The Ghosts of Thua Thien, An American Soldier’s Memoir of Vietnam

Author: John A. Nesser

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

197 pages, few photos, maps

I spent four years in Vietnam and hope I know more about the war, the troops, the Vietnamese, than the average person who was there for a one year tour of duty and just wanted out. I’ve read many books on the war and must truthfully say that I was not really looking forward to reviewing another “war book”. Too many of them, to me, have been repetitive, predictable, and full of clichés.

The cover of the book features a photo of a combat assault somewhere near the DMZ (demilitarized zone). I thought to myself, ‘here we go again’.

I was blown away by this book. Finally something noticeably different. John Nesser was no hero in his eyes, but did heroic things. He was absolutely able to capture the truth about this most understood of wars. John had reservations about the war, but conducted himself as a true patriot and soldier of the highest commendation; and he did so humbly, and with compassion. Too many books portray endless day-to-day combat, and that was just not what happened. The author skillfully details the boredom, the day-to-day drudgery, the missteps and the Peter Principle that, if we could reach a certain level of incompetence, Vietnam was no different.

The American soldier is portrayed as he was, the good, bad, and the ugly, but certainly soldiers who redeemed themselves when they needed to be counted on. Certainly far more commendable soldiers who were so much different than portrayed in today’s movies and stereotypes.