War Paint (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "On August 28, 1948, something happened to me that would affect my entire existence on this planet called Earth-I was born!..." (more)
Key Phrases: aerorifle platoon, recon zone, chopper pad, Lai Khe, Phu Loi, Viet Cong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The men who served with in the 1st Infantry Division with F company, 52nd Infantry, (LRP) later redesignated as Company I, 75th Infantry (Ranger) --engaged in some of the fiercest, bloodiest fighting during the Vietnam War, suffering a greater relative aggregate of casualties that any other LRRP/LRP/ Ranger company. Their base was Lai Khe, within hailing distance of the Vietcong central headquarters, a mile inside Cambodia, with its vast stockpiles of weapons and thousands of transient VC and NVA soldiers.

Recondo-qualified Bill Goshen was there, and has written the first account of these battle-hardened soldiers. As the eyes and ears of the Big Red One, the 1st Infantry, these hunterkiller teams of only six men instered deep inside enemy territory had to survive by their wits, or suffer the deadly consequences. Goshen himself barely escaped with his life in a virtual suicide mission that destroyed half his team.

His gripping narrative recaptures the raw courage and sacrifice of American soldiers fighting a savage war of survival: men of all colors, from all walks of life, warriors bonded by triumph and tragedy, by life and death. They served proudly in Vietnam, and their stories need to be told.

From the Inside Flap

The men who served with in the 1st Infantry Division with F company, 52nd Infantry, (LRP) later redesignated as Company I, 75th Infantry (Ranger) --engaged in some of the fiercest, bloodiest fighting during the Vietnam War, suffering a greater relative aggregate of casualties that any other LRRP/LRP/ Ranger company. Their base was Lai Khe, within hailing distance of the Vietcong central headquarters, a mile inside Cambodia, with its vast stockpiles of weapons and thousands of transient VC and NVA soldiers.

Recondo-qualified Bill Goshen was there, and has written the first account of these battle-hardened soldiers. As the eyes and ears of the Big Red One, the 1st Infantry, these hunter/killer teams of only six men instered deep inside enemy territory had to survive by their wits, or suffer the deadly consequences. Goshen himself barely escaped with his life in a virtual suicide mission that destroyed half his team.

His gripping narrative recaptures the raw courage and sacrifice of American soldiers fighting a savage war of survival: men of all colors, from all walks of life, warriors bonded by triumph and tragedy, by life and death. They served proudly in Vietnam, and their stories need to be told.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st Ed. edition (October 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345444914
• ISBN-13: 978-0345444912
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #653,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LRRPs ROCKED CHARLIE'S WORLD, February 7, 2002

By	Gregory Moss (Diamond Bar, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bill Goshen served with Company F, 52nd Infantry (LRP)/I Company, 75th Infantry (Ranger) for the Big Red One. It's a miracle this guy is still alive. Grievously wounded in early 1969, Bill spent many months in hospital recovering from wounds. At Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, Goshen was awarded the silver star. Others weren't so lucky, like Sp4 Bob Law, who threw his body on an enemy grenade to save his comrades-in-arms. There's plenty of action here, but more significant is how Goshen views the war from the grunt's perspective. Why did our political leaders throw the best of the baby-boom generation into a war in which the enemy was awarded sanctuary bases from which he could attack and to which he could retreat, lick his wounds, and return to fight again? Goshen's anger toward ticket-punching Army higher-ups and the Johnson Administration's ineptitude and disregard for the American soldier serves as biting subtext to Bill's well-written LRRP memoir. By the way, Bill's Postscript is the shortest but most beautiful chapter in the book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fellow LRP, November 21, 2001

By	L. Hill "Lhill" (Carson City, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bill Goshen's new book, War Paint, is well written and comes from the heart. Though I served in Co.F/52nd Inf(LRP) and had DEROS'd before he arrived, I served with and knew many of the men in the stories and have since met others at our unit reunions. I would have proudly served with him as well. Bill does a great job of describing LRP/Ranger tactics, vividly recreates events in which he and others participated, and well describes both the best kind of patrols, and those that went badly. His book also shows how well teams fared when they received great support (which was usually) as well as how lonely 5-6 LRPs/Rangers could be when left entirely without adequate support. In either case, they "carried on with mission". War Paint is an even-handed presentation of the day-to-day lives of our teams, without being macho or macabre. It also depicts the post-war struggles which he has overcome. A good read for those who also enjoyed Gary Linderer's books and the other great LRRP/LRP/Ranger memoirs that have appeared over the past 15 years.

3.0 out of 5 stars LRRPs in Vietnam, October 25, 2007

By	Kevin M Quigg (Carol Stream, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

An OK read about the LRRPs in Vietnam. The author served in the LRRPs in the 1968-69 period in Vietnam. Goshen shows how the LRRPs served in a much more hazardous role than the regular infantry. However, Goshen also complains at times about the role he played versus what the infantry played. He disdains his commanders for having the LRRPs do some of the duties that regular infantry of the Big Red One could have done. Well, that is what happens in the military. Admitedly, this may have been a waste, but you must follow the chain of command. I also wonder if his view that the top leadership really prevented the military from winning in Vietnam. If we became involved in Laos, Cambodia, or North Vietnam, we might have become more entagled in Southeast Asia.

This showed the role the LRRPs played in Vietnam. These soldiers performed dangerous duty and risked death for the safety of their fellow soldiers and country.