First In Last Out - An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne

John D Howard

Summary

A Vietnam veteran recounts his experience through two tours of duty—early in the conflict and then in its final stages. Fresh out of West Point, John Howard arrived for his first tour in Vietnam in 1965, the first full year of escalation when U.S. troop levels increased dramatically, from 23,000 to 184,000. When Howard returned for a second tour in 1972, troop strength stood at 24,000 and would dwindle to a mere fifty the following year. He thus participated in the very early and very late stages of American military involvement in the Vietnam War.   Howard’s two tours—the first as a platoon commander and member of an elite counterguerrilla force, and the second as a senior advisor to the South Vietnamese—provide a fascinating lens through which to view not only one soldier’s experience in Vietnam, but also the country’s.

Available since: 06/14/2023.

Print length: 272 pages.

Other books that might interest you

The Problem of Democracy -...

Shadi Hamid

What happens when democracy produces "bad" outcomes? Is democracy good because of its outcomes or despite them? This "democratic dilemma" is one of the most persistent, vexing problems for America abroad, particularly in the Middle East—we want democracy in theory but not necessarily in practice. 
 
 
 
When Islamist parties rise to power through free elections, the United States has too often been ambivalent or opposed, preferring instead pliable dictators. With this legacy of democratic disrespect in mind, and drawing on new interviews with top American officials, Shadi Hamid explores universal questions of morality, power, and hypocrisy. Why has the United States failed so completely to live up to its own stated ideals in the Arab world? And is it possible for it to change? 
 
 
 
In The Problem of Democracy, Hamid offers an ambitious reimagining of this ongoing debate and argues for "democratic minimalism" as a path to resolving democratic dilemmas in the Middle East and beyond. In the seemingly eternal tension between democracy and liberalism, recognized by the ancient Greeks and the American founders alike, it may be time to prioritize one over the other, rather than acting as if the two are intertwined when increasingly they are not.

Show book

Gerrards Cross - A History

David Thorpe, Julian Hunt

Gerrards Cross, known for its open common and picturesque Latchmore Pond, had been a place of resort ever since the 1790s. Genteel houses sprang up, attracting enough wealthy visitors that it began to be known as the 'Brighton of Bucks.' The opening of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway in 1906, with a station at Gerrards Cross, gave hundreds of Londoners the opportunity to live in 'Beechy Bucks.'
Gerrards Cross: A History celebrates the energy and imagination of the pioneer architects, builders and estate agents who ensured that Gerrards Cross became a high-class residential area, both socially and architecturally. It also applauds the entrepreneurs who opened their new shops and services when the commuter houses were still on the drawing board, and the brave newcomers who brought their families to live in the country, but depended utterly on their reliable train service to London.

Show book

Plato's Euthyphro

Plato

In Euthyphro, Socrates is on his way to the court where he must defend himself against serious charges brought by religious and political authorities. On the way, he meets Euthyphro, an expert on religious matters, who has come to prosecute his own father.
 
Socrates questions Euthyphro’s claim that religion serves as the basis for ethics. Euthyphro is not able to provide satisfactory answers Socrates’ questions, but their dialogue leaves us with the challenge of making a reasonable connection between ethics and religion.

Show book

A Rare Recording of 1920's...

Steve Porter, Ernest Hare,...

Variety entertainment dominated the popular recording industry's acoustic era (pre -1925), from its beginnings in the 1890s, when records were made on wax cylinders, right up to the beginning of the jazz age in the mid-1920s. From slapstick vaudeville routines and ethnic dialect skits to romantic ballads and dramatic recitations, sound recordings brought variety entertainment into the homes of millions of Americans. The following are three recordings from the era.

The Arkansas Traveler, performed by Steve Porter and Ernest Hare, recorded in 1922. A classic "rube" sketch, The Arkansas Traveler was probably the best-selling example of the popular genre "descriptive scene," a humorous dramatic sketch that often included sound effects and music.

Desperate Desmond, written and performed by Fred Duprez, recorded in 1915. Duprez was a vaudeville comedian famous for his comic monologues. An Edison record catalog, circa 1927, had this to say about the Desperate Desmond bit: "Duprez invented all this himself and has given it before many audiences. It is really very cleverly worked out; some of the incidental music fits the characters with a burlesque fashion, and some of it, apparently to Duprez's intense disgust, is wildly inappropriate. To quote a popular advertisement If you can't laugh at this, see a doctor."

Laughing Record (Henry's Music Lesson), performed by Sally Stembler and Edward Meeker, recorded 1923. This comic sketch was so popular nearly every early record company sold a recording of it. This is the Edison Company's version. Known as the "laughing girl," Sally Stembler was recalled in Jim Walsh's seminal column, "Favorite Pioneer Recording Artist," in Hobbies Magazine (September, 1973): "Miss Stembler was a vaudeville comedienne who for a generation or more entertained audiences with laughing specialties."

Show book

The Friendship Bench - How...

Dixon Chibanda

A simple, human solution for loneliness and depressionWhen Dr. Dixon Chibanda lost a patient to suicide, he began a soul-searching journey that eventually led to a mental healthcare revolution. As one of only six psychiatrists in all of Zimbabwe, a country traumatized by decades of conflict, Chibanda quickly realized that millions there were suffering from mental illness with no hope of receiving care. He saw that the only way to narrow this care gap was to leverage existing resources in the community, and one such resource was the compassion and understanding of grandmothers. With fourteen of these wise elders as partners, Chibanda pioneered the Friendship Bench program, a community-driven initiative addressing loneliness, depression, substance abuse, and suicide by fostering intergenerational connectedness. Since then, more than 500,000 people worldwide have sat on a park bench to share their personal stories with an empathetic grandmother.
 
A primer on how human connection forms the bedrock of our resilience, The Friendship Bench gives readers the tools to facilitate transformative healing by reaching out to those who are struggling and isolated from the world around them. It’s a case study of how interventions supported by robust scientific evidence can be made accessible for all. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of the collective wisdom and knowledge of those rooted in their communities and their profound ability to foster belonging, purpose, and healing.

Show book

Galactic Gnosticism - The Nag...

Various Gnostic Writers, Tim...

What if an ancient emergency message is hiding in forgotten scrolls? 
The immersive audio edition fuses emotive voice acting with atmospheric synth drones that evoke deep-space cathedrals.  
Each scripture is prefaced by a 60-second explainer so you can absorb the drama without pausing to research. 
•	Secret Book of John – Hear Sophia’s lament and the roaring birth of the Demiurge. 
•	Hypostasis of the Archons – Pulse-pounding narration of the archons’ assault on Eden. 
•	Allogenes & Zostrianos – Echo-laden readings guiding you through thirteen vertiginous heavens. 
•	Trimorphic Protennoia – Triple-layered voice design representing Mind, Word, and Breath. 
A closing round-table with scholars and futurists weighs ancient gnosis against contemporary UFO lore—perfect for binge-listening on night drives beneath unfamiliar constellations.

Show book