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The Cocoa Kid: A Memoir of Marine Combat In Vietnam
A memoir of 13 months in combat in Vietnam. And the long, sometimes winding, difficult, and bumpy road there. From my childhood in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to hard times in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois. And from Boot Camp in San Diego, California, to Vietnam. It's about a young man's life and struggles from playing war as a child, to fighting an actual war as a young man. It's a story of struggle, loyalty, and sacrifice in the face of adversity.
304 pages, Paperback
Published March 18, 2024
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2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 19, 2024
I had the privilege of meeting this writer at an author’s event not long ago. Him being a veteran, I had to thank him for his service and chat with him. My dad was a Marine, so our military is even more near and dear to my heart. When I got home, I hopped on Amazon and bought his book and wow, I’m glad I did. Jerome Goettsch tells a story of his life growing up and his time as a Marine in Vietnam. Crying and laughing, laughing and crying. Often my heart was racing and at times my heart stung from the story gripping so tightly around me. He will take you into places and tell his story in a way I’ve never heard told. Even if war books are not your type of reading, this one won’t disappoint. Thank you, Jerome Goettsch, for serving our country, and having the courage to share your story.
September 21, 2025
great memoir of war in Vietnam
The author has written a book in which he has immortalized everyone of his fallen comrades and all those that were part of his life. He tells it like it is/was and his sense of duty to those in his unit is beyond belief. I highly recommend this book.
The author has written a book in which he has immortalized everyone of his fallen comrades and all those that were part of his life. He tells it like it is/was and his sense of duty to those in his unit is beyond belief. I highly recommend this book.
August 27, 2025
I didn't have to serve, I was 3A on my my draft card.
But you people went through a everyday living hell. How any of you can write to express your feelings is unreal. I thank you for sharing.
But you people went through a everyday living hell. How any of you can write to express your feelings is unreal. I thank you for sharing.
May 19, 2024
So this may be a bias review because I know the author. Fair warning. The rating may be high but I will do my best to honestly review the content. 😁
This book is a true account of a tour in Vietnam from a young man (At the time!). He explains his reason for joining the marines and his life before hand.
His stories about Vietnam are very interesting. Touching on all aspects of the war and Marine culture at that time, you can’t help but to be drawn in. Some stories are so-so and others are heartbreaking. But that’s how life is really.
A few stories stand out in my mind that really moved me.
One states that he and a fellow soldier were transporting a prisoner on a tank. The prisoner was barefoot and his feet were burning on the tanks metal hull. His buddy held down the prisoners foot and he did the same. The pain was excruciating, obviously because he noticed the prisoner starting to cry. They felt bad and took their feet off.
To me, this shows that during war men can be cruel, but still have a heart and can have sympathy for even their enemies. It’s a very human thing. Some have it some don’t. Everyone is different with different lines they allow themselves to cross or not.
Also in another part of the book where he is explaining death, it really seemed to open my eyes to the exaggerated glorification of death we have. He contrasts this by stating what almost every little boy has done. Played “War” with friends. We would “play-die” in fantastic almost celebrated ways. Very dramatic and silly. But he states in real life, it is not like that. It’s not heroic or poetic. It’s just death. The end. It’s very sobering to hear him state all of this because he speaks with experience from all the death he had seen during his tour.
Also, in one story or memory, he states he kills an enemy soldier and is extremely excited and happy. And then later, after all the hoopla is done, he cries about it alone. This shows me that even hard soldiers while even doing their jobs are still humans in the end. They still have feelings. I bet it was hard to sort through all of that. He being so young at the time crying would be very understandable.
I simplified these memories to make a point on how they moved me. He writes with much more depth throughout the book. The part about comparing real death to our kid version is written, in my opinion, almost poetic. Really well written.
I think the only negative in this book would be lack of fellow soldiers’ backgrounds and future whereabouts. There is some, but not much.
Although I understand, it was during war time and a military tour so it’s not like he had time to do background Investigating. And he didn’t know he was going to write a book back then!😂
It’s a great memoir of a young Marine during the Vietnam War.
It’s strange. It’s the first book that I felt I wanted more to read but on the other hand. I did not. War and death, especially when it’s true, is not fun entertainment. However, the reactions of soldiers who are human, is very interesting to me. The mental strain on a persons mind must be enormous when experiencing death so many times. It fascinates me in this aspect, of how much our minds can’t take. This is what surprised me within these stories the most.👏🏽👍🏽
This book is a true account of a tour in Vietnam from a young man (At the time!). He explains his reason for joining the marines and his life before hand.
His stories about Vietnam are very interesting. Touching on all aspects of the war and Marine culture at that time, you can’t help but to be drawn in. Some stories are so-so and others are heartbreaking. But that’s how life is really.
A few stories stand out in my mind that really moved me.
One states that he and a fellow soldier were transporting a prisoner on a tank. The prisoner was barefoot and his feet were burning on the tanks metal hull. His buddy held down the prisoners foot and he did the same. The pain was excruciating, obviously because he noticed the prisoner starting to cry. They felt bad and took their feet off.
To me, this shows that during war men can be cruel, but still have a heart and can have sympathy for even their enemies. It’s a very human thing. Some have it some don’t. Everyone is different with different lines they allow themselves to cross or not.
Also in another part of the book where he is explaining death, it really seemed to open my eyes to the exaggerated glorification of death we have. He contrasts this by stating what almost every little boy has done. Played “War” with friends. We would “play-die” in fantastic almost celebrated ways. Very dramatic and silly. But he states in real life, it is not like that. It’s not heroic or poetic. It’s just death. The end. It’s very sobering to hear him state all of this because he speaks with experience from all the death he had seen during his tour.
Also, in one story or memory, he states he kills an enemy soldier and is extremely excited and happy. And then later, after all the hoopla is done, he cries about it alone. This shows me that even hard soldiers while even doing their jobs are still humans in the end. They still have feelings. I bet it was hard to sort through all of that. He being so young at the time crying would be very understandable.
I simplified these memories to make a point on how they moved me. He writes with much more depth throughout the book. The part about comparing real death to our kid version is written, in my opinion, almost poetic. Really well written.
I think the only negative in this book would be lack of fellow soldiers’ backgrounds and future whereabouts. There is some, but not much.
Although I understand, it was during war time and a military tour so it’s not like he had time to do background Investigating. And he didn’t know he was going to write a book back then!😂
It’s a great memoir of a young Marine during the Vietnam War.
It’s strange. It’s the first book that I felt I wanted more to read but on the other hand. I did not. War and death, especially when it’s true, is not fun entertainment. However, the reactions of soldiers who are human, is very interesting to me. The mental strain on a persons mind must be enormous when experiencing death so many times. It fascinates me in this aspect, of how much our minds can’t take. This is what surprised me within these stories the most.👏🏽👍🏽
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews