Praying for Slack: A Marine Corps Tank Commander in Viet Nam [Hardcover]

Robert E. Peavey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2004

Two different wars were fought in Vietnam, the jungle-and-booby-trap one down south, and the WWII-like one up on the DMZ. "I was one of a handful whose Vietnam tour was evenly split between the First and Third Marine Divisions, and saw, firsthand, the difference 170 miles could make during the war's bloodiest year." Corporal Robert Peavey was a tank commander in I Corps (Eye Corps) on the DMZ when LBJ ordered a bombing halt over the North. His compelling first-hand account chronicles operations just south of the 'Z, operations that most Vietnam War histories have completely ignored. Peavey offers detailed, understandable explanations of combat strategy, strengths and shortcomings of standard-issue armament, and inter-service rivalries.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Upon his return from Vietnam Robert Peavey graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology. For the last 25 years he has worked for Eastman Kodak where he continues today. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the United States Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Association. Peavey now lives outside Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (December 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760320500
• ISBN-13: 978-0760320501
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,405,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Behind the Scenes Account, February 15, 2005

By 

R. D. Evans (Geogia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Praying for Slack: A Marine Corps Tank Commander in Viet Nam (Hardcover)

Robert Peavey does a fantastic job of placing you right in the middle of what it was like to be plucked out of a stateside duty station, placed onto a ship, and finally dropped in the middle of the Viet Nam war combat.

At times this book will have you rolling in laughter while other times you will be in tears.

Tanks have not been typically associated with the Viet Nam war; however, the author not only describes the role of tanks, but also exactly how vulnerable tanks were to modern weapons.

I literally couldn't put it down until I finished it. If you are the least bit interested in history or the Marines, you will enjoy this.

Myself, a former Viet Nam era, non-combat Marine experienced plenty of flashbacks to the military slang and methods of the time.

This is a keeper for my collection.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From an old tanker, March 16, 2006

By 

Lance K. Mertz "Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader" (Kent, Washington) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Praying for Slack: A Marine Corps Tank Commander in Viet Nam (Hardcover)

I greatly enjoyed this memoire about Vietnam from the unique perspective of a Marine tanker. There were not too many there and those that were seemed to be misused a lot. It is an interesting part of the history of armor. Having read several other books about and by tankers in Vietnam his stories seemed right on the money and his experiences mirror those of others. As for the tank, his comments, from my perspective as an old M-60 tanker are right on. Great book for those who want to know more. It could have been longer and included more about what was going on around him at the time, but that is my only criticism.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marine Tankers? no, not the oil carriers..., May 28, 2007

By 

george saussy iii "Pete Saussy" (Litchfield Beach, SC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Praying for Slack: A Marine Corps Tank Commander in Viet Nam (Hardcover)

I mean, the crews of the M48a123 Medium 90mm Gun Tanks. Mr Peavey served with one of the more obscure elements of the Marine Corps during Viet Nam. I grew up around Marine tanks and probably have a deviant affection for them. This book was good for me. The anecdotes, sensibilities, sheer astonishment of war are all included. the account of the F4 jet fooling a SAM is fantastic. Watching his bogie wheel passing him had to be a truly strange sight. The use of naval terminology for land tanks is double served by the naval slang of the marine corps, a curious conflation. If you're interested in Tanks, Marines, VietNam, or just a good "This is a no-shirter", you may like this book.
pete saussy