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MWSA Review
Those Gentle Heroes is a heartfelt (and at times heartbreaking) tribute to a handful of young men who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. They have some similarities: they were all volunteers, they were almost all 22 years old or younger (some as young as 18), and in most cases they died while helping someone else. Most were recognized for their bravery, and in a few cases, they were awarded the Medal of Honor. In that way, this book could be seen like a lot of other war books spotlighting those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
However, it is different. What makes it different is how the author tells each individual story. They are 90% fact, but where the facts aren’t available, the author adds dialogue and events that develop the characters in the stories. This blend makes each chapter more of a story and less of a historical event, drawing in the reader and generating a feeling that ultimately honors the deceased in a way a lot of history books miss.
I was particularly moved by the story of the battle for Hill 488, where eighteen marines were surrounded by over 400 regular NVA. Seeing the outrageous one-sidedness of those numbers, one would expect the marines to be annihilated. That didn’t happen. Most survived, although all were wounded, many of them multiple times. The intensity with which the author illustrates the love the senior marine had for his team on that mission is something that few authors can generate.
Those Gentle Heroes will appeal to Vietnam veterans and anyone interested in the camaraderie shared by those who serve in combat together.
Review by Rob Ballister (June 2023)
Author's Synopsis
March 29, 1968 - ARVN Rangers and U.S. advisors came under attack as their helicopters landed near A Luoi, RVN. Several choppers were destroyed, and there were many dead and wounded. Maj. Jim Morris, a former Green Beret working as an Army Public Information officer, was along on the mission and told of encountering a "redheaded trooper" in the middle of the firefight.
"The trooper looked to be about twenty-three or so," Morris said, "and following him was a slender, clean-cut kid with black hair."
The redhead called to some Vietnamese Rangers who had sought cover among the trees. He told them he and the kid needed help hauling about fifteen wounded men out of a bomb crater, but the Rangers stared vacantly as though they had not heard. From the hillock, Morris could see the crater filled with wounded Rangers, Green Berets, and U.S. Marine chopper pilots. They were pinned down by enemy machine guns firing from bunkers across the open field.
"There was scarcely a twig or blade of grass between us and the crater," the major recalled. The redhead stopped and looked back at the lone young man behind him. He shook his head and broke into a lopsided grin. Scrambling down the steep earthen bank, he burst through the trees with the kid on his tail. There were thirty yards of open space between the trees and the crater.
The two Green Berets made a broken-field run toward the crater with machine-gun rounds kicking up sprays of red dirt all around them. "I didn't see them get hit," Morris said, "but if they weren't, it was a miracle."
Those Gentle Heroes recounts the stories of twenty-one young men who served and died in Vietnam. This synopsis is a small portion of one of their stories.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Anthology
Number of Pages: 362
Word Count: 116,567