A Hard Place: A Sergeant's Tale

by Jacamo Peterson

The story of combat in South Vietnam,Republic of, with the men of a small unit known as a Mobile Reaction or "Mike Force". Operating out of the Chu Lai base camp on the coast of South Vietnam,between Danang to the north and Cam Rhon Bay to the south. Home to the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) the 75th Rangers and other support units. Their missions took place in the northern provinces, which were dubbed by the military as the 1st Combat Tactical Zone (1CTZ).From Rosemary's Point at Chu Lai, to Da Nang, to the Tuy Lon River and the White Mountains, across the Hai Van Pass to Phu Bai, Quang Tri City and on to the DMZ 

They were both recon and striker unit, sometimes just looking for intell, sometimes attacking and sometimes being attacked. Often deployed to reinforce a small camp or firebase. Sometimes workng as convoy security.Mostly it was just HOT! Life for them was either base camp boring, or "boonie rat" intense in full "battle rattle" sweat soaked, sneakin in the bush. Living on salt pills,nasty tasting water and even worse tasting rations.

Often assigned missions to locate or capture specific targets. All of their missions were both classified and clandestine. Even their existence was denied. As much as possible their movements were hidden or camouflaged within larger unit operations and movements.

Their operations were conducted with out back-up,or support readily available. They were required to move and survive on their bush skills, to adapt, over come, improvise, and if that failed, E&E (escape and evade) back to a pick-up or rendezvous point for extraction.

This story is about serving in Vietnam as professional soldiers in a "No Such Unit Exists" status. Part of the "other" Army, the one not circumscribed by line unit regimentation, order of battle movement, or rules of engagement, in - South Vietnam, Republic of "A HARD PLACE." .

Genres: War, Military Fiction, Thriller

540 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2007

About the author

"Nihil Sine Deo" I am retired Army,I have been a Deputy Sheriff,a FireFighter Lieutenant at the Grand Canyon,Security Manager in Glacier Park Montana,Personnel Director in Alaska, and Disabled Veterans Employment Counselor.I am a College Grad.I served over ywenty years,three combat tours in Vietnam,a tour in Korea and 10 years in Europe.I am a Past Master,32nd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason and Shriner.My hobbies are Guns & Motorcycles.I have completed three books thus far and am writing two more.
My books are also available at "smashwords.com" and Amazon/Kindle in E-Book format for most E-Book Reader models at a very low price! Check them out!
I have now published "Second Editions" in E-Book Version for both "A Hard Place/A Sergeants Tale" and "Archaeology 501/The Field Trip" Both have added material and are better formatted for reading ease.

Reviews

[Dennis Batchelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, gritty and as real as it gets

"A Hard Place" is a first person view of Sergeant Peterson's third tour in Vietnam, at the tail-end of the war. It tells how Peterson led his small special operations unit through over a year of hunting down North Vietnamese Colonel Tranh, a particularly sadistic-minded terrorist and killer.

The Sergeant is a hard-boiled, honorable, caring, tough-as-nails, lead-from-the-front badass. He takes his men on hair-raising patrols, sets up ambushes, comes under plenty of fire, works the army system, and even has some fun. And we get to experience it first-hand: hoping he makes it, cheering him on through the slogs through the jungle to find Tranh, smelling his ham and eggs C rations, tensing up when his convoy crests the hill, mourning the deaths of his men.

"A Hard Place" is intense, direct, and unvarnished. It's filled with Peterson's overwhelming interpretation of what honor, comradeship, and courage under fire is like. If you want to experience life in the Vietnam war, told from the viewpoint of an NCO on the ground, this is the book for you. You'll gain a whole new perspective on (and a new level of respect for) what it means to serve your country... I know I did.

[Jacamo Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book to honor the service and sacrifice of all Vietnam Veterans,Yes that includes me!To all members of all the Armed Forces who were there,whether Volunteer or Draftee who served with Honor and Distinction this book is dedicated to you. Let us never forget our fallen and lost Brothers. Our cause was just,Our Service was Honorable.
Well of course I loved it,I wrote the thing!!! It really is an accurate accounting of some of the "adventures" of the Hellhounds.I wanted to tell the story from the eyes of a professional soldier.I have read too many BS tales about super hero John Wayne wannabe's and seen TOO many movies about American forces in Vietnam,portraying the soldiers as anti-war draftees who hated the military.That was not the case,over 95% of american soldiers,marines,airmen and sailors served with honor and distinction.We did NOT lose the Vietnam War,we were pulled from the field.Read the book!!

[Pete Grondin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the style of the land itself, the Republic of South Vietnam. Jacamo Peterson tells the story from an NCOs point of view. Written by the man leading men to places that no one should be, coming face to face with the enemy, who sometimes wears black pajama-looking uniforms, and sometimes looks like the face staring back at you in the mirror.

A Hard Place will make you feel the tension of battle, the heat of burning hootches, smell the stench of rotting bodies, and feel the fear of knowing that the next bullet, the next explosion has your name on it. Film makers should be seeking out Jacamo Peterson for the film rights to this story.

The author gets five stars, the publisher gets one. Just an outstandingly well written story.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf

[Steve Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew men like this. Professional soldiers in every sense of the word. Engaged in the twilight of special operations in Vietnam. In many ways, this is the way the war should have been fought, beat them at their own game so to speak. there were many such groups from all branches of the US services and the SAS of the Australian Army. Operating in small teams, deep in enemy territory, very hairy stuff. Remembering that most were in their twenties still. Despite the braggadocio, the language is familiar and the book cottons masses of detail of the daily life of these soldiers, in both bush and camp. The period covered here is 1971-72, the wind down of the war. The attitudes of these soldiers was typical of those who still cared, they felt they were being betrayed, fighting the war for reasons other than those publicly given, in this case the author expresses the opinion that it was all about the heroin trade. Though simplistic, it was all very much more complicated than that, up to a loin he has a point. (See Alfred McCoy The Politics of Heroin in SE Asia). There were times when I was truly nostalgic for those times, now long gone, when it was all such a surreal trip it was when I was most alive!

[John Podlaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that when reading books, I am usually lucky enough to find at least one overlooked typo someplace in the book. In John Peterson's book, A Hard Place, I found my first one only a couple of pages into the book and then continued to find additional errors as I continued to read. They appeared randomly and seemed deliberate, as if they were intended to be in the script so I accepted that and moved on. The story, itself, was a wonderful read! On a few nights, I found myself staying up late into the to see how this group of soldiers were going to get out of the pickle they found themselves in. It was gritty, very descriptive and made me feel like I was right there with the author and his team.

Halfway through the book, I chose to visit the review section on Amazon - something I did not do before purchasing the book. The description was enough to draw me in. It was disappointing to see so many reviews criticize the author and challenge the authenticity of many things in the book, including the typos and grammar errors. I soon came to a post by the author himself who wrote to address those critics. The book was a fictional Vietnam War story and the errors within the book were there on purpose. I thought he gave a good rebuttal, it also allowed me to look at this novel in a different perspective. The story was still an adventure and could not have been told this way without the author having been in Vietnam himself. Too many things happened during the story or were said in dialogue that could not have been conjured up by a lay person. Were many of the experiences in the story realistic? Hell yes! Did they really happen? Who cares, it was a great read and that's why the author classified it as fiction!

When I returned to A Hard Place, I often found myself chuckling when encountering the typo's and grammar errors, it added a new flair to the story and made it more enjoyable than it already was.

[Rick Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who have either experienced this era first-hand or simply feel the attachment and pride in those who served to preserve our nations freedom, this book is a must read that tells it all in a way that is both educational and inspiring. A journey into Hell and back from a superior Author and an American.

[Nadir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like fiction - "secret" platoon-sized special forces unit not on anyone's TO&E. Reports directly to some high-up honcho, no intermediate chain of command. Suits up to look like convoy escort troops, then goes hunting for AWOL soldiers, etc., etc. Um. OK. I doubt I'll finish this book since it's hard to take seriously - my mistake for not researching it better before acquiring it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a career soldier at the end of the Viet Nam war. Assigned to lead a platoon that didn't exit, to engage in operations that never happened. Story is interesting and disturbing at the same time. Rather course, lousy editing (misspells, grammatical errors etc). All in a, a good book to read.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and the way that it is written. The author speak in the same way that he writes. He is extremely intelligent and paints a vivid picture for his readers/listeners. Even if you don't know the subject before he begins... you will by the time he is done. Excellent book !!!

[Chariss Walker]

Vietnam War era combat/war story book