Mr. Isaacs has done a credible job of detailing the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam and its impact upon our politics, our foreign policy, our citizenry, Vietnamese immigrants and many veterans groups and issues, especially the POW/MIA issue. THat he does so in so short a book is a testament to the emotional power of his writing. However, the chapters are uneven, some are so short as to be barely worth mentioning, others give us an overview of issues without going to deeply in to them. The most interesting chapters are the ones on the POW/MIA issue and our ongoing Vietnam syndrome. In the POW/MIA chapter, the author nicely skewers those who continue to perpetrate the myth that there are still POW's in Vietnam. Inded this is one of the greatest postwar tragedies, that many groups feed off the grief of families by keeping this issue at the forefront of their conciousness (and their pocketbook) when in fact there is no proof, living or otherwise of any remaining POW's in Nam. Isaacs points out the folly of the issue and the fact that it keeps us from both reconciling with the families of those lost and normalizing relations with a country that is eager to put the war behind it as well. But the author points out that the war was never really about Vietnam, but more about us, and that is the real tragedy and the source of many of the misunderstandings of the war. The longer the war went on, the more the issue became saving American pride and face, and the less the issue was the people of Vietnam and the impact the war had upon them. Indeed, most postwar discussion focuses on what might have happened if we had either pulled out earlier or let the military unleash its full power, instead of talking about what did happen and why. This only lends credence to the authors point that the issues of the war have not yet been resolved, nor are they likely to be for a long time. If you are looking for a good overview of post Vietnam war issues, this is an excellent source book; but if you want to go into depth on one then its probably not what you are looking for, though it is useful in framing issues. Since this book came out there has been a huge output of information on the war, much of it excellent, though much of it falls into the trap of discussing what ifs instead of what did happen. And those of us who follow politics have heard the frequent references to the Vietnam syndrome by Clinton, BUsh, Reagan and others, both in describing past conflicts, i.e. the GUlf War, BOsnia, Haiti, and in framing future foreign invlovements, i.e. John McCain. Though the author only glazes over the issue i nthe syndrome chapter, another tragedy of Vietnam is that the U.S still has no recognizable foreign policy i nthe post cold war world. Good, if too short of a book, though unquestioably many will find fault with the author's politcs, even in a post war context.

I almost stopped reading this book after the first 3 chapters. While Dr. Isaacs claimed in his preface that he was attempting to be objective in his discussions, subtle derogatory(and I believe unfounded) comments about conservatives, particularly Ronald Reagan, made me doubt his objectivity. I have read enough books with obvious biases against either liberals or conservatives; I felt I didn't want to waste more time reading another one. I'm searching for the truth about the war, not rhetoric. However, I continued to read and I am glad I did. In particular, the chapters on the MIA/POW issue and Southeast Asians immigrants and refugees are absolutely excellent. Given my desire to learn about this period of history (I'm 36 years old and was only 12 years old in 1975), the chapter, Learning about the War, is also very interesting. While I don't feel the first 3 chapters offer anything new to the Vietnam discussion, chapters 5 - 8 are a treasure.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War. Isaacs seems to have thoroughly researched the ideas and events he presents in each chapter. I found the chapter entitled "The Myth" very enlightening. The degree that it appears our government messed up in so many areas of this conflict -- before, during, after, and still to this day -- is appalling. I was gratified to see his chapter on The New Americans! As a college teacher, I have encountered many young Vietnamese Americans, but not until this year did I have one thank me for my service (and that of others)during the war that enabled her and her family to come to America (she is a straight "A" student in a professional health curriculum -- she works so hard because she knows the opportunity she has been given). It was disgusting, however, to learn the details of Bill Clinton's evasive manuevers during the war. I do not believe Isaacs will find agreement from Robert Hemphill (author of "Platoon: Bravo Company")on his comment about the movie "Platoon" being the most realistic portrayal of the war. Every student of the Vietnam War owes it to themselves to read this book!

A proud member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, USS RANGER (CVA-61), 1964-65 and 1965-66 Yankee Station and Dixie Station tours.

"In a war zone, things never go bump in the night; they go BOOM!" That pretty much says it all with regards to Kregg's finely written tribute to Captain George Paccerelli and the LRRPs of Company E, 52d Infantry. Better keep your head down as you read this intensive tale of LRRP-style warfare. Those green tracers cracking over your head have your name on them! I got to know and admire Paccerelli for his tough, no-nonsense approach to building his LRRP unit into a highly-effective, elite reconaissance unit that could fight the enemy on his own terms and win. Kregg doesn't embellish events. He gets down to the nitty-gritty and tells it like it is. This book will go on the shelf in my classroom for my high school students to read and write book reports on. Eminently readable, packed with action, and studded with truly unforgettable characters, Kregg's book stands out as a great antidote to the liberal media's hateful degradation of Vietnam vets as subhuman dopers bent on raping and pillaging hapless civilians. "LRRP Company Command" will help dispel that ugly myth for my students.

Good reading(listening). The Real stuff. Very well read. This will take you in to the realm of true warriors.

Kregg Jorgenson has written a outstanding tribute and account of the men and C.O of 'Hotel Company' Rangers in LRRP COMPANY COMMAND. Then Captain George Paccerelli was a seasoned Special Forces / SOG combat veteran when he assumed command of the LRRP Company in 1968. Intelligent, devoted to training and caring about the well being of the men that were being sent behind the enemy's lines. You will find this book well written and informative about the ever-changing warfare the LRRP's were employing and adapted to. While reading this book I found very detailed accounts of being in 'the backyard' while the small LRRP teams set up their ambushes, prisoner snatches and intelligence gathering missions. You will come to appreciate these highly trained and heroic soldiers as they dealt death to the enemy on his level. In closing Col. (ret) George Paccerelli was inducted into the 'Ranger Hall of Fame' in 1993. During his speech at the induction he made the statement ' Getting into the Ranger Hall of Fame was easy with the kind of caliber of people I had in that company, I was very fortunate and the honor is very much theirs as it is mine.' This alone says something about what an outstanding person this man is. Where will you find this retired Colonel today? Having earned a Ph.D. he teaches History at a Community College.

This is an interesting book. I have read a little bit about Vietnam (including books by Halberstam, Sheehan, Karnow, and McNamara), and found that this series of interviews added something new. The author is right in saying that the addition of Vietnamese voices (a Viet Cong activist and ARVN officer, both now living in the States) provides something new. The reflections of the CIA station chief -- Thomas Polgar -- were the most insightful in the book, and I found the interview with him to be particularly compelling.

Having said that, the author is not a very good writer, and that's unfortunate. Also, he doesn't seem to maximize his time with his subjects (or doesn't maximize his use of space in the book); he lets some subjects off with easy questions or questions that are overly broad and repetitive (e.g., his frequent queries about the 'domino theory'). His editorializing (e.g., what John McCain would be like as President) is unwelcome, ill-thought out, and detracts from the messages of his interview subjects.

Finally, what bothered me most was the way in which the writer gratuitously inserted himself into the narrative. With great respsect, no-one cares that he met X. when the author was a cadet at West Point, or that he was an Army Captain in Vietnam (a picture of him in fatigues is included with the photos of the interviewees). He should stick to the reflections of his interview subjects, which is the purpose of the entire project.

This is still a book worth reading. It brings together a great many voices from different quarters speaking about one big subject. I would urge interested readers to take a look at this book and decide for themselves.

Mr. Dorland has managed to give quite a balanced look at the war in Vietnam and the era that spawned it, by talking to people that played major roles on every side of the conflict. With 25 years of perspective, some memories have tempored, while others burn as hot as they did then. A fascinating read - especially for those who were not old enough to understand the state of the world at the time. I give credit to all those who were willing to stand up - even all these years later - and make their opinions known. Cogratulations to one and all.

While the pieces of our country's history of involvement in Vietnam are being rearranged and fall into place, Dorland's Legacy of Discord takes its place as an important work. As the opportunity slips away to hear from many key figures of the era, Dorland's series of interviews is a gift of perspective to those who care to understand. The book is unmatched under one cover. There is a sense of urgency to the voices, a commitment to get into print opposing viewpoints so that we might come a bit closer to deciphering a defining period of our history.

Legacy is a fast-paced book from cover to cover. Dorland is not concerned with childhoods, marriages, etc., but rather he charges to the heart of the matter with each interviewee and expands from that point. The author's style is crisp and concise. The subject introductions are extremely well-written, germaine, and do not exceed two pages. The vast bulk of the book is in the language of its subjects.

The only mild and debatable criticism is the author's decision to include excerpts from Westmoreland's writings after a short telephone interview. I sense that Dorland agonized over this inclusion and finally acceded in deference to the general's health, age, and pivotal importance. Westmoreland's writings do add perspective, but it is unfortunate that too much time has passed for the general to answer pointed questions. It also emphasizes how lucky we are that the same is not yet true of the other participants.

I read Legacy in two days and began re-reading it shortly thereafter. Its importance to the era's evolving history is borne out simply by the agreement to go down in print by the participants themselves: Arnett, Ellsberg, Haig, Halberstam, Hayden, Kerry, Kissinger, McCain, Polgar, Schwartzkopf, Webb, Westmoreland, et al.

If you have the slightest interest in trying to understand this period of history, Legacy of Discord is an absolute must-read; in my opinion, it is a must-read twice.

You cannot but praise this author for his honesty. The book tells the story of a joint USMC and US Army battle in the DMZ with brutal truth. The story is told, warts and all, and it made this book what it is.

I must say however that at times I felt the story got a bit disjointed and could have used more and better maps to assist the narrative but overall the author presents a decent and well researched account of this terrible battle.

If you like down to earth and in your face combat accounts then you should enjoy this book.

i greatly enjoyed this book. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. the best book on vietnam i have read (might be a little bias, my dad is mention in the book). this book had great detail as far as the lives of the Marines in the battle field.

Nolan has the gift of writing pictures. His ability, not just to put into words, but to do so with such fluidity, style, and accuracy put me back there as if I had never left. I read this and Operation Buffalo each twice and found in them the perfect tools I needed to finally speak of the war to my family.

This author misses the mark completely. His account gives none of the day to day feel of the misery and discomfort of living in the field in Vietnam and putting life on the line every day. His recollections are so stale and based on one line journal entrys that they never live up to the promise. I was sorry to see him fall in to the I "I was the best" trap that so many first hand accounts fall into. He clearly wasn't the best, nor was his platoon any better than most. His glee at hearing that a Col who chewed him out for getting too many men blown up in a booby trap had been shot down and seriously injured was, to say the least, morbid! They are too many good first hand accounts available to waste time on this one.

I missed the Vietnam War by a year or two. I served as an 11B from 72-78. I always wondered what it would have been like to have been there in a rifle company. Plenty of books about SF and LRRPs, but not very many written by a real infantry platoon leader. I never had a tremensous desire to be an elite soldier in an elite unit (if I could have even made it). I only wanted to be a rifle squad leader. This book really made me feel what it would have been like. What I missed. It is a real world book. Not a battle every minute book filled with stories of great exploits. Just a real world grunt in Vietnam book. I highly recommend the companion book Company Commanders Journal.

This is one of the best books I've ever read, when it comes to documenting the day to day events of a soldier in war. Based on the writer's journal as an Infantry platoon leader, and reinforced with letters sent & kept by the authors wife, this book is both poignant and detailed.From simple remembrances of c-rations and malaria pills, to major battles and the loss of friends, Lanning's book remembers them all, and shares them with the reader.

David Chandler has made extensive use of the archives of S-21, with photographs and "confessions" to show the absurd paranoia of the leaders in Democratic Kampuchea. An excellent book, with some aspects that put me off, though: blunt anticommunism, some assertions about Soviet, Chinese and Vietnamese leaders that are rather anecdotal than based on serious historic scholarship, and weird comparisons between the turturers at S-21 and psychoanalysts.

The title "Voices from S-21" suggests that Chandler's book will contain interviews/narrative from the prisoners held at the infamous Cambodian santebal. There is very little in the book detailing any one individual's personal experience (understandably, since only a handful survived). The book is extremely well-researched (45 of the total pages are footnotes) and I found it a dry read. Gets into theory of the prison's existence and why the interrogators carried out their orders with such detachment. However there is very little by way of firsthand accounts of what went on, if that's what you're expecting from the book.

David Chandler's "Voices from S-21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison" is a good book for a novice like me. Chandler starts by framing the book around the S-21 institution and its configuration. Chandler then dedicates and entire portion to the memoirs of the purges; the allegation santebal leveled at prisoners; and the various approaches of "politics" and "torture." The book concludes with short commentary of the "why" of S-21. Chandler's "Voices from S-21" is effectively a detailed history of the inner workings of the Khmer Rouge's secret police. Known as "santebal", and working out of a prison complex called S-21, the Khmer Rouge killed, tortured and interrogated "enemies" of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK). Due to the secretive nature of the Khmer Rouge, S-21 was "the place where people went in but never came out" (p. 7) - and this is an important issue to consider.

Between the years of 1975 and 1979, it is estimated that 14,000 prisoners (p. 36) entered S-21, but only four survived. The horrors of S-21 were uncovered during the liberation by the Vietnamese who found the prison's ghastly remains. Chandler used the S-21 record which were microfilmed by Cornell University in the early 1990s and synthesized the archive to produce this book. Because Chandler uses this technique the work is arguably incomplete, and it is my opinion, that in a lot of places it is largely speculative. Prisoner statements were extracted under torture, and other written records are tainted with party ideology or just laziness on the part of the recorders. Chandler, to his credit is writes that as Aristotle pointed out "more than two thousand years ago, confessions that flow from torture often bear little relation to the truth." (p. 128) Moreover, I admire Chandler for his creative use in including noted French philosopher Michel Foucault in his analysis but I am doubtful of both his interpretation and use of the same. On page 134, Chandler tries to fuse Foucault's notion of the "vengeance of the sovereign" into an almost Nazi like aura by describing the efficiency of the Khmer Rouge. Chandler pointed out earlier that the need for secrecy was an issue (p.17) but Foucault's notion of the "vengeance of the sovereign" is one of public display and notice - forming a contradiction to Chandler's initial observation/conclusion. Several notable issues regarding the book come to mind regarding his methodology. Chandler's creative use of Kundera/Kafka and the "establishment of guilt" is a very effective metaphor. Mind you, I am no expert in Cambodian history or the Khmer Rouge but when Chandler juxtaposes Kafka with S-21, you get the sense that one is guilty because he/she is arrested and not arrested because he/she is guilty much like Joseph K in "The Trial." Another issue that came home for me was the notion that after a while everyone was under suspicion. Folks like Son Sen who was trusted to watch over the "Eastern Zone" was later on suspected of treason. If it were not for the Vietnamese, he too may have ended up in S-21. (p.74-75) Lastly, is you have visited the work camp in Terezin in the Czech Republic, you will get a sense that most people who are incarcerated like this die less from torture but more from the atrocious conditions. Mind you, I am neither playing down the tortures, simply stating that the camp conditions were part of the horror as Chandler is good enough to point out.

Probably the most informative portion of the book is the detail relating to the "interrogations." What amazes me is that Chandler, despite his extensive bibliography fails to refer to Franz Fanon. Fanon's studies regarding the gendarme in Algeria could have shed light into many of Chandler's questions. Chandler adeptly coaxes his sources to illustrate the hopes and frustrations of prisoners and their interrogators. It can be argued that the most problematic portion of "Voices from S-21" is the concluding chapter. Here Chandler tries to set the horrors of S-21 in the milieu of other butchery of events like the Holocaust. Chandler brings up the Zimbardo and Milgram experiments (p. 147-148), but to make analogy with the Holocaust without referring back to it is impossible to do. Anyone who visits Toul Sleng museum will undoubtedly be moved by the degree and scale of atrocities committed in this secret torture center during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. I recommend this book highly but it needs to be framed better for the reader by looking for something that sets the tone regarding Cambodia, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. For the background, it might be wise to start with Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot (1992) (also available on Amazon.com) but for a psychology of horror - this book is second to none.

Miguel Llora

I bought this book on a last-minute trip notice to Indonesia and boy what a mistake it was. Perhaps I was the only one, but Craig Robson's Guide to the Birds of Southeast Asia refers to part of SEA north of Singapore (He does list the countries on the cover). This is just a reminder to those who might, as I thought, assume Indonesia would be included in his guide to SEA birds.

Otherwise, Robson's guide to birds of SEA was useful for identifying birds in Singapore and East and West Malaysia so far. With nicely illustrated Plates for clear and clean identification, except for the tailor birds which had the colours right but were not illustrated too professionally.

Other downsides is that it is a little bulky for long trips into the field and that there are no size guides or range diagrams. Otherwise, if you're planning a trip to the part of SEA (that excludes Indonesia) this is a worthy book to have with you. Though if you're planning trips to specific territories, I'd suggest you buy the relevent country's guide.

In Taiwan, I compared to those books which guide to migratory birds.
I found Craig Robson's book is more precise than others.
Although hes never been there, Taiwan.

For a long time there was only one bird guide for the region, King and Dickinson's Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. This well written book did not illustrate all the species, and many of the illustrations were in black and white. Also in the version I own at least, the plates are scattered throughout the text, making things a little hard to find at times. In 1991 Lekagul and Round's Birds of Thailand came out, and more recently Jeyarajasingam and Pearson's Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore appeared. These last two cover only Thailand and the Malaysian part of the Malay peninsula, respectively. They are both good books and certainly a traveler to these areas will find them useful. Now we have this new book by Robson. Here is proof that an "international" guide, one that covers over 1200 species, doesn't need to be a doorstop. This volume is slim and weighs less than some guides that cover fewer species. But it doesn't skimp on information. The well written species entries all are numbered sequentially, that same number appears along with a brief description opposite the bird's image on the plate. For me at least, this makes the book easy to use. The text includes voice descriptions, detailed habitat information (generally more than the region's other guides), descriptions of all distinctive plumages, and nesting information, etc. For the more serious student, there is some mention of subspecies and their ranges. There are no range maps, a defect for some people, but the succinct range descriptions are coupled to a map at the front of the book, and are easy to comprehend. Finally the plates. These are generally excellent, and fairly even in quality, in spite of having been produced by 14 artists! They are clumped together near the front of the book and are crowded as one would expect with over 1200 species to cover. That said, these are in general, easily the best illustrations for birds of this region to date. There may be a species here or there that is better represented in one of the other guides, but here the artists more reliably capture the look of the birds. In my copy the printing is sharp, and the images are clear. To close, this book picks up where King and Dickinson's left off. We have an expanded species list and more information generally, than that work. And a set of really nice color plates. If packing light means taking only one guide with you, then this is the one to get.

We took this book with us to each port that we went to and were able to find a number of little off-the-beaten-path treasures as a result. The book gives detailed directions that even the directionally-impaired (like myself) can follow, and offers street names, landmarks, and amounts of walking time in order to assist you in getting from place to place.

In our case, our scheduled shore excursion in Juneau was canceled, so we just set out with the book. We got to see parts of Juneau that nobody else on our tour saw, and really enjoyed getting to know the city better. Some of the port towns in Alaska are very touristy, and this allowed us to plot out our own routes that would take us away from the crowds to see some of the lesser-known but just as fun landmarks. In both Juneau and Ketchikan, we found this book invaluable. I highly recommend it for anyone planning a cruise to Alaska - and especially for those who are doing it on a budget. By touring Juneau on our own instead of through a ship-planned shore excursion, we saved nearly five hundred dollars. Great book.

Not too much, not too little and good fun.

This cute little book is easy to read, and full of all the right kinds of stuff. I didn't have to waste time sussing things out on my own. I knew what to expect before I got to each location, and when I did arrive I knew what to do every step of the way.

Good on ya, Julianne Chase .. great book!

This book is so handy for the way it fit nicely into my, well, hand while I was walking around. I was able to refer to it so easily, letting it guide or remind me what I wanted to see and do. But I also read it before I went on my trip and loved the historical and hands on information like trail permits that helped me plan ahead. And I liked the fact that the author grew up in Juneau and she writes like a local with insider's knowledge and so you get more personal tidbits of info, easy to read, like a friend at your elbow.

"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."

**************************

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

Mr Gary Linderer tells you how teamwork really pays off. He isn't one of these writers who can do everything himself, as some claim they can. The greatest glory and honor come from helping one another achieve the best of themselves.

The stories in this book had to come from the real stuff. Only LRRPs/Rangers who had been there could tell these stories. Not Rambo stuff but brave young men doing special operations. A good eye opener.