air Force Base near Ft. Walton Beach, FL as a Jungle Warefare Instructor. It is still a wonderful book on the happings at the time!!!!

Great pictures with info.......1999-10-10

This book has great stuff in it. It has some of the training and grat pictures. But I wish it could have more detail on weapons .

It's awful dry..........1999-07-18

The book is good when it comes to the history and training of the Rangers, but the language is dry and you get bored after about three pages. The language sounds so matter-of-factly, as if writing this book was a chore for the writers. I never should have bought it. I think even Ann Landers could have done a better job writing about the Rangers.

Average customer rating:

Army Ranger Airborne Field Guide

Manufacturer: Athena Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1414700520
Release Date: 2004-06-23

Product Description

Describes subjects like hand signals, first aid, navigation, use of weapons and munitions, and lots of detailed, specialized tasks an Army Ranger would need on the battlefield.

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Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone

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Patrick K. O'Donnell
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