Not a Gentleman's War by Ron Milam
Wars are not fought by politicians and generals--they are fought by soldiers. Written by a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, Not a Gentleman's War is about such soldiers--a gritty, against-the-grain defense of the much-maligned junior officer. Conventional wisdom holds that the junior officer in Vietnam was a no-talent, poorly trained, unmotivated soldier typified by Lt. William Calley of My Lai infamy. Drawing on oral histories, after-action reports, diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Ron Milam debunks this view, demonstrating that most of the lieutenants who served in combat performed their duties well and effectively, serving with great skill, dedication, and commitment to the men they led. Milam's narrative provides a vivid, on-the-ground portrait of what the platoon leader faced: training his men, keeping racial tensions at bay, and preventing alcohol and drug abuse, all in a war without fronts. Yet despite these obstacles, junior officers performed admirably, as documented by field reports and evaluations of their superior officers. More than 5,000 junior officers died in Vietnam; all of them had volunteered to lead men in battle. Based on meticulous and wide-ranging research, this book provides a much-needed serious treatment of these men--the only such study in print--shedding new light on the longest war in American history.
Meticulously documented and extremely readable, Not a Gentleman's War is a balanced and unbiased evaluation of American junior officer leadership in VietnamMilam's descriptions allow even those with little military experience to follow his arguments, and his comprehensive approach makes a unique contribution to Vietnam War historiography.--James H. Willbanks, author of Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War|""An exceedingly well-researched and untold story of leadership and heroism of the junior officer corps in Vietnam. There is no one better prepared to provide such an account of a warrior's war than former combat veteran and history professor Ron Milam. I learned something new on just about every page of this terrific book.""--Larry Berman, University of California, Davis, author of Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An and No Peace No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger and Betrayal in Vietnam
Ron Milam is associate professor of military history at Texas Tech University. He served as an infantry advisor to Montagnard forces in the Vietnam War.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780807837122 |
| ISBN 10 | 0807837121 |
| Title | Not a Gentleman's War |
| Author | Ron Milam |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | The University of North Carolina Press |
| Year published | 2012-08-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |