On Point : A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies : Vietnam 1967-1968 [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Roger S. Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2000

The young draftee was a typical army rifleman: a grunt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In October 1967, young Roger Hayes arrived in Vietnam for a 12-month tour as a rifleman with the U.S. Army's 25th Division. The tour coincided with the most violent year of the Vietnam War for American forces. Now, some 30 years after returning to the United States, Hayes has produced a literate and thoughtful journal of his time in beautiful, embattled Vietnam. Unlike many battlefield memoirs that focus on hardship and hardware, this is a work that addresses the culture of war, and of this war in particular, through the eyes of an intelligent innocent. The battles are certainly here, but their accounts contain fresh insights into even the most familiar aspects of war. As depicted by Hayes, American soldiers attempting to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades are unnerved because the spirit of the enemy lingers over the battlefield even after the fighting has been over for a day. Elsewhere, we learn that the Vietcong were rumored to have dismembered G.I. corpses in order to prevent them from being reincarnated into able-bodied men who could then become soldiers. Just as intriguing, though, are episodes recounting the daily lives of American troops in Vietnam, such as the horrifying and painful "immersion foot," whereby the sole of a soldier's foot became incorporated into the fabric of his socks or his boot sole. Packed with details and curious observations, this could easily wind up on university reading lists for courses examining the culture of war. Photos. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hayes is a fine example of the American soldier or Marine on the cutting edge in the Vietnam War. Young, working-class, and intensely loyal to his fellow soldiers, he responded to his country's call in the simple conviction that its cause was just. Wounded four times, he served honorably and well throughout his yearlong tour as a member of a mechanized battalion in the 25th Division. Hayes offers the reader insight into the world of a frightened, green rifleman who evolves into a skilled and competent veteran squad leader. Personal narratives of frontline service tend to concentrate on battle scenes and the effects of these actions on the participants. Hayes prefers to spend much of his account describing the everyday life of the soldierDfood, comradeship, living quarters, relationships with civilians and officers, etc. A low-key, workmanlike memoir, this book is recommended for academic and public libraries.DJohn R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Press; 1ST edition (April 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891417095
• ISBN-13: 978-0891417095
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,025,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roger Hayes was born and raised in Freeport,IL, and graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a degree in Forestry.

Besides writing the book that probably brought you here, he is also a retired federal park ranger, naturalist (birder), disc golfer, and musician (see YouTube) among other interests. A Vietnam combat veteran, he's currently working on his second book.

Contact him at [e-mail] or on FaceBook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On Point is On Target, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: On Point : A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies : Vietnam 1967-1968 (Hardcover)

Roger Hayes staring out of the cover reminded me of another face I used to see in the mirror thirty years ago. Mine. His recollections vividly re-create the memories of all who passed under the arched sign "Welcome to Tigerland. Home of the Combat Infantryman for Vietnam" at North Fort Polk, Louisiana. His succinct writing style makes it easy for the younger generation to experience from a safe distance the FNG experience (not knowing where he is or where he's going), the slow maturation that only comes from combat experience (you always remember the first dead human being), and the inevitable sadness of losing companions (you never forget them). His experiences as a mechanized infantry soldier also demonstrate the reason that this war in particular posed such a unique problem to our commanders. Because the APCs made so much of a racket, hot food was helicoptered in since the commanders assumed that the VC already knew where they were laagered (one of the essential rules of combat being ignored . . . that of noise discipline and of concealment). Looking back on his experience, I am sure he wonders how any of them ever survived. This book also opens the reader's eyes to the daily highs and lows of life in a combat zone, where beautiful, peaceful days would instantly change into a furious hell when the APC you were riding on exploded. A timely, easy book to read as we remember our friends and loved ones who, twenty-five years after the fall of Saigon, still occupy so much of our memories.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique presentation of a Vietnam experience, May 15, 2000

By 

Paul Kornberger (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Point : A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies : Vietnam 1967-1968 (Hardcover)

I was in the Army during the Vietnam war but stationed in Germany where I spent a good deal of discretionary time eating schnitzels and drinking beer and wine. Having been trained (I thought), and mentally prepared to go to vietnam, then having an easy tour in Europe left me with the feeling that I was something of a "slacker". I found Mr. Hayes's presentation of his personal experience as an infantryman very informative in its level of detail and for me, something of an elixir for my own memories of this episode in the American experience. Notwithstanding what I got out of the book, I would recommend it highly for the broadest audience having even a casual interest in this page of history. The level of detail in the author's recounting of his battlefield experiences gives the reader clues as to what it took to not only survive but to deal with the ever present death, carnage, and travails of fellow soldiers and the Vietnamese populace. I believe the book's presentation to be an outstanding balance of information, observations, and emotional impacts that I've not found in other readings. Mr. Hayes reveals himself as an individual having a measure of wisdom well beyond his tender age during the year in which he was tossed into this horrible crucible which defined his character and that of so many of his fellow heroes. Have no doubt that this group of soldiers, somewhat maligned in the past by misguided critics, was made up of individuals such as Hayes and his comrades--each with his own story--and represents patriotism on an order to match that of any past conflict. Mr. Hayes is a worthy spokesman for his fellow Vietnam war participants and veterans. His reporting skills are tempered with an uncommon sensitivity toward the anguish of all those touched by the war and the insight and ability to capture it for the reader. I think the book is unique in its perspective and has much to recommend it whether it is your first venture into Vietnam chronicles or your thirst to know what it was really like over there has not yet been slaked. In conclusion, my thanks to Mr. Hayes for providing this record and to him and his silent partners for answering the call and acquitting themselves on a par with all those having gone off to war in the past. An outstanding book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile book by a regular citizen/soldier, July 13, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: On Point : A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies : Vietnam 1967-1968 (Hardcover)

There's a lot to like about this book. It's honest and direct and the author doesn't seem to have a big ego or an interest in trying to impress anyone. He simply recounts his year in Vietnam as he lived it. It's an interesting and informative piece of work. I found myself really liking the author. He seems like the kind of person you'd like to have in your family or in your neighborhood. I wonder why he didn't stay in the military. It seemed like a good fit for him and he seemed to have an aptitude for it and seemed to thrive on the experience.

I didn't give the book 5 stars because, understandably, the writing is not of the quality of a top writer. Maybe if the publisher had helped the author with this they could have put out an even better book and one worthy of a top rating. I also didn't like the author's avoidance of using profanity in quotes or wherever - it just seemed to make the account a little less real. Probably that hurt the book a little, but maybe made me like the author a little more as a nice person. Overall, I'd heartily recommend this book. It's not the best one I've read in this area, but it's well worthwhile.