Boys for Men: A Vietnam War Memoir

Boys for Men shows the daily grind and sameness of the life of a Vietnam soldier mixed with daily fear all the while getting closer to the Zone . Always ready for the inevitable horrors of war. Nice juxtaposition with the journal of a soldier from long ago.

How anyone could possibly read all 700+ pages is a mystery to me. Other than the beginning description of the initial army days, and the ending about the fire fight, every day in-between was basically the same story, over and over and over. Also, too much use of the lingo, i.e., tee tee/boo coo/didi/sky..........This should have been a short story, not a book.

I got this book feeling it would be an interesting read. My family has been in wars since the Civil War, some members will talk about some of their experiences and some won't. I like to read and try to understand. I have not read this book yet, it is stored on my kindle and I will do alot of reading in the summer when it is too hot and humid to be outside and also in the winter when it is cold and icy.

The book became monotonous with the same descriptions of the days happenings, the cruddy food, the inept leadership, etc.. I recognize that Nam was a terrible place to be in, our veterans were treated really badly when they returned, and the food might have been deplorable, but; I don't believe that drunken tank commanders and inept mess sergeants were the norm. I just didn't think the book presented a view that was representative of the situation.

Good read, nice follow up on the historical soldier but rather abrupt ending on the authors story. SPOILERS What happened with his eye? Did he ever get in touch with any of the others from his platoon/tank? What in the HELL is the loaders name?! Inclusion of some pictures would be great too if they're available.

This book is reportedly written by a vet, and probably was, but it is a poor memoir written as though it was written as a daily journal. In reality it is some disjointed facts fleshed out by poor fiction, but fiction written by someone who had been there. You can get a general idea what tank service in Vietnam was like.

I WAS 9TH RECON. MY WEAPON OF PREFERENCE WAS AND STILL IS THE M-14; 7.62 .IN BOOT CAMP I SHOT A PERFECT SCORE. FOR MY YOUNG HILLYBILLY AS S ABILITY I WAS GIVEN THE PLEASURE OF BEING CALLED TEX, HANDED A PRICK 25 HEAVEY ASS SQUAWK RADIO, WITH BATTERIES BIGGER AND HEAVIER THAN BRICKS, TOLD TO RUN 20 KLIKS WITH MY SPOTTER, SNOOP AND POOP, DRAW WHAT WE SAW, AVE OF APPROACH TO SAY HILL 81, MARBLE MOUNTAIN, MONKEY MOUNTAIN, HAPPY SO VERY ....HAPPY VALLEY, AND OF COURSE THE ROCK PILE...ETC..... MY ONLY PROBLEM WITH THE ARMY IS, THEY GOT EVERYTHING NEW, AND WE ATE WWII C-RATS. WE CALLED OUR P-38 OR JOHN WAYNES. FOR FUN AND BEST WE HELD JOHN WAYNE RACES OPENING OR MEATBALLS AND BEANS WITH 1/2 INCH OF GREASE ON TOP. WE HAD CANVAS PACKS, WOOD HANDLED E-TOOLS, COULD GET TWO PACKS OF LUCKY STRIKES FOR ONE PACK OF KOOLS OR SALEMS, OR SOMETIMES 4 PACKS OF CHESTERFIELDS FOR ONE PACK OF KOOLS. I HAVE SEEN THE GREEN HAZE. COULD RUN THE THREE MILE PFT IN BOOTS, TROUSERS, AND T SHIRT IN 17 MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS. IN THE BUSH, WHEN I WAS REALLY SPOOKED UP, I COULD OUT RUN ANY PERSON THAT I EVER MET, ALL BECAUSE MY HILLBILLY ASS HUNTED IN THE OZARK MOUNTAINS IN THE DARK, CHASING AFTER MY HOUNDS FROM THE AGE OF SIX ,WITH A SINGLE SHOT SEARS AND TO BUCK .22 WITHOUT SIGHTS. POINT OF AIM IS POINT OF IMPACT. TRY RABBIT HUNTIN WITHOUT SIGHTS. I AM PROUD TO HAVE SERVED WITH THE ARMY AND I LOVED PUFF, AND I WANTED TO KISS ARTIE. I LOVED THUMPER AND OUR 3.5 ROCKET LAUNCHER, CAN YOU SAY BAZOKA, NOT THE SAME AS THE LAW. AND GOD LOVE OUR EVER HUMPING DOC'S WHO COULD CARRY MORE S*** THAN ANY MARINE. DID I SAY I LOVED PUFF?
I AM 100 % DISABLED NOW, BUT STILL ABOVE DIRT. BUT LIKE THE AUTHOR COULD HAVE SAID" A LITTLE RAIN IN THE CRACK OF YOUR ASS IS
BETTER THAN A TWO STEP IN YOUR PEACHES AND POUND CAKE.
THE BOOK TALKED THE TALK, BECAUSE HE WALKED THE WALK
HAVE YOU HEARD THE 8 TRACKS PLAYING THROUGH THE SPEAKERS ON AN AMTRACK- ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? I GOT TA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE. MAN THIS BOOK OPENED ME UP INSIDE. I STILL LOVE HENDRIX. NEVER SAW A USO SHOW. I CAN STILL SMELL THEM WHEN IT'S DARK.

GREAT STORY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS. PROUD TO HAVE HEARD YOUR STORY.
SINCERELY
TEX

This story needed editing. If every day is "same-day" then don't write about every day the exact same way. We hate that. The glossary might have been better up front, especially for e-book readers. Glad you got out alive though, dude.

The monotony of war definitely comes through the pages. Day after day of the same entries punctuated by occasional death, either enemy inspired or self-inflicted. I did like the comparison with the Indian war era troops. Not much had changed in 80 odd years. Made it about halfway through before I felt I had gotten all it was going to offer.

Not sure what I expected but this book was exceptionally boring. Page after page of the exact same thing. The 1800's soldier journal was more interesting than the Vietnam journal. Talked to a Vietnam vet I work with and he looked me incredulously and asked "There were tanks in Vietnam?! I never saw one." Numerous spelling and other errors throughout.

I understand this book is a journey by 2 separate men in 2 different wars but.....boo coo this boo coo that. The c rats are bad, hot chow is bad, Platoon Sargent is a idiot, sCary time, I'm hot, hate the monsoons.....every entry. This reminded me of Cheech and Chong's bit about "WHAT DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION. Really, very dry, slow reading.

The writer switches between a Vietnam war memoir, and the memoir of a warrior in a different conflict in a different time. This is NOT a Vietnam war memoir, but a hybrid of a soldier's memoir from a past time, weaved into a Vietnam memoir. I thought I would be reading about a man's experience in Vietnam! What I received was a disappointing experience in frustration!

The title misleads the reader! Look for a different account of the war in Vietnam. I suggest "We were soldiers once, and young!" You will meet Col. Hal Moore, a USMA graduate, who loved his men, led them into combat, ate the same dust, debris and haze of battle as his fellow soldiers. Suffered the loss of fellow warriors, and prayed for his men! Hal Moore is the consummate leader! He is the type of leader that the USMA at West Point, NY should always turn out! However, Hal is exceptional! His care for his men is not something that the trials at the Academy can instill in its cadets! Care and love for fellow warriors is a character trait that is taught at home! "We were soldiers once, and young!" will give you a view of the horror of combat! Don't think of this book as a vicarious and entertaining novel! It is very real. BTW, I attended USMA in the late '60's. BTW, USMA is the USCC, or the United States (US Army) Military Academy of the United States (US Army) Corp of Cadets. Appointees enter as Plebes or Forth Classmen, go through four years of tough academic instruction, viz., 23 hours per semester, and four years of tough and exhausting military training. At the end, the Firsties or First Classmen, graduate with a Commission as 2nd Lt's in the US Army. Some graduates may pick other branches of the US Dept of Defense. Graduates have a five year active duty obligation upon graduation. The education is expensive, but the cost is paid by the US Army. Also, the cadets are paid monthly, half the salary of a 2nd Lt. If this sounds like a picnic, then try to be appointed, then try to stay in! Graduates from any of the US service academies, go through a very tough experience! Their graduation is a testament to their dedication and perseverance! Hal Moore represents the BEST that the USCC can produce! The book "We were soldiers once, and young!" represents the best first hand account of a major battle in Vietnam, by a shrewd tactician, against a numerically super force of the NVA. The NVA are the Regular North Vietnam Army! The NVA are a very professional army, with years of combat experience against their enemies! They are a very formidable military force! Any leader who under estimates their prowess in battle, will soon be defeated!

Great idea with tedious execution. Let me begin by saying that I am sure the account is true and I honor the service of both soldiers whose service is chronicled. I served for I am quite familiar with the endless tedium and seemingly endless stream of nonsensical rules as well as those who enforce the rules.

Sadly, neither soldier's narrative is compelling. The account from the Indian wars is interesting from a historical perspective but he saw no action and most of his narrative is daily weather reports, occasional accounts of what he had to eat, and updates on his tooth ache. Even his account of the Custer Battle field is second-hand.

PFC Wolf's account, written years after the fact, is interesting but it suffers greatly from having a handful of themes repeated over and over and over. One can only read so many accounts of how disgusting ham and eggs c-rats were or how funny it was to watch Johnson eat them or how much c-rats make you fart and how bad the inside of the fart filled turret smelled, or what colors the hot chow was or any of a dozen other scenarios were that are repeated ad nauseam through out the book.

I think the idea of the book was great but the author should have either written a shorter book or found some new ways to express his ideas. I read it to the end but will admit that I was glad that the book/his tour ended at the three month point. A year's worth of this book would have felt like many lifetimes. Xin loi, Wolf.

Good read that got a little tedious and repetitive until the action packed finish. When the stuff hit the fan, it did so big time. It is an honest portrayal of life in an armoured unit patrolling the sweltering jungles of Vietnam. It was hot, boring work until the NVA decided to eliminate Derricks unit and then things got very intense, very quickly. He was fortunate to survive. We have read many books giving us the infantry perspective, here is one that casts a rare look at life in a tank fighting in a most inhospitable place.

Okay, bad stuff first. The editing of this book leaves a lot to be admired. About a quarter a the way into this book is a passage of about a page and a half that is immediately repeated for the next page and a half. This is a big time editing error. Besides the passage repeat there are missed words, words unnecessarily added, and misspellings. There is also a lot of repeated action. Though something is the same, it can be written differently. A proper editor would have helped in this case.
Now, to the good stuff. Despite all the editing drawbacks I was caught up in the personality of the writer and his story. For me it was a real eye opener to this war. Our soldiers are funny, witty, scared, and very brave. G-d Bless them. I couldn't put this book down and had to read all the way to the end. I'm glad I did or I would have left this story always wondering what happened next. And it's that wondering that kept me turning page after page. Yes, this could have been written much better, but the story and the personality telling it or so compelling I couldn't put it down.

This is the "Seinfeld" of Viet Nam books. Nothing happens but it's still very fun and interesting.

If you've read the other reviews that claim this is a Groundhog Day diary of the grind of Army life - that is absolutely true. Like other readers, I got a couple of hundred pages in and thought "is this all its going to be", yet I continued.

One of the things that I really liked was the Author's use of the Infantryman's slang. As a clever story teller. , he introduces these terms and patiently repeats them until you get caught up in the dialect. Some readers found it annoying, but I quite enjoyed it. I think he's a good writer.

This book is not for everyone, but if you're a true fan of all things Viet Nam and you've read a lot of the other books, this is an insiders look a the routine and boredom of a mechanized squad doing their job. My guess is that people will either love it or hate it.

Very good, although repetItive. As it would be in telling a day to day journey. I liked and researched the descriptions of the tanks, trucks, and weapons to see what he talks of. I'd really like to know what becomes of the guys he served so close with, Fanelli, the loader whose name he never learned. Wack, Smitty, Zack, Steve, Big Al, Sgt Green, Charlie Brown, Johnson. I intend to read the next one Of No Value.
I've read this book twice now, as I often do. Honestly, the first time, I didn't even read the 1876 entries of Sylvester Waltz. I was only interested in the Vietnam story. The second time through, I read it all. I like it even more, as it is apparent that Army life 100 years apart was quite similar in daily routine. I also like how his being wounded was juxtaposed with General Custer's death, and that both he and the writer of the 1876 journal are now both on their way back from war experiences...to the Real World.

While very informative, I found some discourse of the day to day events to be the same over the time in country. I get that it's part of the daily grind, but reading the same thing about every day is a bit monotonous. Hitting the redball, circling the tracks facing outward; putting out nighttime defenses (claymore, concertina wire, trip flares, guard duty, c-rats that often were nasty). Repeating the process in the AM to sky to the next area & resupply......put out the defenses again, c-rats.....over & over. I understand he's telling it like it was: hard drudgery, unpleasant & unsanitary condtions, living through monsoon weather & lots of bugs, made for a lot of misery that these veterans got no credit for upon theirs deros back to the US. There were just too many repetitious accounts of the same daily routine. Finally getting to the firefight brought some life to the re-living of a difficult time in our history. The "afterward" brought back my memories at Landstuhl Army Hospial as a patient. Unlike civilian hospitals, we were able to go places on our own, like mess, base exchange, day room..... hell, I even had to walk to the EKG department on my own after a bout of chest pain! Zin loi! This was around 1973: I'm sure things have changed now. It was a good book, a tale needing to be told; however it needs to be more condensed, as I felt like I kept re-reading the same pages over & over again throughout most of the 700 pages. But thank you for writing with clarity: I was able to easily picture everything in my mind as to how life in the Nam was. Thankful for those who served there, & thankful I didn't have to.