Mekong Memoirs: A GI in Tan Tru, Long An Province, 1969-1970

by L. Glen Inabinet

Facing imminent conscription, University of South Carolina graduate L. Glen Inabinet entered the Army in 1968, with a tour of Vietnam service inevitable. Scarcely six months later, he was fighting mud, mosquitos and Vietcong adversaries in the heart of the Mekong Delta. Armed with a liberal arts degree and an artillery MOS, Inabinet served in a 105mm howitzer section, as RTO with an artillery FO team, and as TAERS Clerk managing his battery's equipment records. Between filling in logbooks, he filled in for short-handed gun crews, served guard duty, defended against enemy attack, and countered stateside-like harassment with an imperishable sense of humor.

Containing previously unpublished photographs and documentary records, Inabinet's memoir is the personal voice of an on-the-spot reporter with a unique perspective as a writer of history and of human experience. Equipped with his camera, Inabinet preserved war-related images of Vietnam's exotic land and people as well as the GIs daily grind and dangers. His memory of his 401-day tour is bolstered by near-daily letters to his wife. This book presents Inabinet's stunning account of his time in the Mekong, more well-documented than would be possible for most tours of service. In a troubled war, Inabinet remained convinced of the strengths of faith and of camaraderie with brothers-in-arms, and his memoir tells this story in striking and illustrative detail.

236 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2025

About the author

L. Glen Inabinet taught history at Camden High School for thirty years. A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, and a graduate of the University of South Carolina, he is a freelance writer, editor, and photographer and a past president and board member of the Kershaw County Historical Society and the Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies. He has written or edited two previous local history works in collaboration with his wife, Joan A. Inabinet. The Inabinets have three children and remain active members of many community and historical organizations.

Reviews

[Ruppert Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have known Glen Inabinet for decades, though not well. Locally "famous," he taught at my wife's schools during her last 7-or-8 years before graduation. I also know him through a number of civic organizations and the American Legion.
This is the first book of his that I have read. I was surprised that what for a fellow veteran seems mundane, the book reads quite well. Part autobiography, travelogue, and love letter, it flows well, though it can be at times sappy. As a soldier I found the explanations aimed at those who have never served a bit uninteresting, but clearly needed to allow those readers who have never served an understanding of the machinations of the military.
If I do have a criticism, it is the clear and oft-repeated loathing of the army and his time in it. Nevertheless, the book did hold my attention and should interest most readers.