Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War
"Contributes significantly to the historiography of the war and our understanding of the U.S. Army in the 1960s and early 1970s. . . . Highly recommend[ed] . . . to historians of the Vietnam War era."--The Journal of American History"Primarily useful to military history insiders, Vietnam War veterans, and advanced scholars. . . . Recommended."--Choice"A useful corrective to those histories denigrating the contributions of junior officers in Vietnam and a solid contribution of collective biography."--Army History"Not a Gentleman's Warfills a void in the scholarship of the Vietnam War. Much has been written about generals and enlisted men, but this is the first study that looks at the junior officers' war and the challenges they faced." --On Point"This book addresses an important topic and should become a standard work in the historiography of the war."--American Historical Review"This is a good book and an easy read and should be required reading for anyone who wants to better understand the contributions of the junior officers who, unshaven and with muddy boots, carried so much of the burden of the ungentlemanly war in Vietnam."--Journal of America's Military Past"Milam uses extensive interviews . . . and other archival resources to paint a more accurate and realistic picture of junior officer performance in Vietnam. . . . This is an important and relevant book, one that scholars of the Vietnam War should read, and that ROTC programs and the Military History Department at West Point should add to required reading lists for officer candidates."--Military History of the West"Highly recommended for historians of the Vietnam War and the United States Army. [Milam's] very useful comprehensive treatment of pre-commissioning training will remain the best single treatment of this issue for years to come."--Journal of Military History"Provides a vivid, on-the-ground portrait of what the platoon leader faced. . . . Well-researched, meticulously documented and extremely readable."--McCormick Messenger"Milam, himself a Vietnam veteran, comes to the topic with plenty of passion and a desire to right the record."--The Chronicle Review"Useful in depicting the terrific pressure junior officers were under in Vietnam."--History Wire