I was born during the time of Vietnam. Because of this, I was too young to really know what was going on. And, when I got into school, it must have been too fresh a memory for the school systems to teach. So, that part of history was never discussed.

Despite this, I've always wanted to know what was taking place. Not the stuff we typically hear in history class - boring dates and things like that (a pet peeve of mine - why can't teachers make history interesting? Must they all make it horribly boring?) I wanted to know how the people were feeling. I wanted the HUMAN aspect of the war. I wanted to know what real people felt as they were serving over there - both the US GIs as well as the people in Vietnam.

I found an absolutely incredible book that is giving me that. "...and a hard rain fell:A GI's True Story of Vietnam" by John Ketwig is an amazing book written by someone who was there. And, one who's not afraid to tell exactly what he saw (although, I suspect that I'm not reading the full extent of the horror he saw). It's not, at least, the part I've read thus far, a treatise on "we should have gone" or "we should not have gone." It's not politically driven, and it doesn't have an "agenda." It's just a recollection of the memories he had of that time - written for his wife and daughters, so they would have a better understanding.

Ketwig has given seminars on the subject since his book came out. I would very much like to hear him someday.

I very highly recommend this book. It's an easy read in terms of the way he writes. But, it's a difficult read in that it's very explicit in what kinds of things he experienced. I'm having to stop every once in a while to take a breather from the horrors I'm reading about. I can't absorb all of it at once.

(I would also like suggestions on other books that you know of like this. And, not just about Vietnam. I'd love to read some books of this nature about the World Wars as well.)

Linda, I happen to be a fan of both historical fiction and historical narratives. "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides is an excellent account of the Army Rangers rescue of American POWs from Bataan, Phillipines during WWII. Stephen Ambrose has also written excellent historical books and I highly recommend them.

A couple of historical fiction novels that I have recently read and recommend are "The Gates of the Alamo" by Stephen Harrigan and "Paradise Alley" by Kevin Baker. The former needs no explaining and the latter is about the NYC draft riots during the Civil War. Both are very illuminating and entertaining.

I also remember reading a book years ago called "Tunnel Rats". It was about soldiers in the Vietnam war that had to blindly go into underground tunnels built by the North Vietnamese in order to flush them out. This was a chilling book.

I'm sure you know what I mean by "historical fiction" but for those who may be confused, I am referring to a novel that places fictional characters into a historical event , not time period, with actual people that shaped that event.

From Kevin Baker's forward ("Paradise Alley"):
"...most of Paradise Alley is based very closely upon the actual events of the Irish famine and the emigration of the 1840's, life in the lower wards of New York City in the 1850's, the Civil War, and the infamous draft riots of 1863 - to this date, probably the worst civic disturbance in the history of the United States.
Many of the specific incidents herein have also been drawn closely from real life. These include the murders of James Noe and Colonel O'Brien, the scenes from the Irish famine, the various battles and atrocities that took place during the draft riots, and Ruth's defense of her son against a street mob.
Billy Dove was, in fact, the name of one of the earliest African-American residents of the area that became Central Park. Jupiter K. Zeuss was also a real denizen of the area. John Kennedy was New York's superintendent of police at the time of the draft riots - his name is not intended to carry any political connotations whatsoever."

I highly recommend this book. It would make an excellent selection for the Book Club though it may not be appropriate for younger readers. I have learned alot about our history in this book and not much of it pretty. But it is an astonishingly good read.

Just as "The Gates of The Alamo" is not your Hollywood/John Wayne version of events but an accurate protrayal of the poliitcal climate and an accurate accounting of the historical figures involved. You'll not find a lily-white portriat of Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, Davey Crockett, etc nor a demonization of Santa Ana in this book. You will find full historical characters in all their glory with all their glaring faults. So it is with most historical novels.

If anyone can recommend a good historical novel, I would be happy to take your suggestions.

Yes, Linda, I remember it well. I served a tour with the Air Force in 1967-1968. I recall the differences in my perception of the country before the Tet Offensive in January 1968 and after, until I left.
I was just one of perhaps a half-million men and women who eventually served there. When I went over I was 32 years old. The geezer in the outfit.
Many snippets of memory stand out in my mind, many not related to the war itself. For example, one senior master sergeant had written a letter to "Dear Abby" asking for letters from the homeland since he had no family left to write to. When Abby had his letter printed, the response from Americans was overwhelming!
The top floor of one barrack was reserved for his mail and packages that kept pouring in. There were large cardboard boxes arranged on the floor and labeled by state; the poor sarge couldn't possibly answer them all so he issued a call for help asking any GI that wanted to to come pick up a handful and answer for him.
I got a few from my home state and wrote to people I didn't know and didn't know me, but were joined together in a common bond in a time of war.
It was very satisfying.

Like Diehard, I also read a lot of narratives and agree, Stephen Ambrose, in particular 'Citizen Soldiers,' was one of the best collections of WW2 Europe memories I have ever read.

Vietnam. There's an ex-infantry aussie called Gary McKay. He has done a lot of research digging up memories of the Australian Vietnam vets and putting them to text. 'Bullets Beans and Bandages' gives a perspective of the war I hadn't heard before. It came from chaplains, nurses, airline pilots and others that were bought into the war but not serving in the front line. He has also written some great biographies of his tours as a platoon commander. One such book is 'In Good Company.'

'Chicken Hawk' by Robert Mason, I believe, is one of the better Vietnam experience books. Mason was one of the first Huey pilots sent over with the upgraded 1st Cavalry. The book's quite disturbing but offers a unique perspective, not only of the horrors of hot LZ’s and dustoffs but of the technicals of flying a Huey and the breakdown of a mans metal in a horrific and surreal situation.