Soldier

Rating:
Summary: Good history
Review: I read this shortly after its release and was moved by its honest assessment of the war. Lt. Col. Herbert stands in the ranks of Civil War's Col. John S. Mosby (see Ranger Mosby by Virgil Carrington Jones) to understand the correct tactics of guerrilla warfare. But of most importance, Herbert had the guts to tell it like it was at the time. It's time for our Government to tell it like it was and apologize to the Vietnamese people for the atrocities created by poor leadership. It was this leadership that tried to silence Lt. Col. Herbert at a military trial in Georgia. With the new revelations surrounding Sen. Bob Kerry, this book elevates itself to a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse of Apology for American Atrocities
Review: I read this shortly after its release and was moved by its honest assessment of the war. Lt. Col. Herbert stands in the ranks of Civil War's Col. John S. Mosby (see Ranger Mosby by Virgil Carrington Jones) to understand the correct tactics of guerrilla warfare. But of most importance, Herbert had the guts to tell it like it was at the time. It's time for our Government to tell it like it was and apologize to the Vietnamese people for the atrocities created by poor leadership. It was this leadership that tried to silence Lt. Col. Herbert at a military trial in Georgia. With the new revelations surrounding Sen. Bob Kerry, this book elevates itself to a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Good history
Review: I saw Herbert interviewed years ago and always wanted this book. Just found it used. He was a decorated veteran from Korea. He was one of a few survivors from his company in Korea. He felt he deserved to die in 1952 and considered his life after that a bonus.

Rating:
Summary: Serving with Lt.Col. Herbert
Review: I served in col. Herberts batt. while he was our 6.The 2/503rd was not doing much until he arrived.He really shook it up from top to bottom.I read the book when it was first released in 73,or74 and it is very true.The army railroded him. He wouldn't tolerate My Lai type sitituations and was hurt when he stopped them from being apart of his command. He was the best 6 I ever served under.He actually participated in company,platoon and squad size operations while our 6.He gained all of the grunts trust and respect by doing so.A must read for any soldier.

Rating:
Summary: Serving with Lt.Col. Herbert
Review: I served in col. Herberts batt. while he was our 6.The 2/503rd was not doing much until he arrived.He really shook it up from top to bottom.I read the book when it was first released in 73,or74 and it is very true.The army railroded him. He wouldn't tolerate My Lai type sitituations and was hurt when he stopped them from being apart of his command. He was the best 6 I ever served under.He actually participated in company,platoon and squad size operations while our 6.He gained all of the grunts trust and respect by doing so.A must read for any soldier.

Rating:
Summary: Stop the Madness!
Review: Now before I completely trash this book, let me say one thing. I have little doubt LTC Anthony Herbert was a brave and accomplished soldier who capably served the country. Many of his complaints about the Vietnam era Army are spot on and he probably was railroaded out of the service. All of this is no excuse for what appears to be blatant lies found throughout this book.

Anthony Herbert joined the US Army in 1947 after dropping out of high school. He fought in Korea as an infantryman and received quite a few valor awards(at least I think so. Well talk about that later!). After the war, he left the service to get an education but returned as a comissioned officer. After a multitude of assignments he landed in Vietnam and served in the elite 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was initially assigned to the Brigade Inspector General position (basically a watchdog position that reviews complaints and makes sure the unit is in compliance with appropriate regulations) and made many enemies because of his admirable zeal in trying to clean up what was undoubtedly a messed up unit. Herbert then assumed command of one of the units infantry battalions. He made it the best performing unit in the Brigade. Unfortunately, he was only in the position for 2 months before being relieved from command. The main reasons for this relief seem to be Herbert's inability to work well with Brigade staff officers and his constant attempts to force the Army to prosecute people for war crimes. Herbert eventually retired from the Army and wrote this scathing book.

Herbert's downfall seems to be the war crime issue. In this book, he details three seperate acts he believed to be war crimes that his Brigade commander refused to prosecute for lack of evidence and/or jurisdiction. If you read LTC Herbert's descriptions, this was a good call. In each instance, Herbert comes on the scene just as the alleged crime is completed. So we never truly know all the events. Add to that in each instance the actor is a Vietnamese national! So yes, Herbert's chain of command acted properly. Unfortunately, the good colonel was not satisfied and kept pushing the issue (thus giving his enemies in the unit ample ammunition to ruin his career).

Im sure LTC Herbert honestly thought he saw war crimes.....and may very well have. Also, he recounts some of the rank stupidity in the way the US Army goes about its business. Still, this doesnt excuse what are just blatant falsehoods Herbert uses to build his image and smear others. Here are examples:

1. The author claims to have ended the Korean War as a Master Sergeant. But he claims his last assignment was as a platoon leader! Master Sergeants dont run platoons. They typically work in larger headquaters units.

2. Herbert is pulled off the lines in 1951 and sent to Washington DC where President Truman asks him to go on a promotional tour as he was the most decorated enlisted soldier from the Korean War. Come off it! The President has more important work to do than beg a sergeant to prance around!!

3. Speaking of awards, the author claims to have received valor awards from Turkey, France and Korea. I can find no record that the awards he describes in his book ever existed.

4. Herbert claims the CIA tried to recruit him in the mid 60s for COL John Singlaub's Phoenix Program. They wanted him to assassinate Vietnamese who were thought to be working for the Communists. He makes this organization out to be seedy and evil. Problem is, its now well known that Phoenix was an intelligence gathering program and not just a Mafia-style hit squad. Oh, and Singlaub never had any affiliation with Phoenix!

5. About the same time, Herbert received periodic Special Forces assigments to patrol the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos while serving in the Middle East. Yeah, right. Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.

6. Towards the very end, the author claims the US government tried to assassinate him with a car bomb. Oh, please! Why would the US do this given the flimsiness of his claims?? Besides that, he alleges this happened in 1971. Why would the government do something like this knowing it would just get the anti-war weenies worked up!

There are more credibility problems too. It is a shame Herbert foisted this garbage on us because he actually has some good assertions to make related to poor and inefficient prosecution of the Vietnam War. Unfortuantely, these points are drowned out by nonesense. If you want to read a good story about leadership in the Vietnam War, look into David Hackworth's "About Face". Leave this one behind.

WIA Pilot does not seem to like my review and accuses me of opening my mouth without checking facts. Well, here are my responses to his assaults on this review:

1. Why would Herbert lie about awards when he was so highly decorated? - Beats me. I did a search for the French medal and Turkish "medal of honor" he claims to have been awarded. The only results that came back referred to this book. I could find no web site or book source regarding the French military that verified the existence of a "Ville de Paris" medal. Out of curiosity, I translated this title and came up with "City of Paris". Thats weird! As to the Turkish medal, I came up with nothing independent of Herbert or this book. He claims to have received a "citation" from the Korean government. Thats a pretty vague term. He probably got some kind of award from the Republic of Korea. So did many others.
I agree this guy didnt need to embellish on his awards. I think he did anyhow. Other highly decorated soldiers have been caught adding undeserved medals to their chest. Read "Stolen Valor" if you dont believe me.

2. Truman could have asked Herbert to tour because these were "naive times"- Naaah! I suspect President Truman was way too busy to stroke some Master Sergeant's ego. And why not beg a Medal of Honor awardee to go out and sell the war effort? The Korean War did produce a couple of these fellows.

3. Herbert lead a platoon as an MSG as he had just been promoted- Possible, but not likely. Most Korean War novels Ive read have platoon sergeant billets being filled by sergeants and staff sergeants. Id think a master sergeant would IMMEDIATELY be scarfed up by a colonel or general to work on a staff. Im not completely discounting WIAPilots claim here. Its plausible. I just dont buy it.

4. Singlaub was connected to the Phoenix Program- Wrong wrong wrong. Perhaps WIApilot needs to do better research. Most references tying Singlaub's MACV-SOG to Phoenix come from a time when both projects were surrounded by so much secrecy that many thought they were tied together. Later references supporting this assertion rely on the older sources. The veil of secrecy has been lifted. We now know Phoenix was a CIA program focused on South Vietnam and SOG was a DOD project tasked primarily with covert operations outside of South Vietnam. Singlaub was not tied to Phoenix and that is it. The supposed interview Herbert discusses could not have happened.

5. The Mafia was tied to the Herbert assasination attempt- Oh come on! At the time of the alleged attempt Herbert was spouting off about war crimes, not organized crime!! What benefit would the Mob get from killing a guy who isnt compromising them? Add to that Herberts war crime claims were going nowhere. Makes no sense. No sense at all.

And heres another little tidbit. Where is Herbert now? Why isnt he still publishing or playing talking head on the news programs? Seems to me its because hes damaged goods.......


Rating:
Summary: A True Hero....
Review: The 1973 bestseller "Soldier" reveals a part of our nation's history during the Vietnam War that should be mandatory reading in our Political Science and History classes today. It is the true account of the rise of a brilliant young soldier, Anthony B. Herbert, who achieved great fame as the most decorated soldier of the Korean War, but who later dared to take on the Military Brass and expose the corruption and war atrocities occurring in Vietnam.

"Soldier" is not about a man who was unpatriotic or who sought fame or who had grand delusions of "conspiracy theories." This elite soldier completed Ranger and Special Forces Schools as well as over 20 other military schools. He served as an intelligence officer in the Middle East. He was selected for outstanding promotion at every rank and was on the fast track to becoming one of our youngest generals. Yet at the same time that he was being cited as the Outstanding Combat Battalion Commander in Vietnam - he was being relieved of his duties.

For ultimately, this second-generation American felt stronger about the ethics and principles that our country was founded on rather than about his military career. He blew the whistle regarding the atrocities and corruption in Vietnam - when no one else had the courage to come forward.

At the time that "Soldier" was written, our government was not telling the American people the facts about so many issues concerning the Vietnam War. Thirty years later, these truths have long been substantiated. America now knows about our less than stellar past in Vietnam primarily due to the efforts and courage of this author. In part, our media now covers the war in Iraq - flaws and all, due to the precedent set by Anthony Herbert.

The opinion which follows mine, which methodically attempts to cast doubts as to Anthony Herbert's medals and awards - as well as other pertinent facts, does the author a grave disservice. The main question, if indeed one doubted the existence of certain medals, should have been "Why would the most-decorated soldier of the Korean War (with a career total of 51 medals) need to make up ADDITIONAL medals for this book?" The honor of being the most decorated soldier was bestowed upon the author during the Korean War and is a matter of public record. Perhaps a trip to the public library, to browse a few historic newspapers from that period, would have been appropriate....

President Truman entreated the young soldier to go on promotional tour because one must remember that in simpler, more naïve times our country expected a hero from the war. Previous wars had produced Sergeant York and Audie Murphy and America was waiting to embrace a hero. A hero, who would represent every small town American soldier who had gone off to fight in the Korean War. In fact, Herbert's previous book, "Conquest to Nowhere" was one of the books found in President Truman's personal study at his time of death.

It is this previous book which explains that during the Korean War, Herbert was actually promoted right on the battlefield and thus was leading his platoon when he was made Master Sergeant.

Secondly, the military and American Government were desperate to discredit Lt. Col. Herbert when this book rose to the top of the charts thirty years ago. (If you can't dispute the charges, slander the source...) Herbert presented EIGHT charges of warcrimes that were witnessed by himself and American officers. He was featured in Time Magazine and on "60 Minutes." If there had been ONE, even SLIGHT, exaggeration about his past accomplishments or honors, the military and media would have had a field day. His background and accomplishments were found to be FLAWLESS.

Lt. Col. Herbert's accolades were not reiterated in "Soldier" as a means of reliving former glory. They were included to project to the extremely skeptical public, at that time, that this was not just some Mickey Mouse, disgruntled officer making these accusations.

Likewise, it goes without saying that every soldier who had ever served with Herbert would have come forward to expose any trumped-up exaggerations of glory. This was a soldier who even among the elite Green Beret/Special Forces ranks was considered to be one of their very best.

My father, a SOG Special Ops Commander in Vietnam, knew Anthony Herbert well. Their careers followed similar paths and my father participated in the activities in Vietnam, which are detailed in this book. This book delves into the Phoenix Program in Vietnam and goes into specific detail over what ensued. As far as the question of John Singlaug and his involvement in the Phoenix Program - it is public knowledge that from approx. 1966-68 Singlaug commanded the CIA-connected SOG (Studies and Observations Group). His leadership role in the Phoenix Program is WELL documented. I highly recommend that before attempting to smear an elite soldier's name, that RESEARCH be done. There are now many books, historic websites and documents available that clearly substantiate Lt. Col. Herbert's charges. I suggest the reviewer order them from Amazon and READ THEM. Then remember, that Herbert told you about it in "Soldier" first.

This book does discuss the attempts on Anthony Herbert's life as well. One must also realize that "Soldier" to some degree exposed the role of the Mafia and mercenaries (Sicily and other countries) in Vietnam as well. In our society today, it is difficult to fathom - but again, thorough research will totally back me up. Likewise, we have to ask ourselves if things started to change because of Herbert and the Watergate Scandal and others in the media who came forward and finally started reporting to the American people the truth about our government during this period.

Although this book doesn't go into the media attacks that the author endured after writing "Soldier," historically one of the most important resulting contributions by Lt. Col. Herbert was the Supreme Court ruling, which mandated that the media was accountable for any intent to defame those they interview.

Lt. Col. Herbert was railroaded out of the military, but he went on to earn his doctorate and a successful career followed. Each account found in "Soldier" was later substantiated beyond a doubt. Yet no public apologies have ever been made to this man by our government, our media, or the military. In my eyes, the medal most deserved by this soldier should have been for exposing the corruption when no one else would come forward. The actions that he dared to take by writing this book have had such a profound influence on how America, our media and our government now view the military and conduct themselves during times of war.

No one wants to go to war and no one wants to trash our military or government. But unless someone takes the initiative to expose corruption, history only repeats itself. War crimes and atrocities only serve to do a great disservice to every veteran who has ever fought bravely for America and our credibility in how we are viewed by the world.

We are now fighting a different war over in Iraq. I am glad to know that many of our soldiers will be reading this book. For I can think of no better "manual" than this book to show a new generation of soldiers that ethics and high principles are conducive both in times of war and in times of peace. And I can think of no better instructor than Anthony Herbert. For anyone who truly wants to know what the Vietnam War was about and the unique contribution made by a true hero in the deepest sense, "Soldier" is the book to read. "Soldier" - both the book and the man are truly in a league of their own.


Rating:
Summary: A must read on the machinations of bureaucracy.
Review: What appears on the surface to be the story of how Lt. Col Anthony Herbert, clearly one of the last true American heroes, was railroaded out of military service is in actuality a textbook look into the inner workings of Machiavellian corporate structure.

Herbert is an old-fashioned, principled American who still believes in integrity and practices what he preaches. In contrast, look no farther than our national response to the antics of our current commander-in-chief (as translated by approval ratings) to see how we as a nation regard our principles in our time of greed. How did we get there? This book sheds many insights on that question.

Spin doctoring is not a new art form. Its just a new phrase. Anyone who has wrongly lost a promotion, or a bid or an account to a lesser individual or firm, or who has been wronged by police, the legal system, false advertising, the government, or the credit bureau should by now undertsand that spin doctoring is the key to power and control.

How we have been lulled into slumberland by media manipulation is the subject of other books, but to see spin doctoring in action on a personal level, you have no better example than "Soldier".

First published in 1973, a paperback copy was given to me by a friend. I am ordering the 1998 hardcover edition as a permanent addition to my library. That it should resurface at this time after 25 years is no surprise. Thank you, Colonel Herbert.

Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING!
Review: While I served 20 years in the Marines, and had little respect for the Army, I as did many other Marines in the seventies found that we could believe in this Man and would have followed him through the gates of Hell. LtCol Anthony Herbert stands for the ideals that made America great: Truth, Justice, and the American Way. I served in Vietnam with the Marines north of LtCol Herbert's Area of Operations, in the same area that produced Lt Calley and the My Lai massacre. Knowing how the Americal Div operated (Calley's Div), I have no reason to doubt what Anthony Herbert says, nor should anyone else. Vietnam was a war we should have never been in fighting it the way we did, and it cost us many lives of fine young American boys for the very reasons that this book points out. I personally lost two foster brothers, but I believe the war was right. I understand that the tactics, inefficiencies, and bureaucracy that this fine Officer reveals cost us the war, and tainted the respect of the American people towards it's own fighting men for many years. Had our own Military leaders followed up on his allegations, and removed the corrupt and inept officers he was talking about, things in Vietnam could ahve been a lot different. His asessment of the Leadership in Vietnam is absolutely correct, and if any of our leaders today had courage they would reopen the investigation of the allegations made by LtCol Herbert. Far from hurting the military, I believe that correcting these injustices and stating the truth, for once, will make our military stronger. We can ill afford to allow inept leaders to ever get us involved in another such operation as Vietnam, yet we have ample opportunity to do this: Bosnia, East Timor, Ethiopia, etc.