The Ghosts of the Highlands [Mass Market Paperback]

Kregg P. Jorgenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 1998

ETCHED IN THE BLOOD OF WAR

The Viet Cong and NVA ruled in the dense dark mountain ranges and jungles of the Central Highlands. The job of Hotel Company, the 1st Cav's LRRP teams, was to steal into the enemy's backyard, gather intelligence, stage ambushes, and, when necessary, engage in fierce firefights--and live to fight another day.

Written by a Hotel Company veteran, THE GHOSTS OF THE HIGHLANDS is based on accounts and recollections of LRRPs who helped form the 1st Air Cavalry Division's Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol Detachment, small units of specially trained soldiers charged with carrying out the army's most dangerous and deadly reconnaissance missions. This stark history of sacrifice, determination, and courage gives powerful testimony to why the 1st Cav's LRRP company became the most decorated Ranger unit in American history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

ETCHED IN THE BLOOD OF WAR

The Viet Cong and NVA ruled in the dense dark mountain ranges and jungles of the Central Highlands. The job of Hotel Company, the 1st Cav's LRRP teams, was to steal into the enemy's backyard, gather intelligence, stage ambushes, and, when necessary, engage in fierce firefights--and live to fight another day.

Written by a Hotel Company veteran, THE GHOSTS OF THE HIGHLANDS is based on accounts and recollections of LRRPs who helped form the 1st Air Cavalry Division's Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol Detachment, small units of specially trained soldiers charged with carrying out the army's most dangerous and deadly reconnaissance missions. This stark history of sacrifice, determination, and courage gives powerful testimony to why the 1st Cav's LRRP company became the most decorated Ranger unit in American history.

About the Author

Kregg P. J. Jorgenson spent seven years in the U.S. Army; three as an infantryman, four as a journalist. After surviving a number of missions as a LRRP with Hotel Company, 75th Infantry (Airborne), Jorgenson transferred to Alpha (aka Apache) Troop, 1st of the 9th Air Cavalry unit, where he walked point for its reaction force, the Blues. He has the singular distinction of having been shot while on a patrol that was mounted to show TV journalist Richard Threlkeld what the "real war  was like, then being interviewed by Threlkeld as he was evacuated. Some men will do anything for their country.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (December 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804115974
• ISBN-13: 978-0804115971
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kregg P.J. Jorgenson is a former combat veteran, K-9 officer, and Mixed Martial Artist. His book: Stalking the Dragon- 10th Anniversary Edition, received the 2010 Reader Views Literary Award for humor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You, Kregg, December 22, 2002

By 

Bill Carpenter (Fairmont, WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghosts of the Highlands (Mass Market Paperback)

I would just like to Thank You, Kregg, for telling our little part of the war, which was now so long ago, and so far away. We improvised, adapted and overcame and did what we could with what we had.

He, who on this field, this day
Sheds his blood with me
Will be my brother

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars My Take on The Ghosts of the Highlands, February 29, 2004

By 

Robert Gillingham (Uniontown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ghosts of the Highlands (Mass Market Paperback)

I should start by saying that I have read the previous reviews of Jorgenson's "Ghosts of the Highlands" and also noted the ratings given the book. I should also say that I have had a difficult time with this book. I have not been able to make a connection with the characters and/or the subject matter. "Ghosts" is an odd mixture of non-fictional reporting (how James built the LRRP), fictional representation of 'some' characters and events (eg., the dog-robbers), and an assembly of oddities like the brief chapter on the existence of flying monkeys in Nam (in this respect the book reminds me of the content of Melville's Moby Dick with the history and details of whaling). I do not doubt the authenticity of the content or of the real, as versus fictional, characters. Jorgenson was unable to make me see them and to understand them as I would want to. However, perhaps Jorgenson did achieve his purpose, since "Ghosts" is a history of the 1st Cav LRRPs in Vietnam. The operable word there is "history," and that is what we have in "Ghosts." Although I have had a difficult time with this book, I am very pleased to have read it, and I have read from Jorgenson, Chambers, Nicholson, Johnson, Cornett, Linderer, Plaster, and Hackworth. You would do well to read it also.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story - could have used some writing help, July 12, 2005

By 

brazos49 "brazos49" (Sugar Land, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Ghosts of the Highlands (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an interesting book about some highly skilled and brave soldiers who worked in small numbers in dangerous areas gathering intelligence on the ground in the Vietnam war. They were an elite, hand picked group which took extraordinary risks to make it possible for their combat partners to be able to find high value targets and destroy them.

The only reason I limit the book's rating to four stars instead of five is that I felt the author lacked the writing skill to be able to truly tell the story in a way that helped the reader appreciate the things these soldiers did. Great writers paint word pictures that put readers "in the scene" and enable them to visualize what happened and to feel like they somehow know the characters. This writer did a credible job of reporting the story, but he didn't truly bring it to life.

If you're interested in the history of the Vietnam war or military operations, you will probably enjoy this book. It's brief and interesting. It just doesn't fully develop the potential of the story.