Vietnam Zippos: American Soldiers' Engravings and Stories (1965-1973)
Amazon Significant Seven, September 2007:  When pictures of thatched huts set ablaze by U.S. troops were beamed to stateside TVs, the Zippo lighter became a symbol of the escalating Vietnam War and America's increasing uneasiness with her mission there. But the lighters were often much more than that to the soldiers; they were talismans and tokens of personal expression, engraved with statements ranging from the profane to the obscene to the just plain hopeful:When God open[ed] the gates of hell, the 101st walked outDeath is my business and business has been goodIf you think sex is exciting, try incomingNever againI love you momLavishly illustrated and startlingly frank,Vietnam Zippos: American Soldiers' Engravings and Stories (1965-1973)is an insightful and gut-wrenching look into the thoughts of the young men who carried them.--Jon Foro