SitRep Negative: A Year In Vietnam

by G.J. Lau

In April 1968, we were a country at war with ourselves and increasingly with a small country halfway around the Vietnam. I don’t recall ever thinking about Vietnam when I started college in 1963. By 1968, it was all any of us could think about. The book begins with my being drafted into the Army and ends with my return to civilian life. I wrote this for my grandchildren, but it will give anyone some sense of what it was like to serve a tour of duty in Vietnam. The job I had gave me an excellent overview of how the gears of the war machine meshed together. I have tried to convey this as best I can.This is a memoir with a point of view. In these times, when we seem to be constantly marching off to yet another war in yet another faraway place, creating yet more generations of wounded warriors, the lessons learned (and forgotten) from Vietnam are more important than ever.

125 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2011

Reviews

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read many, many books on the Vietnam War, added to other experiences with military and government, I found SitRep Negative a poignant portrait of war, skillfully told.

Initially I had my own predilections about reading SitRep Negative, but was instantly greeted by great writing; appreciatively comprehensive--detailed, organized, extremely genuine, and humorous in spots--dimensions of remarkable writing; and not that any of the others I read weren't comparable in other ways. It's just that this account offered another view of that war I don't often read.

Two things stood out. 1) The Vietnam War, actually like all of the wars, was a very different war for one sliver Lau pointed out. He mentioned the reality of that war... something like watching the Wizard Oz, and then stepping behind the screen to face another world--a raw world that messes with your reality...which ironically brought me to 2) Lau's mention of how many others saw returning soldiers... "either hated us or misunderstood us" when the reality might be that others do understand, but refer to the underpinnings of their raw truths by other terms.

A powerful, comprehensive account of a very significant event I highly recommend reading.

[Doug DePew · Rating 5 out of 5]

G. J. Lau's recollection of his year in Vietnam was quite moving. Like a previous reviewer stated, it's not an action-packed war memoir. It is simply his memory of what the war was like for him. There isn't a lot of dialogue in this book. It reads more like hearing him tell the story.

This is a good book that adds another piece of the puzzle to our understanding of the war in southeast Asia that had so much impact on our nation and our culture. It's a different perspective from many. It is worth reading. Thank you, Mr. Lau for sharing your story.

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

other than confirming amusing details in other soldier's vietnam biographies this brief book has little to offer.

it is too brief and from perspective of command center radioman. So there is less "there I was..." and more stories about based life. Sure, he experienced the Vietnamese "F-U Lizard" (The Tokay - look it up on internet) but its not a compelling or even long read.