No Shining Armor
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About
by Otto J. Lehrack (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 34 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
23 ratings
Part of: Modern War Studies (162 books)
Winner: General Wallace M. Greene Award
“No more Vietnams!”
A quarter century after the war in Vietnam, that battle cry brought a flag-waving nation to its feet and ignited the superpatriotism of the Gulf War era. But hard as we tried—with yellow ribbons and “We Support Our Troops” bumper stickers and Norman Schwarzkopf videos and Olympics-style homecoming celebrations—we couldn’t seem to erase the disturbing memory of Vietnam.
Perhaps forgetting is not the answer. Perhaps the healing process begins with remembering. Painful, clear-headed remembering.
Even those who remember best, the men who fought in Vietnam, aren’t anxious to recall their experiences—or recount them to an academician. But in Otto Lehrack they found a sympathetic audience. Lehrack is both a historian and a member of the Third Battalion, Third Marines. He fought alongside the men whose voices he recorded here. Into their accounts, Lehrack has woven a narrative that explains the events they describe and places them into both a historical and a political context.
It’s a grunt’s-eye view of the Vietnam War that emerges in No Shining Armor—the war as seen by the PFC’s, sergeants, and platoon leaders in the rivers and jungles and trenches. It’s the story of teenagers leading squads of men into the jungle on night missions, the story of boredom, confusion, and equipment shortages, of friends suddenly blown away, of disappointing homecomings. It’s also the story of young men placed under unbearable strain and asked to do the impossible, who somehow stretched to meet the demands placed upon them, and the story of the friendships they forged in combat—friendships deeper than any these men would be able to form later in civilian life.
Praise for this book
Basically a well constructed oral history work on a specific USMC unit in the NAM. Focuses entirely on the 3rd Battalion, 3rd MARINE REGIMENT (3rd MAR DIV, III MAF) from their initial deployment in-country to post-TET window. Not surprising the author was a former 3/3 company commander and undoubtedly had several fellow veteran contacts who were willing to reveal their innermost impression(s) of their 13 months tour of duty with the 3/3. Many Vietnam Veterans are usually more forthcoming with opening up to a fellow VN veteran. They tend to be quite reticent, suspicious and taciturn with non-veterans....but often will bare their soul to a fellow comrade especially if they served in the same unit, knew many of the same grunts and share a common base of understanding without passing any judgement. The photographs used in the book were personal snapshots (taken in-country) borrowed from the photo album of the ex-grunts interviewed, which had never been published or seen before....and thankfully were not the more commonly used OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPHS. Spaced between the chapters were official USMC combat report excerpts to place these men's recounting within a broader historical context. Quang Tri, Phu Bai, Chu Lai, Cam Lo, Dong Ha, Rockpile, Route 9, Leatherneck Square, Con Thien, Camp Carroll, Danang, et al.....many of these places and experiences will live forever in the minds of these 3/3 combat grunts.....and is offered as a glimpse to the readers of the book.