Review: Terrific Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2014
Killing for Peace is a memoir about Lt. Garry Farrington's tour of duty with the First Cavalry in the highlands of Vietnam.  This first person account is different from other Vietnam war stories as it views the war from the perspective of an Army Infantry Officer.Lt. Farrington's prior training had groomed him for a leadership position within an armor unit, but after arriving in country, the shortage of lower ranking officers in the bush resulted in his reassignment to an infantry company as platoon leader.  Not ready for that kind of command, the "brown bar" officer has doubts of his ability to properly lead men into battle.  Even though Garry is an officer, he is no different than any other Newbie Cherry soldiers arriving in Vietnam - frightened, naive, awe-struck and wanting to survive his tour.The officer is initially assigned as the leader of the 4th platoon (recon and CP support) to help get his feet wet; this seems to be the launching pad for new lieutenants - a position, that the captain can easily observe.  The cherry officer soon gets himself in hot water with the company commander when getting caught in mischievous pranks during the company's stand down in the rear.  It doesn't take long for him to get reassigned to one of the three rifle platoons.Many new officers are notorious for pushing rank and feeding their egos when first coming into a new command position, but Lt. Farrington was different.  He wanted to learn from his subordinates and soon gained their trust.  It doesn't take the troops long to see that their new leader isn't on the fast track, a glory seeker trying to make a name for himself to move quickly up the military career ladder.  Instead, he demonstrates a trust and belief in his men - they are important and always came first...he was not overprotective, got the job done, but didn't take unnecessary risks to place his men in harms way.Garry becomes a natural leader and develops a great rapport with his men.  After a few months, he is promoted to 1st LT and assigned as the new company commander because of the shortage of available captains in the war zone.  When leaving the bush after several months for a rear echelon position, Lt. Farrington was proud to have the distinct honor of not having any of his troops killed.  Sure, there were booby traps and battles fought, men were injured - including the L-T himself on a couple of occasions, but nobody died under his command.Garry tells the story of visiting the battalion aid station to have shrapnel from a booby trap removed from his cheekbone.  The surgeon, a major, had just returned from his daily afternoon nap and didn't want to remove the fragment, insisting that it will come out by itself over time.  After dismissing the L-T, the major returns to his office.  Two Spec5 medics were not surprised after witnessing the major's action, seems everyone despised the man.  When asked if they were comfortable with performing the surgery, the L-T gave them a direct order to treat him, so they wouldn't get in trouble.  They are successful, but caught in the act.  Lt. Farrington threatens the major with his life if he takes any action against the medics for following his direct order - and gets away with it!His rear echelon job allows him to continue following his old command, although it's from the battalion C&C; helicopter flying overhead.  He enjoys the new job and the ability to continue looking out for those men on the ground.  With only a month left in country, Garry is assigned the task of beefing up the defenses of a remote firebase.  Attack is imminent and the next few weeks become his worst in country.Lt. Farrington was no hero, yet he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star with V device and Purple Heart among others.  His story is easy to read - sometimes funny, written by a witty, humble and down to earth kind of guy.  I highly recommend "Killing for Peace" for anyone wanting to learn more about the Vietnam War and the people who fought in it.  Great job Garry!  Welcome Home Brother and God Bless!John Podlaski, authorCherries - A Vietnam War Novel