Soul Patrol

Rating:
Summary: On tour with LURPS
Review: I bought this book at the airport to pass the time and it sounded interesting as it looked to be a unique perspective on the Vietnam war...something different. From the moment I picked up this book, I could not put it down, riveting is an understatement. The reading of the book goes by real fast and idle moments in the book are non-existent. I've read many Vietnam books but this one is one of the more memorable ones. Although the book cover initially catches your attention with being a story of the first African American Lrpp team in Vietnam, that doesn't seem to be the main focus throughout the book. The book is more of an account of Ed Emanuel's personal experience in Vietnam with descriptive interactions with all different kinds of people, and in my opinion I'm glad it was written that way because the book is much more personal and not some cheap story line. The author holds nothing back and does not err to the conservative side of trying to make a book to please his readers. In fact at times you may find the opposite and maybe even a bit offended but you must understand that the author is not trying to purposely offend people but to tell his story like it is. In doing so, I felt the book was written in its purest form and appreciated it for the author's truthfulness. Many of times, we get caught up in reading stories of Vietnam that are...well, just stories with little personality from those telling it, in this book that is not the case. Facts, opinions and intelligent inner-dialogue are apparent throughout. My only complain is I wished the author would have went into how everything was for him after the war, but that would probably be a whole other book in itself.

Excellent book, great dialogue, I highly recommend this as an addition to any adult's library. For those Vietnam War buffs, this is a definite "must buy" as it will truly add diversity to your library. I also recommend "The Nam" by Mark Baker, "Charlie Company" and "Bloods".

Rating:
Summary: Ones own story.
Review: It's nice to read a book about F 51st. LRP that's is one person telling of his own experience and not some clown using other peoples experiences as his own. It was better writen and more believable. About time a really good book was printed about this Unit.

Rating:
Summary: A fine tribute
Review: Soul Patrol by Ed Emanuel is a fine tribute to the LRRP/Rangers he served with during the Vietnam War. More than that, it also offers an indepth look at the bravery and heroism of black American soldiers who not only served honorably but with proud distinction. The motto that 'Rangers Lead The Way' is clearly evident in Emanuel's book and one that speaks to the sacrifice and service of those who wore the patch.

Rating:
Summary: Ones own story.
Review: That first critic obviously has a problem with the black Vietnam Experience. Many black males parished in Vietnam during an era where blacks weren't very welcome in this country. The fact that they layed their lives down for this country in any war should be commended.
Mr. Emanuel's story is his in his own words, his own experience, and he was obviously there. He was definitely not on drugs when he wrote this book, that gentlemen was when he read the book.
Mr. Emanuel slept in the jungle while being feasted on by insects and tracked by the enemy. I recommend this book to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: That first critic obviously has a problem with the black Vietnam Experience. Many black males parished in Vietnam during an era where blacks weren't very welcome in this country. The fact that they layed their lives down for this country in any war should be commended.
Mr. Emanuel's story is his in his own words, his own experience, and he was obviously there. He was definitely not on drugs when he wrote this book, that gentlemen was when he read the book.
Mr. Emanuel slept in the jungle while being feasted on by insects and tracked by the enemy. I recommend this book to everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Hate Whitey book
Review: The foreword in this book, SOUL PATROL is written by the author, Gary Alan Linderer, who was caught falsifying his military awards and decorations to sell more books. He has on the cover of all of his books the following: "Gary A. Linderer is the publisher of `Behind the Lines,' a magazine that specializes in U.S. military special operations [failed]. In Vietnam, he earned two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star with V devise (for Valor), the Army Commendation Medal with V devise, and two Purple Hearts. His first two books were selected by the Military Book Club."

From the National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100
OFFICIAL LIST OF AWARDS the Official Military Records of GARY A. LINDERER (SSN removed) show that he is authorized the following awards and decorations for his service in the US
Army:
SILVER STAR
BRONZE STAR MEDAL W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND "V" ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
W/FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER AIR MEDAL
GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE
SERVICE MEDAL
VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL W/4 BRONZE SERVICE STARS
COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN RIBBON W/DEVICE (1960)
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM GALLANTRY CROSS W/PALM UNIT CITATION BADGE SHARPSHOOTER
BADGE W/RIFLE & MACHINE GUN BARS EXPERT BADGE W/AUTO RIFLE BAR
////////NOTHING FOLLOWS/////////////
R. L. HINDMAN, Director

NOTE: No Jump Wings, no 2 Silver Stars and no Purple Hearts.

This book SOUL TRAIN book does fit in well with the companion to the other LRP/LRRP/Ranger books such as Gary Ford's book '44: NARRATRIVE OF A LRP.' After all it was Gary Ford who killed 3 POWs in the same unit. Then you have this so-called nonfiction writer, Gary Linderer's books 'EYES OF THE EAGLE' and 'EYES BEHIND THE LINES' whereas he writes about an incident on 20 November 1968 in which he claims this 12 man team ambushed and killed NVA female nurses and NVA medical staff with lots of valuable documents. No documents are mentioned in the archive records. Then this author goes into this elaborate tale more like Pork Chop Hill of the Korean War. He claims the 12 man team killed over 200 NVA soldiers that were only 40 meters away and had the 12-man patrol surrounded. The team had no air support. What's wrong with these books and pictures they paint? The records that were kept, by the Army, of the contemporaneous radio reports show they ambushed five unarmed Vietnamese females and four males written up as "rice porters." After all, it was Gary Douglas Ford who killed 3, unarmed, wounded POWS and his book would only naturally fit in with these other works that claim, "Trust me 'cause I was there and I base these books are based on letters home to my girlfriend." Then we have the others like, 'SIX SILENT MEN TRILOGY I written Reynel Martinez. I can't say much for this book, but anyone who admires a drunk who had his buttocks kicked by some South Vietnamese men and he goes back and shoots and kills an unarmed Vietnamese bargirl and the author writes something to the effect that he likes this unit is staring on the wrong foot. We are growing into the delusional arena here, folks. I won't say much about anymore on this because of pending litigation. SIX SILENT MEN book II written by Kenn Miller who starts off his book with a warning something like. "Don't believe the military records. They are dry and boring." RECONDO, a big bore and made up BS again. If you get enough people to write about the combat of 20 November 1968 surly it will eventually become true, right? PHANTOM WARRIORS and other books by LURP authors who made up war tales about events that did not occur according to the national archive records reported as the events happened. Then, we have author, Steven Yedinak of Detachment B-36 Special Forces as the XO for (then) Major James "Bo" Gritz and he writes in his book HARD TO FORGET how the SF threw Vietnamese POWs out of helicopters at 8,000 feet to see if they could fly and then they "porked" the other POWs. 'HARD TO STOMACH' is a better title, but then we have this poor Black race baiting author Mister Ed (no pun intended about the black and white TV show of the time) who writes old myths that have long since been disproved and he uses charts and graphs to show that Blacks, in Vietnam, suffered more than Whites. This book is seriously lacking in any depth of content. Most of what is written in this book, SOUL PATROL is erratic, difficult to understand, fantasy of what he should have been and his 8 missions into the field were not at all what he wrote, but that's the poor compliance that this publisher has about the war in Vietnam. Make it up, years later, to make up for an unrealistic, paranoid author filled with low self-esteem for himself and anyone "White." It's plight is this author throughout his overweight life adding more weight to his already large pelvic mass. A better understanding of this author mind-set would be to read, 'HATE WHITEY' by David Horowitz.


Rating:
Summary: Not a well written book
Review: This book is all over the globe and I could not stay with any of story line. THERE IS NONE! Was the author on drugs? Where did he get his out dated, old and long since futed resources that he claims that the blacks suffered more in Vietnam? He certainly didn't suffer. Showers, hot chow and a bunk to sleep in every night. These tales of his do not jive with the records of the unit either. Another one of those, "Believe me 'cause I was there" type of fictional books. It is a well known fact that Random House does not fact-check these stories. Another book written by a 5-jump cammando PFC (private first class).