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Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam Hardcover – December 1, 2010

by Barry Fixler (Author)

169 customer reviews

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Semper Cool is the wrenching, sometimes hilarious and always thought-provoking true story of a mischievous teenager who enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps seeking adventure and his father's approval and finds both, plus more danger than he ever could have imagined. With its vivid imagery, Semper Cool thrusts readers into a grunt's-eye view of the blood, guts, tears and laughter of war, as told by a Marine who returned home a man and a patriot. Be prepared to laugh and cry and ultimately thank God for the men and women willing to risk their lives for the freedoms that so many Americans enjoy.

Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam

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Product Details

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Exalt Press; First edition (December 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982518404
ISBN-13: 978-0982518403
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (169 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #168 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Military > Vietnam War
- #232 in Books > History > Military > United States > Veterans
- #408 in Books > History > Military > United States > Vietnam War

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Customer Reviews

169

4.6 out of 5 stars

5 star		73%
4 star		21%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top Customer Reviews

A great memoir

By raymond rothfeldt on February 14, 2011

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

This is easily one of the best memoirs of the Vietnam War I've read. Unlike contemporary remembrances, the book steers clear of the politics of the era and doesn't seek to pass judgement on anyone's motives or actions. It's a simple telling of one grunt's adventures and misadventures during his tour. In it, Barry Fixler describes how he was transformed from an upper-middle class Jewish kid from Long Island into a battle hardened combat veteran. At times humorous (one story regarding a patrol had me rolling on the floor, I was laughing so hard) and at times dramatic and wrenching, there can be no doubt that this was written from the heart of a Marine. One word of warning: this book is written by a combat veteran and doesn't hold back when relating the horrors of war or the ways Marines tend to spend their liberty time. If you're the squeamish type, be prepared.

If you're interested in military history, the Vietnam Era or he Marine Corps, you definitely need to read this book. If your're just interested in getting a good read that will both entertain and make you think a bit about some of life's existential questions, you should get this book. As an added bonus, Barry is donating all of his proceeds to assist wounded veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Fantastic Memoir!

By Mandy on March 5, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Cover

At first glance, a person may only see three guys laughing at the camera. Looking closer, and after reading the title, you realize these guys are Marines ... and one of them is holding a human skull. I enjoyed seeing smiling faces on the cover of a book about the military. Most of the time the people pictured are so solemn (and with good reason).

What most intrigued me about this cover was the knowledge about the photo the reader gained. In the book, Barry (the author and middle guy in the cover photo ... yes, the one holding the skull) lets you know that the guy on the left died shortly after the photo was taken and the guy on the right lost both of his legs ... proving what Barry was told when he arrived in Vietnam: that he had a 1 in 3 chance of leaving Nam in tact, which meant without dying or losing any body parts. Now, look at the cover again and tell me its not poignant or awe-inspiring.

Plot

I love the way this Marine's story was told. Normally, I don't believe a book summary that declares you should "Be prepared to laugh and cry and ultimately thank God for the men and women willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedoms that so many Americans enjoy." But, you know what? I did just that. I laughed. I cried. And, in the end, I did thank God for the men and women who serve in our military and for allowing me to have been born in America with all of our freedoms. It was, truly, a humbling reminder that "freedom isn't free."'

Characters

Well, I cannot name them all by name because the fact of the matter is that the "characters" in this book are the U.S. Marines. I hold high regard for all branches of the military and those that serve under their banners.Read more ›

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The true-life memoir of a Vietnam veteran

By Midwest Book Review on February 11, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam is the true-life memoir of a Vietnam veteran. Author Barry Fixler enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a teenager; he experienced terrible violence and hand-to-hand combat at the Siege of Khe Sanh, and gives the reader a boots-on-the-ground view of war. Yet he had positive as well as negative experiences, and ultimately the hardships he endured shaped him into a patriotic American. His story is captivating, inspirational, and unflinching in its chronicle of the good, the bad, and the ugly of war. Through the Barry Fixler Foundation, the author seeks to raise at least one million dollars to benefit physically wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan - one hundred percent of the author's royalties from "Semper Cool" will be donated to this worthy cause.

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Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam

By Larry McCartney on July 5, 2011

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

Not for the faint of heart, Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam is probably the single best book yet to come out of the Vietnam War. Unlike, many others, Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam doesn't address that much maligned war from the perspective of the officers or senior noncommissioned officers who served, mostly in career enhancing support roles, it lets the reader into the mind of the American teenagers who fought that war--the men who served in the trenches doing the killing and dying. With all it's rough language, the type of language someone would expect in the highly intense atmosphere of a combat zone, Semper Cool: One Marine's Fond Memories of Vietnam speaks of what it feels like to live through a year long combat tour, to endure numerous horrific experiences to include the violent loss of close friends with whom you shared your hopes and dreams for the future, then to come home and get on with a successful life and career. Barry Fixler is a good personal friend with whom I shared many of the experiences of which he writes. He does an excellent job of describing what we experienced, but more importantly, what we felt, all those years ago. Read it, you won't be sorry. ~~ Semper Fidelis!!! . . . Larry McCartney; Master Gunnery Sergeant of Marines (Retired): 1967 - 1997

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Great read.

Published 18 days ago by Amazon Customer

Wow

Great story about a great Marine. I'm always amazed when I read a book about an infantryman who survived close combat.
The book is a good read for military history buffs.

Published 25 days ago by William H. Haugland III

Easy read.

It is an easy read of a problematic period in our history.

Published 2 months ago by Louie

Five Stars

brings back memories

Published 5 months ago by ellie

As advertised and fast shipping.

Published 6 months ago by William B.

Good book

Being a Vietnam veteran I could relate to everything the author was saying and feeling.

Published 6 months ago by robert j lyons

Five Stars

Good book.

Published 6 months ago by pogo1911

Three Stars

Book was ok but I would recommend A Rumor of War by phil caputo

Published 7 months ago by Scott Bomar

Good "Tell It Like It Is" Read!

I enjoyed reading this book, but warn that it is written in the language of a Marine who lived and fought through many of the heaviest fighting in Vietnam. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Charlie Mac

One of the best VN memoirs I hav e ever read

One of the best VN memoirs I hav e ever read. Interesting because it is a straightforward account of day to day life in a way less than perfect world. --Personal and authentic.

Published 7 months ago by thomas gary

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