Rating: 
Summary: Best ever read
Review: Dr. Glasser has written a great story on the Vietnam War and the Hospital and personnel envolved. Having read it almost right through it brought back lots of memories stored in the deep of my mind. I had lived a time in a Naval Hospital and was put back together in a wonderful way by many good Doctors and Nurses in the Boston area. I will always remember them and hope that many that have never associated the hospitals with the war will now understand how many men went through those portals in those years. Many to never be the same, God bless them all, and God bless our wonderful country.
Rating:
Summary: Vietnam at it's worst and best
Review: Dr. Glasser's work is a monument to the medical professionals, from junior corpsman to neurosurgeon, who served in Vietnam. It is also a testament to the soldiers who were there. You get a deep feeling for the day to day grind of war, not what the papers and news programs showed, but the much more mundane things, like a first sergeant veteran of three wars who's biggest problem was keeping lieutenants alive long enough to be effective leaders. Doctors working within the rules to keep soldiers alive long enough so that they could rotate out of Vietnam. You are also there with the nurses as they treat soldiers who could have been their boyfriends or brothers. It certainly wasn't the nursing they learned in the state side hospitals. You meet soldiers who after a night of patrolling have as a major concern, will there be cornflakes on the chow line when they get back for breakfast. You meet them all, pilots, battalion commanders, explosives experts, burn specialists, psychiatrists. All of them combine to tell a story of one year, or maybe less, in the life of a soldier. Anyone with an interest in military medicine should read this, as well as those with an interest in leadership at the grass roots level. I first read this book when it first came out. I return to it for a refresher course in the cost of a political decision in Washington and the impact continents away. This should be in every politician's library and show evidence of much use. It is also a must read for anyone with an interest in the human side of soldiering in Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensible for understanding the Vietnam experience.
Review: Dr. Glassner provides a unique perspective on the American experience in Vietnam -- that of a medical officer responsible for treating the shattered, burned, and exhausted men caught up in that conflict. There is plenty of heroism in his short tales, but usually it is the heroism of brute survival, of adapting to impossible conditions, of enduring the unendurable. I have heard this book referred to as an "anti-war" work, and one that derides America's involvement in Southeast Asia. I disagree. Glassner simply tells it like it was -- he pulls no punches, so oftentimes reading this book is very unpleasant: how many "John Wayne shoot 'em up" memoirs of Vietnam recount the suffering endured on a burn ward? I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam War, the continued psychological and physical suffering of combat vets from all eras, or to anyone concerned with the consequences for our sons and daughters when politicans send our troops to war. Should be required reading for college students,...
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Summary: Memorable Book!
Review: Even though Glasser didn't witness the combat in Vietnam, he saw its tragic destruction. His stories are haunting and memorable. This is a poignant, thought-provoking, and beautifully written book.--Diana Dell, author, "Memories Are Like Clouds."
Rating:
Summary: An accurate composite first-hand view of the Vietnam War
Review: For the person who wants a true understanding of what the Vietnam War was like for medics, doctors, and the casualities they saw during the Vietnam War, this book is extremely accurate. From my first hand experience, this is the most descriptive book I have ever read on the subject. It is obvious that Dr. Glasser wrote this with true feelings and a painfully accurate memory. Everyone should read this book for an understanding of what war is really about.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read.
Review: I got a copy from the local library, read it, then ordered a copy for my collection. It's well-written and difficult to put down once you get started. Buy it!
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Summary: Of War, Courage, and Truth
Review: I have read scores of books about the Vietnam war and witnessed countless movies. I have found no one who can capture, with such poignant clarity, the horror of the war and the nobility of those who fought it quite like Dr. Ronald Glasser. Through a series of deeply affecting vignettes, Dr. Glasser reveals the experiences of men who struggle with the personal and private moral conflict that only those who have taken a life can understand. These men did not, as later accused, lose a war; rather, their loss was their own youth and innocence. The book is a haunting tribute that evokes images that are raw and bleeding...and yet bestows a sense of peace and understanding. I reread this book every year. It is a book about courage...the courage of the warriors who populate its pages...and the courage of the man who wrote their stories at a time when a Nation was not prepared to know a truth their sons could not convey. Thank you, Dr. Glasser, wherever you are....
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Summary: Politicians who make the wars young men fight should read it
Review: It's the old men who make wars happen, and cause us younger ones to go to far-off shores to give our lives in the name of ....whatever buzzword they've dreamed up to get the American Public beating the war drums. It wouldn't do the politicos any good to read it,....but, BY GOD, the American Public should...especially those interested in raising a right hand and enlisting. During the war in VietNam, I was a medical service specialist attached to a CONUS 350-bed medical center's Intensive Care Unit and Neuro/Neuro-Surgical Unit taking care of the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen who'd fallen. From that perspective, Doc Glassen tells it like it is. All that's missing are the smells and sounds...Maybe someday technology will be able to put THAT into a book form. Until then...an intense read. It gives a good perspective on why YOU DON'T want to go to war... Charley Mike
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Insight into a Insane War
Review: Several years ago, when the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was released to the movie theaters, I watched what I thought was one of the most painful and senseless battles in the history of the USA. However, after reading Ronald J. Glasser's book of "365 DAYS", I realized that thru his words -without the assistance of Surround Sound, Big Screen, or graphic video effects; the author had created a classic insight into our Country's History that I shall never forget. I never had to serve in Viet Nam since I was in Medical School at the time; but after entering my medical residency training in the early 1970's, I began seeing Viet Nam War Vets being transported to their home Veteran's Hospital for eventual medical dishcarge. The damage was so much more complex than their physical wounds. At that time in our history, the concept of PTSD was being trivialized by the VA Central Office and perhaps many American Citizens, as well. Now- 30 years later - many of our Viet Nam Vets are permanently disabled due to the psychological trauma they had to endure. "365 DAYS" comes as close as I have ever encountered to depicting the senselessness of the War and the trauma to to the soldiers, the Medics, and the Doctors who were expected to salvage as many wounded as possible and send them back into the Jungles, or Highlands, or Saigon....knowing there was no safe haven for the soldiers and no glory for serving their country. I strongly recommend the book to anyone now working with Viet Nam Vets or those who never understood "what the big fuss was all about" For Mental Health Professionals such as myself, it should be required reading in Graduate School or in all Psychiatric Residency Training Programs. I strongly rate Dr Glasser's book 5 stars. David Bransford MD
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Insight into a Insane War
Review: Several years ago, when the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was released to the movies theaters, I watched what I thought was one of the most painful and senseless battles in the history of the USA. However, after reading Ronald J. Glasser's book of "365 DAYS", I realized that thru his words -without the assistance of Surround Sound, Big Screen, or graphic video effects; the author had created a classic insight into our Country's History that I shall never forget. I never had to serve in Viet Nam since I was in Medical School at the time; but after entering my medical residency training in the early 1970's, I began seeing Viet Nam War Vets being transported to their home Veteran's Hospital for eventual medical dishcarge. The damage was so much more complex than their physical wounds. At that time in our history, the concept of PTSD was being trivialized by the VA Central Office and perhaps many American Citizens, as well. Now- 30 years later - many of our Viet Nam Vets are permanetly disabled due to the psychological trauma they had to endure. "365 DAYS" comes as close as I have ever encountered to depicting the senselessness of the War and the trauma to to the soldiers, the Medics, and the Doctors who were expected to salvage as many wounded as possible and send them back into the Jungles, or Highlands, or Saigon....knowing there was no safe haven for the soldiers and no glory for serving their country. I strongly recommend the book to anyone now working with Viet Nam Vets or those who never understood "what the big fuss was all about" For Mental Health Professionals such as myself, it should be required reading in Graduate School or in all Psychiatric Residency Training Programs. I strongly rate
Dr Glasser's book 5 stars. David Bransford MD
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