Customer Reviews

Vietnam Spook Show

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vietnam Spook Show is exactly the type of book that the NSA (National Security Agency) would like to ban, and it no doubt gave the NSG (Naval Security Group) fits as well. It's an incisive look into the lonely, stressed and twisted life style that Cryptologic Technicians (Interpretive) suffer through, from their days in language school through the high stress experience of invisible responsibility for others' lives at the end of a passive radio link.

Set in in the era of Vietnam, it is a timeless story of how the intelligence community eats it's young and disposes of the remains in unmarked graves. I read this book in one sitting, and several other "ex-spooks" I know did the same. Wayne Care is one of us, and he speaks for all of us. If you, or someone you love, has had a hard time dealing with the reality of a post intelligence life, this book might just offer the insight a civilian therapist needs to help them.

Well written, wry and extraordinarily moving in it's grasp of what "in the weeds" intelligence collection does to the collectors, this book is a must read for potential spooks.

My Uncle wrote this book when I was 7 or 8 perhaps. I finally read the book an dit makes me realize what he went through. I have been looking for another copy of this book. Thank you to everyone who has read the book. His dream was to one day have a book published and he did it!

If you want a glimpse into Navy life, this book fills that need in spades. From the vocabulary to the playing of tricks on shipmates one can see how sailors in general and Intel folks in particular deal with the stress of war. I hope the author will consider writing another novel. I was enthralled from start to finish.

This book is interesting almost exclusively for the details it provides of how the signals collection worked during Viet Nam. It shows how this collection was used to track pilots and dogfights, leading (one hopes) to their rescue. There are a few illuminating tidbits about Vietnamese language and culture. Otherwise, the writing and plotting is painfully pedestrian, so don't get this book expecting any real reading pleasure.

I am also shocked that the G let this book see ink. It is an excellent portrayal of what spooks go through, the stess and the isolation.

Coming back from that and out of the wilderness of mirrors is no cakewalk, and yes, this book should be required reading for every wannabe spook or intel junkie out there, as well as therapists helping former intel people. My copies all arrived quickly from Amazon approved dealers and were in excellent condition. I would highly recommend it.

This is a very iteresting inside look at the Elint war in Viet-Nam. Beginning at language school at the Monterey Presideo, the author takes us through training and then active duty in Viet-Nam as an intercept operator.

I'm a bit amazed that the book was cleared by the U.S. government for publication (?), but it brought back a lot of memories for many of us who did the same work.

Well done!