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Dylan's Nam
Quang Tri, Vietnam 1971. Thomas “Dylan” Frazier finds himself in a rare speechless state while listening to Specialist 4th class Ivan McKinley’s lively orientation describing some of the local pitfalls of life in Northern ‘Nam. In addition to the bombings, fraggings, mammouth mosquitoes, cheap opium, and diseased “local ladies,” Ivan warns about strict adherence to taking daily malaria pills “on a full stomach or you’ll shit a river.” Could this really be happening? Could an irreverent guy from the Philly suburbs--who loves nothing more than his family, a lively game of hoops, and busting his friend’s chops—ever survive the dangers of Nam?
Assigned as an MP, Dylan quickly realizes his ability to read the street is a huge asset in navigating the daily threats of war. After successfully adjusting to his altered reality-- even experiencing moments of levity with his unlikely band of buddies and adorable, street-smart local kids--Dylan is furious to discover his greatest threat lies with a crooked assortment of soldiers stealing ammo and equipment--from his own side! Torn between doing his police duty and getting home safely, Dylan unwittingly becomes the target—and his enemies won't stop till he is silenced. Loosely based on real events.
Assigned as an MP, Dylan quickly realizes his ability to read the street is a huge asset in navigating the daily threats of war. After successfully adjusting to his altered reality-- even experiencing moments of levity with his unlikely band of buddies and adorable, street-smart local kids--Dylan is furious to discover his greatest threat lies with a crooked assortment of soldiers stealing ammo and equipment--from his own side! Torn between doing his police duty and getting home safely, Dylan unwittingly becomes the target—and his enemies won't stop till he is silenced. Loosely based on real events.
330 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2014
321 people want to read
About the author
Tom Faustman
8 books6 followersBorn in Catonsville, Md- a suburb of Maryland. After that, his siblings claim he was raised by wolves. Showed an early proclivity toward mayhem. At age 3, he and his older buddy Dickie (31/2) wandered off, took a series of trolleys and buses to downtown Baltimore. That made Baltimore Sun headlines and spurred his wanderlust. On his first day of kindergarten, he got off the bus, retraced the (2) miles across busy streets and showed up at home. Said to bewildered mom, "Told ya I wasn't going to school." A miscreant was born...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 10, 2020
All of Tom's books are great reads. His character development is outstanding.
January 18, 2015
Dylan’s Nam is a lighthearted colloquial telling of a war story which is loosely based on real events.
“Quang Tri is the most dangerous place on earth. After Charlie overran Quang Tri in ’68, Uncle Sam dropped more bombs here than anywhere in the history of mankind. Statistics show that 10% of the ordinance just stuck in the ground, never exploded. So watch where you’re walking when you leave the base, gentleman […] And then to make the place more unappealing we sprayed Agent Orange liberally to really ruin Charlie’s day […] Besides all that nastiness, watch out for mosquitoes, malaria, yellow fever […] Opium in Vietnam is the purest on earth. Grass is practically free here. Boredom can be filled with hours of pure high.”
In 1971, Dylan Frazier is drafted and deployed to Quang Tri, Vietnam, where he is assigned as MP. His desire to survive and safely return home to Philadelphia is soon usurped by his active compulsion to conduct a life threatening probe into corruption within the US military.
“Quang Tri is the most dangerous place on earth. After Charlie overran Quang Tri in ’68, Uncle Sam dropped more bombs here than anywhere in the history of mankind. Statistics show that 10% of the ordinance just stuck in the ground, never exploded. So watch where you’re walking when you leave the base, gentleman […] And then to make the place more unappealing we sprayed Agent Orange liberally to really ruin Charlie’s day […] Besides all that nastiness, watch out for mosquitoes, malaria, yellow fever […] Opium in Vietnam is the purest on earth. Grass is practically free here. Boredom can be filled with hours of pure high.”
In 1971, Dylan Frazier is drafted and deployed to Quang Tri, Vietnam, where he is assigned as MP. His desire to survive and safely return home to Philadelphia is soon usurped by his active compulsion to conduct a life threatening probe into corruption within the US military.
February 23, 2015
I received this book as part of Goodreads Giveaways and First Reads.
I gave this book the best shot I could. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of war books to begin with, but I can appreciate them for what they are and for what the horrors people went through during war time. I actually really enjoyed this book in parts, especially the interaction with the young children.
However, I couldn't finish it. The biggest problem I had with it was the formatting. It may have been a stylistic choice, but there was no real separation between action and dialogue, and it became quite confusing about who was talking and when.
I'll likely give this book another chance later on, but after trying to tackle it for two weeks, I've decided to move on.
I gave this book the best shot I could. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of war books to begin with, but I can appreciate them for what they are and for what the horrors people went through during war time. I actually really enjoyed this book in parts, especially the interaction with the young children.
However, I couldn't finish it. The biggest problem I had with it was the formatting. It may have been a stylistic choice, but there was no real separation between action and dialogue, and it became quite confusing about who was talking and when.
I'll likely give this book another chance later on, but after trying to tackle it for two weeks, I've decided to move on.
December 18, 2014
Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.
I was very to receive this book. Just by reading the summary for it made me want the book in my hands so I can read it. This book was filled with many different things I never knew about. The author did a good job piecing this book together. It was written well and flowed quite nicely. It was a quick read and a very enjoyable one at that. A great read that I can see a lot of people liking.
I was very to receive this book. Just by reading the summary for it made me want the book in my hands so I can read it. This book was filled with many different things I never knew about. The author did a good job piecing this book together. It was written well and flowed quite nicely. It was a quick read and a very enjoyable one at that. A great read that I can see a lot of people liking.
September 21, 2015
Won this Through Goodreads First Read.
I found this book took a while to get going. But once it did I really enjoyed it. Not your typical war book. Really enjoyed all the twists and turns. Will be reading again many times in the future.
I found this book took a while to get going. But once it did I really enjoyed it. Not your typical war book. Really enjoyed all the twists and turns. Will be reading again many times in the future.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews