Saigon Station

Rating:
Summary: Saigon Station - the female perspective
Review: "Saigon Station" revived a lot of long-dormant memories and I enjoyed them all. I agree with the two earlier reviewers that Charles (Charlie) Gillen used his fictional characters to portray an accurate view of the way things were in Saigon, the city and the Station, in the days of which he writes. There is one other aspect of the story that Charlie got exactly right -- the working life of his female Case Officer Patricia. Male chauvinism was nowhere more evident or accepted, at least among the male of the species -- and, after all, they were in charge. It's a detail I am pleased to note that Charlie remembered and thought worthy of note. I'm fairly sure today's young career women have no real idea of what their grandmothers had to cope with!

Rating:
Summary: Saigon Station - the female perspective
Review: "Saigon Station" revived a lot of long-dormant memories and I enjoyed them all. I agree with the two earlier reviewers that Charles (Charlie) Gillen used his fictional characters to portray an accurate view of the way things were in Saigon, the city and the Station, in the days of which he writes. There is one other aspect of the story that Charlie got exactly right -- the working life of his female Case Officer Patricia. Male chauvinism was nowhere more evident or accepted, at least among the male of the species -- and, after all, they were in charge. It's a detail I am pleased to note that Charlie remembered and thought worthy of note. I'm fairly sure today's young career women have no real idea of what their grandmothers had to cope with!

Rating:
Summary: The intelligence war in Vietnam: Fact and Fiction
Review: "Saigon Station" should be on the required reading list for any academic course on the Vietnam War, especially those dealing with the intelligence and security side of the war. Although it is a novel, it provides a better understanding of what the intelligence war in Saigon was really like for those who were engaged in it "down in the trenches" than any non-fiction account I have ever read. Much of the novel is based on real people and real events, and the author has captured the "feel" of the city of Saigon and of Saigon Station, the frustration of working against an almost impenetrable intelligence target (similar to frustrations doubtlessly felt by today's case officers pursuing Al Qaeda's elusive terrorist network), the bureaucratic infighting, even the "inside" language spoken by the Agency's "spooks." The descriptions of the two lead case officer heroes of this book, "Fred" and "Jake," (both of whom I knew and worked with) are uncanny. The author has brought these two unsung and now-deceased heroes back to life, with all their strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies, to demonstrate how real intelligence officers think, talk, and carry out their duties. The book is filled with wonderful local color, insights into the Vietnamese psyche, and provides a vivid account of the difficulties that the small handful of Americans who truly knew the language faced in trying to bridge the gap between two totally disparate cultures. I first met Charlie Gillen in Saigon in 1970, when I was a neophyte translator working for "Giselda" (another real-life character). He has been a friend ever since, but I never suspected his literary talent. I hope that this is the first of series of novels on the adventures of "Joe" and "Pat."

Rating:
Summary: The intelligence war in Vietnam: Fact and Fiction
Review: "Saigon Station" should be on the required reading list for any academic course on the Vietnam War, especially those dealing with the intelligence and security side of the war. Although it is a novel, it provides a better understanding of what the intelligence war in Saigon was really like for those who were engaged in it "down in the trenches" than any non-fiction account I have ever read. Much of the novel is based on real people and real events, and the author has captured the "feel" of the city of Saigon and of Saigon Station, the frustration of working against an almost impenetrable intelligence target (similar to frustrations doubtlessly felt by today's case officers pursuing Al Qaeda's elusive terrorist network), the bureaucratic infighting, even the "inside" language spoken by the Agency's "spooks." The descriptions of the two lead case officer heroes of this book, "Fred" and "Jake," (both of whom I knew and worked with) are uncanny. The author has brought these two unsung and now-deceased heroes back to life, with all their strengths, weaknesses, and idiosyncrasies, to demonstrate how real intelligence officers think, talk, and carry out their duties. The book is filled with wonderful local color, insights into the Vietnamese psyche, and provides a vivid account of the difficulties that the small handful of Americans who truly knew the language faced in trying to bridge the gap between two totally disparate cultures. I first met Charlie Gillen in Saigon in 1970, when I was a neophyte translator working for "Giselda" (another real-life character). He has been a friend ever since, but I never suspected his literary talent. I hope that this is the first of series of novels on the adventures of "Joe" and "Pat."

Rating:
Summary: Saigon Station: The Way It Was
Review: None of the books I have read to date has so closely approximated my own experiences in Vietnam. "Saigon Station" is not only a wonderful trip down memory lane, filled with nostalgia, but also a poignant reminder of the realities of that period.
As was the case with Merle Pribbenow, another reviewer, I, too, recognized and identified with many of those whom the author, Charles "Charlie" Gillen, characterized. His characterizations of case officers Fred and Jake are right on the money. Fred was a good friend, a great colleague, and so very deserving of the accolades accorded to him by Charlie.
Falzer was all too real. On one occasion, he deliberately sandbagged me on a polygraph examination, and I had absolutely no respect for him. What he lacked in ability, he made up for in lack of character.
Charlie's description of the "Condor Operation" aptly describes how a good operation is run, without drama or embellishment. Charlie was the best interpreter with whom I had the pleasure of working in Vietnam, and "Saigon Station" lives up to what I would expect from him.
Nelson DeMille's "Up County" brought back some great memories, but "Saigon Station" actually put me there. Charlie truly captured the essense of wartime Saigon.
For the reader who wants to know "how it as" in Saigon during the war, "Saigon Station" is the book.

Rating:
Summary: Saigon Station: The Way It Was
Review: None of the books I have read to date has so closely approximated my own experiences in Vietnam. "Saigon Station" is not only a wonderful trip down memory lane, filled with nostalgia, but also a poignant reminder of the realities of that period.
As was the case with Merle Pribbenow, another reviewer, I, too, recognized and identified with many of those whom the author, Charles "Charlie" Gillen, characterized. His characterizations of case officers Fred and Jake are right on the money. Fred was a good friend, a great colleague, and so very deserving of the accolades accorded to him by Charlie.
Falzer was all too real. On one occasion, he deliberately sandbagged me on a polygraph examination, and I had absolutely no respect for him. What he lacked in ability, he made up for in lack of character.
Charlie's description of the "Condor Operation" aptly describes how a good operation is run, without drama or embellishment. Charlie was the best interpreter with whom I had the pleasure of working in Vietnam, and "Saigon Station" lives up to what I would expect from him.
Nelson DeMille's "Up County" brought back some great memories, but "Saigon Station" actually put me there. Charlie truly captured the essense of wartime Saigon.
For the reader who wants to know "how it as" in Saigon during the war, "Saigon Station" is the book.