Last Man Out : A Personal Account of the Vietnam War

"I WAS AMONG THE FIRST MEN IN,AND I WAS THE LAST MAN OUT."In Vietnam, at both the start and finish of the conflict, 2d Lt. James E. Parker Jr. saw the war as few men did. Now, with uncommon insight and raw honesty, he captures the stark realities of jungle combat, heavy casualties, and heroic sacrifice. From the tight confines of a VC-occupied Cu Chi tunnel to bloody firefights in areas that hardcore VC and NVA vets had controlled for decades, Parker relives the rain, the heat, the horror, the pain--and the anguish of kneeling beside a buddy whose blood turnd the soil black as he lays dying. Vietnam exacted a very high price. Parker pays tribute to the men who paid it.__From the Paperback edition.__ "I WAS AMONG THE FIRST MEN IN, AND I WAS THE LAST MAN OUT." In Vietnam, at both the start and finish of the conflict, 2d Lt. James E. Parker Jr. saw the war as few men did. Now, with uncommon insight and raw honesty, he captures the stark realities of jungle combat, heavy casualties, and heroic sacrifice. From the tight confines of a VC-occupied Cu Chi tunnel to bloody firefights in areas that hardcore VC and NVA vets had controlled for decades, Parker relives the rain, the heat, the horror, the pain--and the anguish of kneeling beside a buddy whose blood turnd the soil black as he lays dying. Vietnam exacted a very high price. Parker pays tribute to the men who paid it. From the Paperback edition. Army recruit -- Command training -- Marshaling for war -- Sea voyage -- First firefight -- Shadow war -- At home in the jungle -- Tunnel to hell -- Phoenix and fate -- Lavender Hill -- War is war -- Minh Thanh Road -- Heading home -- The best job in the world -- Nothing could be finer -- Holding the line in Laos -- CIA work in Vietnam -- My bodyguard -- The light at the end of the tunnel -- Promises and confrontations -- KIP collection -- Broken promises -- Air America to the rescue -- Farewell Vietnam.