Frenchy's Whore (ePub)

I couldn't and didn't know everyone in a company of over a hundred men. Some that I did know have passed on, or died in battle in Vietnam. In other cases I could not find the individuals in order to ask their permission, and have assigned them pseudonyms. This book is just a fragment of a huge tapestry of diverse experiences lived by millions of young men and women. It might be very similar to or different from the reader's own experiences in that nasty little war, or those in other accounts. I mean no one any harm or defamation. I have nothing but the utmost admiration for all who served there. I will always love and honor my unit, the 173d Airborne Brigade (SEP). The young fighters of Alpha Company were the very cream of America's crop. I am thinking I probably will owe a thanks to my old XO in this revision, as he is privy to good info on some of the names, dates and AOs of the revision of this book. Those after-action reports have been invaluable. Thank you, COL Henry Persons...Sir. I realize that the use of objectionable racial slurs in the dialogue will be very uncomfortable for some readers, and for valid reasons. That said, this was how the men talked in Vietnam. My first duty to the men who served is to tell the truth, not a sanitized version of it. Combat situations and environments do strange and often harsh things to people. I report the words as best I remember them, and ask the reader to understand that including them should not in any way be taken as a modern endorsement of such language. It just happened, and I present the reality rather than try to pretend it was otherwise. I consider that my highest duty--to my old comrades, and even adversaries, of all heritages. This is a true story. I try to paint what was seen and felt. The dates and details are fact. This will close that chapter of my life for me, I hope; having sought out others who were there with me, and accepted their counsel in correcting errors in the original manuscript, I seek now only