Customer Reviews

Gone Native: An NCO's Story

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alan G. Cornett's autobiographical account of his multiple tours of duty in Vietnam is one of the most amazing accounts I've ever read of anyone who served in the war. Cornett served with so many Special Operations units (Special Forces, LRRPs, Operation Phoenix and the like) that his credibility (not to mention his candor) puts the rest of us to shame. This is an honest book, sans varnish or gloss, and what you get is a fast-paced glimpse of behind the lines operations from someone who literally has 'been there and done that' and been there a few more times and done it again and again. This could have easily been a series of books simply because there was so much to cover; from his rise to Operation Phoenix and a fall he covers in detail. Ironically, it's the rise again from his own ashes that rekindles his career. Cornett's story will amaze you.

Once I started reading the book, I could not put it down. I kept coming across places and people I knew and it brought back a lot of memories. I eventually supported several of his units with intelligence and map overlays for "sensitive" operations, and was in-country myself for six years. I had several run-ins with jerk officers but thankfully they were rare. But I did pull my .45 on three Pentagon O-6s at a SOG briefing when they refused to assist us. Luckily, an SF 1SG Deluca grabbed me and said they were not worth killing as they ran from the room. A couple of weeks later I was jerked out of VN and sent to Germany. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know how close many of us got to the Vietnamese and the war, and I would very much like to be in contact with the author.

Cornett gives details of his personal life throughout the book, most of which is in Vietnam. He was in and out of trouble with his superiors, but was respected by his fellow soldiers. He worked extensively with the indigenous people and learned their languages, with his most memorable service being in the Phoenix program run by the CIA, where it appears they had a very high ratio of successful missions eliminating VC operatives.

An outstanding read about an outstanding career soldier. This book's only fault is that it should have been the first of a series. The author was the kind of guy you loved to have on your team, but would never introduce to your sister. Riveting.

My dad who is a Vietnam Vet, gave me the the book. He said it was an excellent read. I agreed wholeheartedly. On the last page of the book, the author, Alan Cornett promo's a book about perhaps the most interesting character in the book, Captain Phong. That book is supposed to be called, 'The Gray Tiger', would love to read that as well. Gone Native was an excellent read. With seven years in Vietnam, Alan Cornett is qualified to write. The book was a great read.

Alan G. Cornett's autobiographical account of his multiple tours of duty in Vietnam is one of the most amazing accounts I've ever read of anyone who served in the war. Cornett served with so many Special Operations units (Special Forces, LRRPs, Operation Phoenix and the like) that his credibility (not to mention his candor) puts the rest of us to shame. This is an honest book, sans varnish or gloss, and what you get is a fast-paced glimpse of behind the lines operations from someone who literally has 'been there and done that' and been there a few more times and done it again and again. This could have easily been a series of books simply because there was so much to cover; from his rise to Operation Phoenix and a fall he covers in detail. Ironically, it's the rise again from his own ashes that rekindles his career. Cornett's story will amaze you.

What happens when a soldier learns the language of the people he is living amongst, and paid to kill? What happens when he learns the culture, and decides to adopt it as his own? Gone Native tells the story of a NCO who went too far - at least in the eyes of his own government. Instead of ending up as the most valuable policy-maker in Washington we could have ever had, the author ends up in a stockade. Thank goodness he wrote his book anyway, despite his mistakes, admissions of recreational drug use, etc. Anyone who wants to know what Vietnam was like should read this tome. It's among the ten best books ever written about the Vietnam conflict. It offers valuable lessons for future warriors, like LEARN THE LANGUAGE / STUDY THE CULTURE before you go pointing a gun at someone who may or may not be your enemy. I respect author Cornet more than any other Vietnam warrior I have read. He became a true gentleperson with ethics after starting out as a nineteen year old with a license to kill.

I have read hundreds of Vietnam nonfiction books and this is in the top 15 for sure. Great book and flows great, did not want it to end...

This was one of those books I didn't want to put down until I was done.

A well-written document by one of the troops on the ground. Crazy moments of a GI under stress, a good feel for the local hill people, and remembrances of buddies in the field. Some of the actions and soldiers described by Cornett have been written about by others and it is always good to see another version of events, not for differences but for shades and nuances to flavor the stories.

A personal growth story: A boy does good, does bad, then good again and manages to live through the process in a war that featured so many wrong decisions from higher and so many incompetent lower and mid-level officers more concerned with careers than with their men.