Customer Reviews

Highest Traditions: Memories of War

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Set during the time-frame just prior to the Tet Offensive. Tony Lazzarini succeeds in communicating his experience in Vietnam as a UH-1D (Huey) door gunner. He does an outstanding job describing, from one man's tactical perspective, the emerging doctrine of air assault. Highest Traditions also gives you a perspective of the social and emotional impact of the war on Tony and his fellow soldiers.
I enjoyed reading this book. Once I picked it up, it was hard to put down. Organized into many very short chapters making it easy to read. Highly recommended for those of you that have an interest in Air Assault or helicopter operations during the Vietnam War. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

This is the second book I've had the pleasure of reading by Tony. His writing style is easy to read and always entertaining. One of those books that you don't want to put down until you're done, then pick it up again and start all over. He has a way of taking you from page to page, keeping you in the scene and taking you to the next with ease. Highly recommended.

Having served as a gunner in a Huey, I found this book lacking in accurate details.
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If you like history this is one of the most entertaining books I've read about Viet Nam.

Highest Traditions by Tony Lazzarini
I read this book in one sitting because I simply could not put it down until I finished the last page. It was very interesting and easy to read. The short chapters and the non offensive language were great. The author's writing style made me feel that I knew him after only a few pages and his personal feelings after the war nearly mirrored my own.
We had completely different jobs. The author served at the same place, in the same Division and during nearly the exact same time period as I, but in reading this memoir I learned so much about the Huey Slick crew's duties, their personal feelings and their total devotion to the job at hand.
I loved the book. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get inside of a Door Gunner's head.

Tony has written a memoir that I read in one sitting. It held my attention from each short chapter to the next. I appreciated how humbly the events of his tours of duty as a machine gunner were told. Tony doesn't portray himself as a hero, but his deeds speak otherwise. Being a Vietnam Vet myself I was struck by a chance encounter he had with a "striking" Vietnamese lady 20 some years after his return. She thanked him for fighting her country, something no one had said to him since his return. Something most of us Vets never heard, "thank you". Thank you Tony for the wonderful book you've written.

When I finished reading Tony's book I found it to be right on the money about that long ago life event; I felt I was back in my old helicopter company in Vietnam. Tony takes you back and shows you how it was to be a door-gunner, crew-chief or a pilot. For those who have been there it feels real and is authentic--to those who were not, it is an education in how it felt to be there. This is a must read book. It is okay for teenagers to read - it is not overly offensive and sticks to the story line. I rate this book among the best written in 2003 on the Vietnam War.

This book is an easy read - it follows a logical path and can be read all at once or in pieces as time permits. It is an award winning book having received awards and recognition from various organizations including the American Authors Association and the MWSA.

Luckily for us Tony Lazzarini was not your average Huey door gunner whose life span was 20 seconds tops.

His HIGHEST TRADITIONS is a short & simply written time capsule of that era, & is one of the best Viet Nam memoirs ever to cross my desk. Without apology or pretention it tells, in a collection of gripping stories, one young American's trial by fire.

RebeccasReads recommends this for the military reader.