Not a gentleman's war : an inside view of junior officers in the Vietnam War / by Ron Milam.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Milam, Ron (John R.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--United States.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Social aspects.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Psychological aspects.

United States. Army--History--Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

United States.

United States. Army--Officers--History--20th century.

United States. Army--Military life--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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

Contents:

A thousand Calleys

pt. one. CONUS. The selection process

The training process

The evaluation process

pt. two. Vietnam. Training in Vietnam

Rules of engagement

Atrocious behavior

Discipline

Conclusion: One Calley

Appendix 1: Glossary

Appendix 2: Historiographical essay

Appendix 3: OCS leadership qualities and traits

Appendix 4: Questionnaires and interviews.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

979-88-908828-9-9

979-88-9313-312-7

1-4696-0534-1

0-8078-9864-3

OCLC:

646872630