Customer Reviews

Baptism: A Vietnam Memoir

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3 star:		(1)
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One of the few narratives to come out of Vietnam that digs deep under the camouflage of a sensitive yet tough infantry officer.AUTHOR Larry GWIN took over thirty years to reveal this wonderful memoir,and readers will surely feel the wait was worth it. BAPTISM is not merely an I-was-there war story,even though it blasts its way through some of the bloodiest encounters of the war. Rather,this book is the haunting story of a man who was proud to answer his country's call to arms,urged on by family history and the single mindedness of Yale ROTC training (ranger,airborne all the way).To such an idealist,the mud-and-blood sacrifice and idiotic blundering inherent in war was almost certain to offer a very painful baptism indeed.Whether he is describing the anguish of seeing comrades blown to bits by friendly fire or an act of cruelty imposed on a boom-boom girl,the author's eye is merciless and all revealing.Gwin deals with the twilight of war,bringing those of us who were grunts back to the alien landscape we struggled against but did not understand.His book is lyrical at times,all about the death of valor and the angry rebirth of an American fighting man,"doomed from here to eternity". VETERANS will recognize the honesty of this book,while civilians,especially women,will better understand the flak jacket that conceals every combat soldier's heart. A MAGNIFICENT book. It should be enjoyed along with Joseph Galloway's and Hal Moore's WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE AND YOUNG,a best seller that provides a big picture of the FIRST CAV in combat, and covers some of the battles and firefights so poignantly described by LARRY GWIN.

After reading the first chapter of Larry Gwin's book, I was hooked. This memoir, a story of a naive 1st lieutenant who is sent to Vietnam, survives a nearly disastrous battle, then is horrified by the reality of war and death and suffering, is well-written and spellbinding. He writes openly and honestly about himself, warts and all, as well as his fellow officers (the good, the bad, and the cowardly) and the "grunts" in his platoon. Many of the NCOs and enlisted men who go into battle with lieutenant Gwin prove to be brave in the face of death and loyal to their buddies who are either wounded or dying..."No one is left behind." I felt as though I was there with lieutenant Gwin as he and his men are airlifted into a hot LZ, praying to come out alive and in one piece. While this is a story about the horror of war, there are quite a few light moments which are humorous. All in all, this book is a real page-turner. Perfect for a rainy afternoon's read in a comfortable chair.

This book I shall keep in my library forever. I hope someday my kids will read this. I was at An Khe and Larry captures it exactly as I remember it. Many books have been written about Vietnam, and each person's recollections are personal to his own perceptions of his time there. No two are the same;But Larry tells it like I remember it. This is an outstanding book! I couldnt help but make notations as I read it. A classic to my way of thinking. Anyone that wants to know what it was like, read this book.

This book gives you the perspective of a combatant rather than a historian or journalist. A gripping account of real events that left me thankful I wasn't there and appreciative of those who were.

Larry Gwin doesn't pull his punches with this very good book. I must admit that when I picked it up I could't put it down. I appreciated his refreshing honesty, his humbleness and his humanity.

As a former infantry/paratroop officer myself I can relate very directly to his experiences - though thankfully I was spared the horrors of the Vietnam conflict that Larry Gwin had to endure.

I hope that he chooses to write more.

I salute Larry Gwin for giving me, no grunt, a new and vivid appreciation for the infantryman's Vietnam. Vietnam vets especially, buy this book, read it, then give it to your wife, your children. You owe it to them.

I think that Gwin's version of his time with 1 Cav will become a classic. His narrative style is clear, contise, and pulls no punches. Gwin's anger over rear echelon...leadership that put men in danger is clear. Especially interesting if you follow the 1st Cav's history ("We Were Soldiers Once... and Young" by Moore and "Pleiku" by Coleman.) A must for the Vietnam history buff.

For those who supported the war in Vietnam, those who opposed it and those who weren't yet born, understanding what the war was about is only possible by reading excellent first-hand accounts like this one by Larry Gwin. The very nature of the fighting has been obscured by 35 years of polemics, propaganda and politically-driven historical analysis. Here is the bare-knuckles reality of the war: a battle at death grips between the People's Army of North Vietnam and American forces, not primarily a "counterinsurgency" effort directed against revolutionary Viet Cong guerillas. That's what it was in late 1965, when Larry Gwin's 1st Cavalry troopers fought for their lives in the Ia Drang Valley, and that's what it was nearly four years later in the Tet offensive.

'Baptism' is probably the best of the Vietnam memoirs yet published in the Ivy Books series, which includes several excellent titles. I would personally like to thank the author for sharing his story. It comes alive on the pages as he describes being an executive officer in the 2nd of the 7th Cavalry in 1965-66. Highly recommended.

...One can really experience the grinding toil, heat, and dust our troops of the First Cav went through as you read this fine author's writing. My helicopter flying in the Delta was (almost) all fun compared to these experiences "up north" with the American troops, especially during this first year in country for the Airmobile division! I urge you to read this book to fully comprehend life as a combat infantryman operating out of An Khe, in the first couple of years when we should have learned something about the Vietnam conflict and where it was going. "Outlaw 23" salutes you, "Silent Slasher 5!" And, man, am I glad that I didn't go through the horrible carnage you did.... Now part of the History Channel's series on the Vietnam War.