Once a Warrior King [Mass Market Paperback]

David Donovan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 1986

He Was a young American soldier -- and the most powerful man in a remote rural District of Vietnam.

In the spring of 1969, First Lieutenant David Donovan arrived in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam to work as military advisor with village chiefs and local militia to win the war.

But as he was the highest-ranking person in the entire district, his life there was far more complex than anyone could have imagined.

This is Donovan's gripping account of combat missions and night ambushes in the swamps and jungles of the Delta...his heartrending tale of personal involvement with the culture and families in his charge...his humane introspection on his awesome responsibility as both warrior and king...his stark reflections on the changes he saw in himself and his country upon his return to the U.S.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Donovan's memoir...provides valuable documentation on a relatively obscure part of the American military effort -- it describes how the war really worked on the front line of 'Vietnamization,' the training of local militia. His reflections on his own use of power raise serious and important questions about the American experience in Vietnam."--The New York Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

He Was a young American soldier -- and the most powerful man in a remote rural District of Vietnam.

In the spring of 1969, First Lieutenant David Donovan arrived in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam to work as military advisor with village chiefs and local militia to win the war.

But as he was the highest-ranking person in the entire district, his life there was far more complex than anyone could have imagined.

This is Donovan's gripping account of combat missions and night ambushes in the swamps and jungles of the Delta...his heartrending tale of personal involvement with the culture and families in his charge...his humane introspection on his awesome responsibility as both warrior and king...his stark reflections on the changes he saw in himself and his country upon his return to the U.S.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345333160
• ISBN-13: 978-0345333162
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An underground classic in Fort Bragg's SOF community., January 30, 1998

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once a Warrior King (Mass Market Paperback)

Among soldiers of the close-knit special operations community at Fort Bragg, NC, this book is considered a classic. It presents the salient events of a district advisor's year-long Vietnam tour of duty. A college ROTC student, Donovan became an infantry officer and, after additional training in civil affairs, deployed to Vietnam in the mid-1960's. The book was written after his return to the U.S. as a form of therapy. The true value of this book is not the events it recounts, but the insight it provides into the interplay of moral values with stress, anger, temptation, sleep-deprivation, fear, frustration, and other emotions as experienced by various members of a 5-man military advisory team in a remote province of Vietnam. Each incident reflects intense introspection and reflection; the result of the author's struggle to overcome the psychological demons that accompanied him home. One of the best personal memoirs of wartime experiences which has been written.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uncomfortably Realistic, December 16, 1999

By 

Ralph Bateman (Stevensville, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once a Warrior King (Mass Market Paperback)

I was stationed in Duc Pho, Southern I Corp, and spent over 8 months living in a remote village with my platoon during 1969 and 1970. I saw so very much and understood so little. This book brought back the conflicts that haunted me for years and helped me come to grips with the most significant year of my life. Fear, anxiety, exhaustion, isolation, and confusion blended into an environment that this book describes like none that I have read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Book for Studying Leadership Dynamics & Team Building, July 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Once a Warrior King (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been fortunate enough to mentor leadership development in the lives of many junior officers. To help them learn leadership dynamics, I have challenged them to read this book and write a comparative analysis of their leadership style to that of the author. In every instance, all those who accepted the challenge found a rich rewarding experience that was both enlightening and humbling. Well worth reading if you want to study leadership and teamwork in a high stress environment. Glad it is still available.