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Rating: 
Summary: I Really Liked This Book
Review: "What's The Point" would have been a better title. The old saying "Can't judge a book....." sure holds true. I kept on reading trying to get to the exciting part. Didn't happen. The most remarkable thing I found stated within this rambling is that the AK-47 rifle uses the same ammunition as the U.S. M-60 machine gun and the M14 rifle. Huh??? Has anyone out there tried it and lived? The most exciting thing about reading this book was finishing it....
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Summary: To the Point!
Review: Congress should pass a law that requires everyone who has seen the movie "Platoon," to read this book, and those who had voted the movie best picture of the year, to read it twice. "On Point" is beautiful in its simplicity, and it is a realistic depiction of life in a combat unit during the height of the Vietnam War, 1968-69. Its attention to details of daily life and the recollections of firefights and incidents is astounding, given the detrimental affect time has on memory. Hayes must have kept a good supply of paper in his track to write all those letters to his mother. That's an advantage mechanized grunts had. Though the book reads like a Boy Scout manual in places, it goes deep into the action and portrays it objectively. It is very apparent at the outset of the book that Hayes is not a professional writer, but his skills improve as the book progresses, just as his skills and prowess in the field progressed over the 12 months he was in Vietnam. This makes the book come alive and seem very truthful. The book was criticized for not providing the emotional reactions to the tragedies of combat that he and his friends must have felt. The book doesn't hint at any religious inclinations--the no-atheist-in-foxhole syndrome. But he didn't deny having any, so maybe he did. Surely, he did deny that he smoked pot, drank booze, and went whore mongering. Why not touch on the most poignant thing about combat-the emotional response to life and death itself? The only really human response in the autobiography is Hayes' reactions to life in the "world" after his return. Granted, Vietnam was not the hell that the movies and novels pretend it was. It was not as intense as the endless shelling of positions in WWI, the massive invasions in WWII, or the human wave attacks of Korea. But it was a series of continuous and pervasive firefights that gradually ate up the men in infantry units. This is the book's strong point. Vietnam was a war against time-days, weeks, months, years. The enemy counted its victories one dead soldier at a time. Having served in Delta Company, 2d/27th Wolfhounds, a sister battalion to the 1/5 Mech., during a similar time period, 5/68-3/69, I have to comment on a few misrepresentations made by the author. First, his statement that the mechanized infantry could stay in the field longer than regular infantry, because it could carry its own supplies on tracks, is incorrect. Both battalions of Wolfhounds were airmobile and were resupplied by helicopter daily. We got hot breakfast and dinner in the field daily, and a fresh supply of ammo. In addition, being airmobile, we were always taking "eagle flights" and could be on top of enemy positions within minutes. Delta Company was in the field all the time and we had only one layoff in Cu Chi during the ten months I was there, and that was for about 24 hours. Hayes' comment that the Cao Dai priests in Tay Ninh were all VC (p.23) is incorrect. The Cao Dai religion was just that--a religion--and was as antithetical to communism as Christianity or Buddhism. During the invasion of Tay Ninh City in August 1968 (Hayes was in devastating combat in Dau Tieng during this offensive), the NVA/VC actually paraded the Cao Dai monks through the streets of the City and used them as human shields. Most Wolfhounds who were in this battle can confirm this fact. The "elephant grass" firefight (p. 220) changes from being a line to column formation without explanation. Also, I just can't buy Sgt. Long's ability to spot where mortar rounds would explode. If this incident took place totally in elephant grass, he wouldn't have been able to direct anyone anywhere, and no one would have been able to outrun a mortar round, no matter the flight time. My experience with NVA mortar attacks was that the barrages would start right and walk left over a wide area, betting only on one range. If this is what Sgt Long was predicting, then I buy it. One last comment about the mechanized infantry and armor units in Vietnam: they were a curse to the Wolfhounds. They were easy targets for enemy RPG rounds. They would invariably cause friendly fire, because of the wild traversing fire and range of the 50-caliber machine gun. They always telegraphed our moves. They were always slipping their tracks in the mud and blocking roads. And, they would drop us off and retreat for fear of getting hit, just as they did in Tay Ninh City, 20-21 August 1968. There are several other comments I could make, but for lack of space, I'll leave it by saying the book is worth reading, regardless of the bias.
Rating: 
Summary: On Point Review
Review: Having read about two dozen Vietnam era books I consider myself to be fairly educated on the topic. On Point was one of the more different and unique books I have come across. Roger Hayes is explicit in detail, he literally explains everything, the countryside, equipment, soldiers, everything. This is great in one aspect but a major downfall in the other. Many other Vietnam era books avoid the detail, assume the reader isn't ignorant to the subject and write their heroin Vietnam experience. A lot of books are written this way and eventually hearing about perimeter breaches in the jungle gets boring. Readers want a little more substance and description and this book is full of it; but ultimately the books overt ness to description will be its downfall. After reading one-hundred pages or so hearing Hayes describe the type of bullets and tank tracks the Americans used gets a little insipid. I personally found it hard to read seemingly endless pages of military specs, it was just boring. For some this might be great and then I would suggest this book but for the others prepare to be bored. From the people I have talked to that have read this book, they either love it or hate it. The book is a little tedious, but I have to admit I learned a few things from it. The book is well suited for readers looking for a way into this genre; it explains military details that will be great for books in the future. For the experience reader, you might want to let this one slip by. The battles are great and descriptive, something you would expect out of a great Vietnam era book. But to get through those pages you need to read and copious amount of, what I feel is unnecessary detail. Overall On Point is a decent and solid book. At times I wanted to put it down and stop but Hayes continued to pull me back in with gripping pages set back at base and out in the jungles. Some say this is one of the greatest Vietnam genre books ever written others would definitely disagree. Like a said, it is worth the read I am positive it will teach you some things you hadn't known before and it breaks the so-so cliché of the Vietnam era's caste.
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Summary: Unique presentation of a Vietnam experience
Review: I was in the Army during the Vietnam war but stationed in Germany where I spent a good deal of discretionary time eating schnitzels and drinking beer and wine. Having been trained (I thought), and mentally prepared to go to vietnam, then having an easy tour in Europe left me with the feeling that I was something of a "slacker". I found Mr. Hayes's presentation of his personal experience as an infantryman very informative in its level of detail and for me, something of an elixir for my own memories of this episode in the American experience. Notwithstanding what I got out of the book, I would recommend it highly for the broadest audience having even a casual interest in this page of history. The level of detail in the author's recounting of his battlefield experiences gives the reader clues as to what it took to not only survive but to deal with the ever present death, carnage, and travails of fellow soldiers and the Vietnamese populace. I believe the book's presentation to be an outstanding balance of information, observations, and emotional impacts that I've not found in other readings. Mr. Hayes reveals himself as an individual having a measure of wisdom well beyond his tender age during the year in which he was tossed into this horrible crucible which defined his character and that of so many of his fellow heroes. Have no doubt that this group of soldiers, somewhat maligned in the past by misguided critics, was made up of individuals such as Hayes and his comrades--each with his own story--and represents patriotism on an order to match that of any past conflict. Mr. Hayes is a worthy spokesman for his fellow Vietnam war participants and veterans. His reporting skills are tempered with an uncommon sensitivity toward the anguish of all those touched by the war and the insight and ability to capture it for the reader. I think the book is unique in its perspective and has much to recommend it whether it is your first venture into Vietnam chronicles or your thirst to know what it was really like over there has not yet been slaked. In conclusion, my thanks to Mr. Hayes for providing this record and to him and his silent partners for answering the call and acquitting themselves on a par with all those having gone off to war in the past. An outstanding book.
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Summary: Very Good Wartime Autobiography
Review: I've read a dozen or so wartime autobiographies or accounts over the last year. They've covered the Civil War, Korean, WW1, WW2, and Somalia. This book is up there with the best of them. I enjoyed the author's factual descriptions and "non-political" slant. He was simply telling a story of what it was like to be there. It's certainly worth reading.
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Summary: A grunt's year in vietnam
Review: Roger Hayes gives a good description of what his life was like as an infantryman in Vietnam: describing training, combat, life in Vietnam and some infrequent R+R. If you want over-the-top writing (e.g. "Dispatches") this book is not for you. I appreciated the workman-like way in which Hayes writes; emotional involvement in his story requires some thought, reflection and a willingness to see and feel the war through his eyes. This is a good book and I am glad that he has written it.
Rating:
Summary: A grunt's year in vietnam
Review: Roger Hayes gives a good description of what his life was like as an infantryman in Vietnam: describing training, combat, life in Vietnam and some infrequent R+R. If you want over-the-top writing (e.g. "Dispatches") this book is not for you. I appreciated the workman-like way in which Hayes writes; emotional involvement in his story requires some thought, reflection and a willingness to see and feel the war through his eyes. This is a good book and I am glad that he has written it.
Rating:
Summary: On Point Review
Review: There are darned few gems out there (A rumor of War, Caputo; In Pharoah's Army, Wolff; Survivors, Grant; Bloods, Terry; Reporting Vietnam, various) amidst the rubbish (Steel My Soldiers' Hearts, who cares; Charlie Company, various, Very Crazy, G.I., various) littering the landscape of the Vietnam War bookworld. Not to mention all of the so-so books in between. This is an odd little book because its writing style is so matter of fact and essay-like. The author recounts his Vietnam experience from beginning to end and runs through these events as if he were writing a manual. I guess that in a sense he really is. The really great thing about this is that he includes details of daily wear, routine, equipment and its everyday use that is often left out in books about Vietnam. A reader will learn a lot in the course of this book, not just about equipment either, for the author seems to be a naturally thoughtful person who has the gift of objective observation. Despite the low-key and somewhat self-effacing manner, this author, unlike most of the viet vet so-called grunts I have known, continued his field friendships when he got 'back to the world.' I think this says a lot about the sort of guy Hayes is. Years from now I think that people will realize that Vietnam, even though we lost it, was probably the 2d most important war we've fought (revolution being the first, obviously; civil not being a foreign war but a police action, ha, ha) because it was, quite simply, a thinking man's war. I mean this to include everything, the atrocities, violence, criminality, civilian murder, as well as the tactics, technology, psychology and strategy. Hayes did well in this environment because, I believe, the fellow has a good head on his shoulders. Shame on us for not having leadership with the same qualities. Never mind, read this book and see why the American soldier is known and admired best not for his brute strength and bravery but for his resourcefulness and can-do attitude. This is trite but if Hayes' account is at least 90 percent true, his conduct in the war can make us all really proud that he is an American.
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Summary: A worthwhile book by a regular citizen/soldier
Review: There's a lot to like about this book. It's honest and direct and the author doesn't seem to have a big ego or an interest in trying to impress anyone. He simply recounts his year in Vietnam as he lived it. It's an interesting and informative piece of work. I found myself really liking the author. He seems like the kind of person you'd like to have in your family or in your neighborhood. I wonder why he didn't stay in the military. It seemed like a good fit for him and he seemed to have an aptitude for it and seemed to thrive on the experience. I didn't give the book 5 stars because, understandably, the writing is not of the quality of a top writer. Maybe if the publisher had helped the author with this they could have put out an even better book and one worthy of a top rating. I also didn't like the author's avoidance of using profanity in quotes or wherever - it just seemed to make the account a little less real. Probably that hurt the book a little, but maybe made me like the author a little more as a nice person. Overall, I'd heartily recommend this book. It's not the best one I've read in this area, but it's well worthwhile.
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