On Friday 8th March 1968, 20 year old Gary McKay lost the lottery. He was conscripted. From a comfortable life of surfing and rugby football, he was drafted into the deadly serious preparation for war in the jungles of South Vietnam. This is his story told in his own words. Here is the grass-roots account of the blood, sweat and tears shared by a rifle platoon in jungle warfare, a straightforward story of the fears and the camaraderie which soldiers experience in combat.
Gary McKay fashioned this account from his experience in action, leading his platoon. The detail is provided from the 80 letters he wrote to his wife while he served. He wrote his story for the reader who wants to know what the soldier on the ground went through - in the fetid jungle, in battle.
It leaves a vivid and disconcerting impression of how the Vietnam War smelt, felt and sounded; it is a reflection of times, places, events and, more importantly, people. Anyone who wants to understand what service in South Vietnam meant to those who were there, should read this book.
Contains black and white photographs.
