From Booklist
Oplinger's Vietnam memoir, above average for its kind, is the relatively straightforward story of a draftee who volunteered for Officers Candidate School and went to Vietnam in that most anomalous of capacities, the new second lieutenant commanding a rifle platoon. His platoon was part of a battalion in the First Cavalry Division, and Oplinger offers a grunt's-eye view of that highly praised pioneer of airmobile operations. No number of helicopters prevented a lot of walking with heavy loads in rugged terrain against an alert and capable enemy, and as in other wars, the platoon became something like an extended family in spite of its one-year tour. Thanks to a serious hand wound, Oplinger left short of the full year, carrying a low opinion of the war and the army, a high opinion of those he served with. Roland Green
