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A beautifully written book and a stunning achievement. Thanks to Nathaniel Tripp's extraordinary depiction of war in Vietnam, based on his own experiences, I finally understand what it was like to fight there. Here is the savagery, the terrible anxiety, the sheer unreality of the conflict, and above all the appalling innocence and unpreparedness of the young Americans who were sent into that incomprehensible war.

Skillfully interwoven with the war story is how the author comes to terms with his own terror, with his failed father and their failed relationship, and how he makes up for the lost love of a parent by becoming something like a father to the men in his platoon. I can't recommend Father, Soldier, Son highly enough. [via]