Reflections of a Warrior [Hardcover]

Franklin D. Miller (Author), Elwood J. C. Kureth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1991

Another Vietnam story only this one will challenge any assumptions about the country that you had and will definitely disturb some people. Sergeant Major Miller has put together tales of direct combat and humorous tales as well as the account of the incident for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Miller served with the Army in Vietnam from 1966 to '72, winning the Medal of Honor and six Purple Hearts. Writing with Army captain Kureth he here discusses the attractions of combat: "I loved it. I couldn't get enough." Miller is aggressively outspoken and repugnant about the business of killing ("Genuine killers are not to be confused with guys who simply spray the area and happen to kill someone") and objectionably recalls that he nearly murdered his Vietnamese girlfriend for no particular reason ("To this day I'm not sure why I wanted to kill her"). After his Medal of Honor exploit his superiors consigned him to a psychiatric ward purportedly in order to remove him from the combat zone. Miller found peacetime duty almost unendurable ("My extensive combat skills and ass-kicking abilities were no longer needed") but recovered his morale as an infantry instructor. He is still on active duty with the Army.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Special Operations Group (SOG), a small unit that operated behind enemy lines during the Vietnam War, has gotten remarkably little historical examination. This memoir by Congressional Medal of Honor-winner Miller describes some of the actions of this unusual unit. Miller was sent to Vietnam in 1966, and once he discovered he was very good at combat, managed to remain there until 1972 when his status as a recipient of the nation's highest military medal (and hence a soldier to be protected from further hazardous duty) forced him back to the States. His exploits are disturbingly and vividly told, with the frank language and gruesome detail that is common to descriptions of close combat; there is an especially harrowing description of the action that got him the Medal of Honor. For students of the war there are many glimpses into the workings of the SOG. The book's sanguine tone somewhat mars recommending this for general readers.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Pr; First Edition edition (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891413871
• ISBN-13: 978-0891413875
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miller should be as well known as Audie Murphy in the 50's, April 16, 2005

By 

Bullwinkle (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reflections of a Warrior: Six Years as a Green Beret in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

I can tell you for a fact that the stories he tells are accurate because I was around him for a lot of them. I think I met him his first day in SF at the SFOB in Nha Trang,and we were both running missions out of Kontum the entire time I was there. If I wasn't around when he did some of the things he talks about,I heard about them from him or others when I got back to the camp. Of course,he was there after I was medi-evaced in Nov of 1969,so I wasn't there when he earned the MOH.

In fact,I had gotten out of the army and did the same thing 99% of the veterans did,I tried to put it entirely out of my mind. I didn't speak about it and I didn't think about it. It came as a surprise to me to walk into Walden Books one day and spot him on the cover of his book getting his MOH! "Hey! I know that guy!" I immediately bought the book and took it home to read.

This was the first I even knew he had survived,and it was the reason I got back in touch with him after almost 30 years. We shared Thanskgiving Dinner together at the unit mess at Camp Mackall the November before he fell sick and died.

If you have ever wondered about the mindset of the people who run special operations,here are the answers. If you have only read VN books written by draftees who write about the heavy drama,drug abuse,and political crap,you are going to be surprised. Not everybody in VN were draftee war protestors,and not everbody there was doing their damndest to avoid combat. Some people were actually going out of their way to carry a rifle in a combat unit. Not only that,but most people would be surprised at the high number of recon and Hatchet Force troops that extended their tours for six months after surviving the intital tour. It even came as a surprise to ME when I extended my tour. I still can't tell you why,other than I felt like I was a part of something important doing a job that needed to be done.

If you want to buy and read this book,PLEASE consider going to the web site below to buy it. This is the hardcover version of the book,and all of the money from the sales of it go to his children. He left behind two teenage children and a infant when he died. I thank you in advance if you do.

(...)

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Author of "Sleeping Dragon", March 5, 2004

By 

Milton L. Peterson "Pete' Peterson - Author -... (Woodbridge, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reflections of a Warrior (Hardcover)

Frank "Doug" Miller and I became friends during my last active duty tour in Korea in the mid-eighties. He would come to my office telling the stories that later became this great book. As his stories unfolded, I could smell the jungle and gunpowder. When I found this book, I sat down with stories that had been like long time friends. Doug's ability to paint the truth in superb word pictures of his life in Nam are almost as good as talking to him over a cup of coffee. With his passing, the loss of a great friend and soldier is somehow eased by reading and re-reading this book. We'll always miss this great hero.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Absolute Best Vietnam/Special Forces Book Ever Written, January 4, 2004

By 

Thomas D. Newman (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reflections of a Warrior (Paperback)

There are really only two things that need to be said about this book: 1) Read It! and 2) Read It Again! If you want to know what it was like to be there, this is the hands-down best book ever written. SGM Miller personifies what Special Forces is all about. Get the job done, no matter what (and have a great time doing it). I spent everyday of the SF Q Course thinking about Miller's adventures and spirit. He was and is an inspiration for myself and countless other members of the SF community. Hopefully we can get some leaders that act more like Miller and less like conventional troopers. There isn't much more to be said about Reflections of a Warrior. If you haven't read it, you need to be, borrow, or steal a copy. By the way, don't even think about making off with my copy (I've given away about 5 copies already). De Opresso Liber!