Mekong Mud Dogs: The Story of: SGT. Ed Eaton
AUTOBIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR Mekong Mud Dogs: The Story of: SGT. Ed Eaton Ed Eaton Ed W. Eaton 978-0-615-96518-5 Four Stars (out of Five) Eaton captures the danger, emotions, and political landscapes of the Vietnam War in this extraordinary story of heroism. No one exemplified the utter danger and downright dirty work of the Vietnam War more than the combat infantryman. Ed Eaton lived his own remarkable combat role, and in his memoir, Mekong Mud Dogs, he tells it the way it was. Eaton’s attention to detail and the compelling nature of his war story do not disappoint. Admittedly “not a writer by education or employ,” Eaton is nevertheless a natural storyteller, and he pulls no punches in rendering his almost daily brushes with death in the paddies and groves of the Mekong River Delta in the late 1960s, where units of the US Army’s Ninth Infantry Division were placed in different points of contact with Vietcong units. He chronicles his experiences as a radio operator, grenadier, and point man (“human mine detector”), followed by leadership roles in his squad and platoon. “My men,” Eaton writes,  “were more important to me than any fucking bullshit rules of politicians.” Eaton tells the story (also documented on the History Channel and the National Rifle Association’s Life of Duty Channel) of his extraordinary heroics on April 3, 1969: After a night raid, Eaton’s chopper was shot down. Severely injured, he fired on advancing VC troops from atop the downed chopper, changing weapons often. He thwarted the attack until backup arrived. Eaton was awarded several Purple Hearts and has also been recommended for the Medal of Honor. – ForeWord Clarion Review