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MWSA Review
Cobra Talon is a compelling look into the Vietnam era through the experience of an author who was there with the US Air Force as a combat security policeman. Vietnam era—but not Vietnam: Like many Air Force personnel at the time, author Patrick Sydor served in Thailand, where excessive eating, too much drinking, and drug use leading to addiction was commonplace. The characters are well drawn, but the narrative doesn't leave out the lives lost and frightening battles engaged in, including the rescue attempt on USS Mayaguez, a real American container ship that had been seized by the Cambodian Khmer Rouge in May 1975. Pop culture references such as this serve to add the "historical" to the genre historical fiction.
One of the centerpieces of this true-to-life wartime narrative are the counterpoints in main character Nick Parker's love life. Professed as a Christian and in love with his girlfriend back home, Nick eventually succumbs to the classic military-in-Thailand lifestyle, including a local girlfriend with whom he's also in love and an affection for
recreational drugs. This creates a dissonance in his emotions that results in him dividing his love in two directions with no clear way home. Once he's injured in battle and sent home as a medical casualty, his decision is made for him. But a reader wonders legitimately how it might have worked out differently if he'd stayed in Thailand longer.
This narrative will appeal to Vietnam veterans of any service, but most especially to Air Force vets of the time who served in Thailand. For the uninitiated, there is a comprehensive glossary in the back to demystify the liberal use of acronyms and ranks. All told, a good look at a dangerous time.
Review by Daniel Charles Ross (June 2020)
Author's Synopsis
A fictional thriller based on true events, Cobra Talon is an action-filled tale with many poignant moments detailing the effects of war on a young, idealistic, honor-driven man and the two women who love him.
Nick Parker is plunged into the unpublished war in Thailand following alongside the Vietnam War. His assignment: develop an effective defensive strategy for a CIA/USAF radar site, a job his immediate boss expected to take on. Hostility escalates between them as Nick refuses to give up his sarcastic humor in the face of his boss’s demands.
Off duty, Nick and his friends frequent the local culture for adventure and entertainment. As a Christian, Nick is faced with the demoralizing effects of extensive injuries and the ready availability of drugs and alcohol to get through his days. Then, one of his best friends, a man under his command, commits suicide. Nick is accused of murder.
Back home, his Sunday School teaching girlfriend longs to help him while a beautiful Thai educator is there by his side. He slips further away from his roots and ideals. The final blow comes when he’s drawn into the last horrific battle of the Vietnam War to emerge barely alive. Will he ever see any of his loved ones again?
ISBN/ASIN: B07XCR8ZLH
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 274