Reluctant Warrior [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Hodgins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1997

"ONE OF THE BEST VIETNAM WAR STORIES I'VE EVER READ, one damn good, compelling read. It's almost something out of a Clancy novel, yet it's true. The best thing I can say about it is I didn't want it to end."
--Col. David Hackworth, New York Times bestselling author of About Face

By the spring of 1970, American troops were ordered to pull out of Vietnam. The Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel "Wild Bill" Drumright, were assigned to cover the withdrawal of 1st Marine Division. The Marines of 1st RECON Bn operated in teams of six or seven men. Heavily armed, the teams fought a multitude of  bitter engagements with a numerically superior and increasingly aggressive enemy.

Michael C. Hodgins served in Company C, 1st RECON Bn (Rein), as a platoon leader. In powerful, graphic prose, he chronicles his experience as a patrol leader in myriad combat situations--from hasty ambush to emergency extraction to prisoner snatch to combined-arms ambush. . . .

"THIS MEMOIR IS GRIPPING."
--American Way

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Formerly an enlisted "grunt," Hodgins became a Marine Corps commissioned officer in 1969. He was then charged with leading an infantry platoon as part of a mission to help cover the withdrawal of the 1st Marine Division from I Corps in the northern portion of South Vietnam. Even for trained warriors, it was a treacherous job, albeit one that, as Hodgins suggests, provided ample opportunity for a young man to learn much about himself. In a promising prologue filled with clearheaded and impassioned prose, Hodgins proclaims his pride in having served in Vietnam and offers a summation of the narrative to come. His is not a war story, he writes: "It is not even about Vietnam, although the events recounted occurred there." What follows, though, is at odds with this introduction, in both style and content. For this memoir is very much a war story, replete with detailed recountings of Marine life and missions as experienced by a warrior who, despite the title, shows no sign of having been "reluctant." The combat episodes are related with suspense and, at times, startling honesty. In one instance, a gung-ho Hodgins is in charge of a patrol that has captured some Vietnamese prisoners. As the rest of the team departs, he is left alone with a wounded captive. "He smiled up at me, the cigarette dangling from his lip," Hodgins writes. "I smiled back, and pulled the trigger." Moments later, the young lieutenant coolly rolls the corpse atop a grenade and pulls the safety pin. This and Hodgins's other close-up war stories will appeal to action-adventure buffs, but those looking for a larger perspective will have to look elsewhere. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. The account of one lieutenant's tour of duty in Vietnam during the waning days of American involvement in the war. Hodgins does not attempt to provide any insights into why America was involved but only to tell what life was like for the common soldier operating in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. Throughout, the author successfully conveys his pride in his men and what they accomplished. One of the great values of the book is its hidden lessons on leadership?especially on how to motivate people to do their best under adverse conditions. The book is fast paced and easy to read, but the use of many technical terms and military slang may turn off some readers.?Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804111200
• ISBN-13: 978-0804111201
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,237,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Asia > Southeast Asia
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > World > 20th Century

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reluctant Warrior, October 29, 2000

By 

Chuck Fenwick (Lowell, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reluctant Warrior (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading Reluctant Warrior was like stepping through a door into the jungle. For just a little while I was on patrol again with 1st Recon, 3rd Plt, "C" Company. I saw and smelled OP 425, ran through the jungle and listened to the 46s coming to extract our team when we got in the "S__t Sandwich". My friends lived again---Thanks Mike! Chuck Fenwick HM3 1st Mar Div, 1st Recon, 3rd Plt, "C" Company, RVN 69-70.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Real" Vietnam, April 4, 2003

By 

Michael J. Schneider (West Liberty, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reluctant Warrior (Mass Market Paperback)

Michael Hodgins captures the real spirit of the place and time. As a former Marine who served with the 1st Recon Bn, I can testify Mr. Hodgins presents a true and vivid picture of life in the bush, on an OP, and in Camp Reasoner. With all the distortions about Vietnam presented in the movies and on TV, as well as the anti-war prejudice of public school history teachers, this book should be required reading in the high school cirriculum. I hope someday someone will write a book that will tell us more about Lt. Skibbe, Lt. Rathmell, and Captain McVey who gave lost their lives protecting their troops.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best day-to-day account of a year in VietNam, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reluctant Warrior (Mass Market Paperback)

Small unit leadership at its best. A compelling tale of the physical, mental, and moral challenges faced by a new `butter bar'. Forget the blood and guts. It's about map reading, fire control, long `walks in the sun' , elephant grass, insect bites, fatigue, surmounting the stigma of being the `FNG', and displaying leadership rather than demanding it. An excellent case study for junior officers and NCO's. An overlooked gem by a real pro.