James Dorn led a rifle platoon with the 3rd Brigade at Hue and with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the rice paddies west of Saigon. His frank and detailed memoir recounts their diverse combat missions, the commonplace inhumanity of war and the day-to-day life of infantrymen in the field.

In February 1968, the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division was understrength, with only enough paratroopers to deploy a single brigade. The 3rd Brigade was flown 9000 miles to reinforce American units fighting the North Vietnamese Army around Hue--received a Valorous Unit Award for their actions there. James Dorn was on Brigade staff. He later led a rifle platoon with the 3rd in the rice paddies west of Saigon. In his second year with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Central Highlands. he again led a platoon until promoted to captain. His frank and detailed memoir recounts their diverse combat missions, inhumanity for civilians and the day-to-day life of Infantrymen in the field.