Your War, My War: A Marine in Vietnam [Paperback]

Donald F. Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

Vietnam-Sergeant Myers emerges from the gloomy, smoke-filled jungle, armed with a M-16, ready to defend a code of honor that only men in battle, only true warriors, can fathom. With a mission to eliminate the enemy, he also thinks about the survival of his men. He believes his cause is just to fight for the freedom of his Vietnamese allies. Yet, he and his comrades are seduced by the savage mentality of combat. It is a daily life-or-death proposition, one that seeps into the darkest corners of a Marine's soul and penetrates the very core of his being, saturating the mind, body, and spirit of man.

Donald F. Myers' "Your War,My War- A Marine in Vietnam" transports its readers into the ever present chaos and hysteria of active combat in the Vietnam War. His chronicle begins October 30,1967, Gio Linh, and spans sixteen months, following him through the drudgeries of military life. Each chapter represents a day's journal entry, juxtaposed with American newspapers that coincide with the entries, allowing the reader to envision the contrast of the American political and journalistic structure versus a day at battle, the reality of Vietnam.

"Your War, My War" is the "Red Badge of Courage of the Vietnam War," says MGySgt Peter deConnick, USMC Ret. Fellow veteran, HM1 Ed "Doc" Thompson, USN Ret. FMF Corpsman Vietnam, proclaims it "a brilliantly constructed evocative memoir that vividly describes the horror, fear, frustration, and anguish we went through." "Your War, My War" provides a compelling and realistic account of how one strong-willed soldier survived the most controversial war in American History.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Myers' book is the Red Badge of Courage of the Vietnam War."

-MGySgt Peter deConnick, USMC Ret. "Ranks equally with Lewis Puller Jr.'s Fortunate Son and Mike Controy's Don't Tell America. Superb first hand account of Marine in Vietnam."

-E.David Marshall, USMC Vietnam "What a book! Extraordinary, tough and salty. Should be made into a movie and the public forced to watch it."

-J. "Mac" McCullough,

USMC Combat Photographer Vietnam "Accurately portrayed the way it was in I Corps. Myers is a raconteur of no mean ability. A brilliantly constructed evocative memoir that vividly describes the horror, fear, frustration, and anguish we went through."

-HM1 Ed "Doc" Thompson, USN Ret.

FMF Corpsman Vietnam "This is important, very important as part of the history of the times. One day historians will value this book more than anything Lyndon Johnson or Jane Fonda had to say."

-Doctor Travis Shipp, Indiana University "Salty, shrewdly funny at times; compelling from beginning to end."

-The Indianapolis News "I'd give my eye teeth for an acting part in this when they make it into a movie!"

-Actor Hugh O'Brian (TV's Wyatt Earp)

About the Author

A highly decorated Sergeant, Donald F. Myers, U.S.Marine Corps Retired, was born and raised in Indianapolis,Indiana. His life as a Marine began in 1952, when at age 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. As Indiana's Most Decorated Marine, Myers currently resides in Franklin Township, a suburb of Indianapolis, with his wife Dorothy. "Your War, My War" won the prestigios DeAngelis Award for the writing excellence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pentland Press (NC); 1st edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571971874
• ISBN-13: 978-1571971876
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nam is not for the Faint Hearted., October 23, 2000

By 

American National Book Review (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your War, My War: A Marine in Vietnam (Paperback)

Weak kneed, left wing, doves should avoid the reality of the portrayal of the life of Myers and the Marine comrads he so eloquently shares with the reader. This is not a sugar coated documentary of all that is right with our military strategy on the ground , in day-to-day life of combat Marines, but the true story of how these Marines prevailed in spite of the strategy. Anyone who ever hold a position of leadership where conditions are extremely difficult must read this book. Only a few books ever capture the reality of war, this is one of them. A must read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like being back in Charlie Battery, 1stBn, 12th Marines, July 13, 2000

By 

Betty A. Buss - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your War, My War: A Marine in Vietnam (Paperback)

This book took me back to c/1/12, to the very places I had been, I did't know SSgt Meyers, but I think I was there while he was. Super book, thanks for putting our Battery story in print.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding contribution to Vietnam War studies., July 4, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your War, My War: A Marine in Vietnam (Paperback)

In Your War, My War: A Marine In Vietnam, Sergeant Donald Myers shows us the chaos and hysteria that was the hallmark of active combat in the Vietnam War. His memoir begins on October 30, 1967 when he arrives at Gio Linh and spans sixteen months of lethal combat and mind-numbing drudgeries of military life in a combat zone. What makes Your War, My War unique and distinctive from other Vietnam biographies is that each chapter represents a day's journal entry, juxtaposed with American newspapers that coincide with the entries, enabling the reader to envision the contrast of the American political and journalistic structure versus a day at battle. This contrast of the reality of Vietnam with the Never-Never Land perceptions back home is particularly jarring and informative. Your War, My War is a highly recommended and much appreciated contribution to the growing body of literature on the American military experience in Vietnam.