The Bridges of Vietnam: From the Journals of a U. S. Marine Intelligence Officer [Hardcover]

Fred L., Jr. Edwards (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Edwards enlisted at the age of 17 and spent 30 years in the Marine Corps, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In Korea, he was repeatedly passed over for a direct combat role, despite constant pleas to his superiors. In Vietnam, he "bridged" the gap between front line and rear echelon officers by serving as a field intelligence officer in 1966^-67. His journals reflect his experiences in his first tour of duty there. This is a rambling account that is likely to confuse many readers unfamiliar with the minutiae of the day-to-day campaigns; certainly, a more thorough reediting could help here. Still, Edwards' tale is frequently riveting, especially when describing the travails of combat soldiers fighting a war that, with hindsight, can be seen as futile. One is struck by the naiveteof the commanders as they tally up body counts and assume villages are "pacified." While Edwards clearly believed in the justice of this war, it is equally clear that his assertions that the fundamental struggle was political rather than military proved prophetic. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher

This book is built around Fred Edward's journals, sent home during his first tour in Vietnam in 1966-67. His own meticulous research fits his individual experiences into a larger context, through Postscripts, extensive notes, and a thorough historical Chronology. The book is formatted so that the reader can move easily between the events in Vietnam in 1967-68 and the broader context as revealed through later research. The reader can thus move between Edward's personal experiences in Vietnam and the larger historical forces that sent him there. As a piece of the puzzle of Vietnam, this book holds great significance to those who were there and for students of that war.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: Univ of North Texas (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574411233
• ISBN-13: 978-1574411232
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,396,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fred Edwards
Military Journalist and Columnist

Fred Edwards cut his teeth in journalism as a copy writer, a public relations director, a general news reporter, a contributing editor, a chief editorial writer and a news bureau chief. He was Senior Associate Editor of Armed Forces News from 2000 to 2007 and became Special Correspondent in 2008. He has written articles for more than two dozen magazines and has had eight books published. He has written a column, "Crosshairs - Military Matters in Review," at www.milmat.net since 2005.

A retired U.S. Marine officer, he holds a Freedom's Foundation George Washington Honor Medal for his essay," Freedom has a Price." He is listed in recent editions of Who's Who in
America,Who's Who in the World, and other biographical publications.

Fred has a B.A. in sociology and literature, summa cum laude, from Park University, Missouri, and has completed graduate level courses given by the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He is currently finishing a masters degree in military studies at American Military University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Well organized, easy to read, and surprisingly interesting, June 10, 2001

By 

bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bridges of Vietnam: From the Journals of a U. S. Marine Intelligence Officer (Hardcover)

I have read quite a few books made from journals of individuals in Vietnam. Most are either dry accounts of movements or almost novelized disjointed experiences. This Book "The Bridges of Vietnam : From the Journals of a U. S. Marine Intelligence Office" Is not only chronologically organized, but also has a list of external events that took place at the same time.

With out a frame of reference it would be hard to tell if he was barging or borrowing someone else's idea of Vietnam. However in chapter Three "Internship" he covered the same territory (II Corps TZ) as I did; only he was there six months earlier. I saw his reference to the Fourth Infantry with out any reference to the armed reconnaissance First of the Tenth attached to the Fourth Infantry. I also spent some time in other locations and he does a good job of describing daily life. It looks like he left out how to do the job he does and maybe some things he did. For the most part he was dead accrete as to the people and environment of the time. He makes you feel that you are there.

This book is well worth reading and then keeping as a reference. Especially as time passed and you forget your first taste of warm "33" beer.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid and candid memoir of the war, October 10, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bridges of Vietnam: From the Journals of a U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer (Paperback)

Fred Edwards served as an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War and visited very major ground unit from Special Forces camps and ground reconnaissance unites, to armored calvary units, and waterborne reconnaissance units. An invaluable and strongly recommended contribution to the military annals of the Viet Name conflict, Edward's The Bridges Of Vietnam: From The Journals Of A U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer is as vivid and candid memoir of the war from the perspective of a front-line intelligence officer as is available to the non-specialist general reader or military buff.