Tank Sergeant

by Ralph Zumbro

From tearing roads through the jungle to blasting out Viet Cong positions, from convoy escort to rescue operations, the tank crews in Vietnam did it all. Here is the best account ever of this fascinating aspect of the Vietnam Sgt. Ralph "Zippo" Zumbro's evocative, action-packed memoir of a year with A Company, 1st Battalion, 69th Armor. Always bold, sometimes reckless, the "tread heads" who manned "The Ape," "Assassin," and "The A-Go-Go" devised new combat tactics -- often in the heat of battle. Cut off from supply lines, they became master jury riggers and scroungers. They shared a unique perspective of from smiling Coca-Cola girls who betrayed you to Charlie, to buddies who stayed above the hatch a moment too long -- and took an anti-tank rocket in the chest; from impromptu fish fries to the Tet Offensive. When Sgt. Zumbro's tour of duty ended in June 1968, A Company was the most highly decorated unit in Vietnam.

Genres: Military Fiction, War, History

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

Reviews

[Vanessa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zumbro's book is a warm-toned and personable account of being a tank sergeant in Vietnam. He describes his participation in battles and there are too some rare moments for R&R. I liked most about the account his descriptions of the Vietnamese people he and his crew helped and worked with. I did enjoy the part where he alluded to some secret places on or in the tank where they hid certain weapons before an inspection!

[Luis Ramon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tank sergeant is one of the best books that I have read about read about the Vietnam war. The way that Ralph Zumbro is very exact to detail gives you a full perspective of his surroundings making you see the war as he does. His main point of writing this book is very inspiring and shows you that whatever happens in your life you should never give up but always push on past your doubts and challenges that arise. Zumbro’s story may not change your life but will change the way that you think about life itself. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves stories about war. It will definitely change your perspective on how you see the Vietnam war, but most definitely change how you think about life itself.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Ralph Zumbro's account of his tour in Vietnam as a tank sergeant is endlessly intriguing, sometimes disturbing, sometimes even downright hilarious when he talks about what he and his pals did during downtime, or the unique ways in which they'd handled certain situations (the bit with the car battery detonator and the light bulb are particularly amusing).

Zumbro keeps his thoughts and memories organized and doesn't jump back and forth in a non-linear structure like some biographies I've read often did. His descriptions are vivid and effective without being over-the-top or overly described to the point where they sound unbelievable. The way he recounts the many battles he partook in are thrilling in their own way, as they're told from his first-person, down-and-dirty vantage point, rather than summarized as an event that occurred. It's here that his writing drifts between autobiography and detailed prose similar to that of an action novel, without bogging down on so many details that you forget what you're reading is true. He skillfully maintains that balance - these things happened; when he describes someone's movement, or quotes them, they're important memories to him, not mere scenes to forward any kind of narrative. He doesn't waste a single page on senseless rambling even while he reflects on the events as they happened to him decades ago now.

On top of his indirectly delicate prose, Zumbro's account is extremely informative, often shedding light on things that you wouldn't learn from text books or Vietnam war films, revealing truths and teaching facts about the natives and their ways, as well as the equipment and vehicles he had access to, again without the rambling zeal of an overly enthusiastic writer (an example of the 'rambling zeal of an overly enthusiastic writer' when it comes to descriptions and such, is when the author of something like a Don Pendleton's Executioner novel goes on for six pages about an M4 carbine rifle, or something, covering all the basics and intricacies on the rifle, its cartridges, the measurements of its barrel, etc). Here, Zumbro shows the difference between experience and enthusiasm, educating from memory rather than research, and it's strangely refreshing.

I had the good fortune of stumbling upon a copy of this in a thrift store before it closed down. I can only hope I stumble upon such good fortunes again in the discovery of something else Zumbro has written--though I probably wouldn't have a problem with going the extra mile on eBay.

[Michael Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating story of one man in one tank for one year in Vietnam. In that story he also tells the story of a tank section, platoon and company from 1967 to mid 1968. The Sergeant in the book is the author himself. He gives a first-hand account of how tanks were an integral, every day part of this, the United States’ longest war.

If you want to read a book that describes how the US uses armour to fight a battle in an all arms war, don’t read this book. If you want to read how an armour company in Vietnam threw the book away and spread its three platoon HQs over three widely separated locations and each platoon in turn spread its sections over two or more widely separated locations, then this is the book for you.

The book covers how usually in pairs and sometimes singly, these tanks and their crews brought exceptional firepower to the battlefield that overwhelmed the enemy in almost every battle they fought. It describes how they had to learn, then teach each other how to recognize then destroy, jungle bunkers, fake villages and other traps and dangers not in the book.

They quickly found it useful to add addition firepower and capabilities to their vehicles to the extent their own officers have trouble recognizing them. The senior NCOs seem adept at acquiring and maintaining these capabilities. The serious and funny side of learning the skills required for all these activities are told in a warm and personal manner.

The author also covers the other aspects of military life in a war zone. He shares stories regarding the treatment of civilians, the good and the bad, by the north and the south. Stories of the soldiers more personal interactions with civilians and each other are also covered in a warm and personal way. The incident leading to the authors retirement is also described in a humorous and self deprecating manner.

The battle scenes are much narrower than most novels as they really only cover what one person sees. However, I found the book very much worth the read for both battle and historical purposes. Four stars.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare first hand account written by a tanker in Vietnam. Convoy patrols, the Tet Offensive, guarding bridges and interactions with the South Vietnamese population make this a quick but interesting read.

[Jeremy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tank Sergeant is an oddity because this is the only memoir of a Vietnam era armor soldier that I'm aware of. Zumbro keeps a short but interesting narrative about his time as a tanker. I wish that Zumbro would have gone deeper into the M48 Patton tank.

[Richard White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read for all the Jedi tankers out there

[Matt Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet. Crazy stories from Vietnam