No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam: An Oral History (Paperback)

~ Otto J. Lehrack (Editor)
Key Phrases: brand new guy, bridge platoon, fire team leader, Viet Cong, North Vietnamese, Mike Company (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This oral history covers the experiences of numerous members of one Marine battalion, in which the author served and which he considers representative of the infantry experience in Vietnam. Unlike more dramatic oral histories of Vietnam, such as Mark Baker's Nam , this takes a chronological, battle-by-battle path, offering many logistical details. Often several voices briefly describe one event, creating a bland chorus, but there are interesting reflections, such as one on the art of scavenging for supplies. Moments of eloquence and poignance emerge infrequently: "I go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a lot to talk to my guys," says one soldier; another describes relocating villagers: "I felt like I was at the bottom of a toilet for the world." Undergirding the book is a staunchly patriotic attitude: interviewees say the Marine Corps lacked racial and drug problems, and emphasize enemy torture but ignore U.S. atrocities. In this account, best suited for military buffs, the soldiers hardly reflect on the bigger picture. "Once a Marine, always a Marine," say more than one. Lehrack sums it up: "Their casualties were not in vain but were a monument to their heritage and their brotherhood." Photos. Military Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The author himself led a company of the 3rd Marine Division's 3rd Battalion, whose men provided the narratives collected here. Their stories begin with the battalion's training in 1964 and end in October 1969, when it was withdrawn as part of U.S. disengagement. During those five years the young Marines, many barely out of their teens, endured extremes of suffering, loss, and injury; the transcriptions of their recollections are suffused with pain all the more eloquent for being expressed in pauses more than in words. Following a unit through its entire deployment enables the author to show how tactical changes higher up filtered down to affect the combatants' situation. The Marines faced much of the heaviest action in Vietnam; this oral history vividly captures their unique experience. Military collections on Vietnam will not be complete without it. Military Book Club main selection.
-Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Kansas (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700605347
• ISBN-13: 978-0700605347
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #918,465 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In their own words..., July 25, 2000

By	Steven M. Smith (Sterling, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Everyone, regardless of whether they were "for" or "against" the Vietnam War should READ THIS BOOK! It gives an unflinching, brutal and grim portrayal of ground combat by the men (specifically U.S. Marines) who know it best because they were there, they experienced it, and they lived to tell others about it. It shows what heroism and duty to country really are and it shows by the examples of these men. I've read many, many books, both fiction and non-fiction on the war, and none come close to giving the sense of how it really was for these men in ground combat in Vietnam.

Many veterans are still paying the price in physical, psychological and/or emotional terms for doing their duty as American citizens. And most non-participants will never realize the sacrifices these citizens/soldiers made. Personally I have no knowledge myself since I was only 17 when the war ended in 1975, however, I am still un-nerved by the treatment these men received by fellow-countrymen then, and to some extent now (even though it is now "OK" to be a Vietnam veteran).

Read this book and see how it truly was for these brave men in their own words (and for those of all the other services involved, as well). Whether you thought this war was good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral...READ THIS BOOK and see how it truly was for the soldiers fighting on the ground.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Real life stories told by those who were there., January 8, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

These are the words and reflections of Marines from one unit which saw a lot of combat action west and north of DaNang. The author has done a wonderful job of interviewing a good cross-section of officers and enlisted men and organizing their stories chronologically from 1966 to 1970. The pride of the Marines and these mostly young soldiers is evident even 30 years after the war. This is the "grunts" story told in their own words with humor, pride, and passion. J.Kratz, US Army, Vietnam '66-67, '70-71.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The human side that sustains existance even in a dirty war., February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam : An Oral History (Modern War Studies) (Hardcover)

Otto Lehrack has edited a vast compilation of recollections of the front line grunts who fought the war up close and personal. The good, bad and grotesque are equally represented. Unlike the REMFs who conducted the war from air conditioned offices in the rear or in Washington, Lehrack talks with the foot soldiers who suffered, lost their buddies and were forever changed by their experiences. Perhaps most prominent is the unique sense of brotherhood embodied by these story tellers. Driven together by the senselessness of the Vietnam conflict they come together out of need for one another.

This book hits home because of the clear message it sends; the troops didn't always know what they were fighting for but it was clear that they had to support one another if they were going to get home. As Capt John Ripley, winner of the Navy Cross in 1972 on his second tour puts it, "The worst that can be said about a Marine is that he wasn't around when we needed him, that we couldn't count on im. That was absolutely unthinkable to him." The Marines who recount their tale in this book provide a clear understanding of what it was like to spend thirteen months in-country with the enemy trying to kill you each and every day.

Perhaps if Americans at home understood what was going on sooner this war might have had a different outcome. By the end of No Shining Armor, the reader will certainly have a new respect for the tremendous sacrifices made by those who chose to honor their country by serving in Vietnam.