( 13 reviews )
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Posted: Oct 13 2008
History sucks doesn't it, especially when it's a part of history, that wasn't suppose to be told. Whether this book is 100%, 50%, or 0 % true, it really doesn't matter, because none of us were actually there ( plus witnesses usually have different explanations). Personally I do not take this book as being Anti-American or for that matter Anti-U.S.Arm Forces. To me this is not about two sides of a coin, to me it is about the undeniable fact that millions upon millions of lives were lost or ruin and for WHAT ?!, At least Iraq has oil.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 13 2008
History sucks doesn't it, especially when it's a part of history, that wasn't suppose to be told. Whether this book is 100%, 50%, or 0 % true, it really doesn't matter, because none of us were actually there ( plus witnesses usually have different explanations). Personally, I do not take this book as being Anti-American or for that matter Anti-U.S. Arm Forces. To me this is not about two sides of a coin, to me it is about the undeniable fact that millions upon millions of lives were lost or ruin and for WHAT ?!, At least Iraq has oil.
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Posted: Aug 27 2008
As a retired Army captain (1st/327th) and instructor of military history, I have read more than 33 books on the Vietnam War, from works by veterans to journalists to historians. They all elicit different responses -- from love to absolute denouncement. It never fails. The stronger the material, the more divided the responses. And judging from the responses to this book in Amazon, my observation is consistent. You could write the next The Guns of August (1962) -- and it doesn't matter. The people who love the work overlook the inherent problems or flaws in the thesis; the ones who hate it latch onto small errors or inconsistencies you'll find in all the books I have ever read, from Caputo to Hersch to Karnow. And please don't point out any great works, because I can show you the flaws. Period. I decided to spend several weeks researching this case after I read the book, including a trip to the National Archives in Maryland to read the original documents of this Army investigation. After four days of examining the records of the Coy Allegation, on which this book is based, I found the author's work in terms of the Army investigation to be credible. Two major components convinced me: the Criminal Investigation Command's Final Report (1974) and 16 testimonies of witnesses between 1972 and 1973, including those of William Carpenter, James Barnett, James Hawkins. Because the scope of the book went beyond the war crimes, I wanted to do more research, so I managed to track down one of the investigators (now retired) and two of the former Tiger Forces members (full disclosure: I did not know them, but I was assigned to the same battation and infantry). This took 2 1/2 months, but it was worth it to me. While they differed with time periods and in three cases, offered different accounts of atrocities, they acknowledged the events did indeed occur. The investigator (a chief warrant officer) had minor issues with the timeline, but confirmed the offenses. One of the veterans who read the book is still angry his named was used (very angry), but confirmed four of the events, including the shooting of peasants in a valley on the orders of the platoon lieutenant (Hawkins). No one disputed the events which were distinct violations of the Code of Military Justice and Geneva Conventions (1949). I came away feeling better about the premise of the book and the bulk of the research. For students, there are other books I would recommend to get an understanding of the war, including the geopolitics and historical underpinnings that made the conflict so defining. But I would be remiss in not recognizing the work of these authors and their contributions to an already growing body of research that continues to incur praise and wrath. When I read Rumor of War I was struck by all the harsh naysayers and critics who jumped on Caputo's work, which has held fast over time. Tiger Force has already proved that. This is a solid work.
