What do you think?
Rate this book
We Walked Across Their Graves: Vietnam 1967—The Que Son Valley
In 1967, John Strunk is a newly minted 19 year old Marine with a 10th grade education, little self-esteem and no particular understanding of what he is doing in Vietnam. His memoir is an unvarnished account of his personal experiences as part of a Marine Regiment, which over several months repeatedly clashed, buckle-to-buckle, with the 2nd North Vietnam Army 2nd Division, neither side willing to give up control of the strategic valley, no matter the cost. Strunk's story moves from the very personal, to the travails and losses of his team and squad, to company and battalion tactics, and back again. In this candid and sometimes shocking narrative, Strunk makes no apologies and no concessions to those who would view armed conflict as a somehow noble exercise. For Strunk and his brother Marines, nobility was a quick casualty in the battle for the Que Son Valley. The goal was day-to-day survival.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 2014
17 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 7, 2025
Best personal account on a Vietnam tour ever. I’ve read well over 200 hundred similar biographies and this is by far the nest one.
Crude, honest. Without holding anything back, well narrated and brave to show his own insecurities and flaws
Crude, honest. Without holding anything back, well narrated and brave to show his own insecurities and flaws
May 11, 2015
"We Walked Across Their Graves: Vietnam..." is a first-person memoir of the author's tour of duty as a Marine in the Vietnam War. The year is 1967, Marines and NVA forces continue to battle one another for control of the notorious Que Son Valley. Losses have left the Marines short-handed, 19 yr. old PFC's are running squads and replacements are slow to arrive.
The author brings readers right into his squad as they hump through jungles, rice-paddies and over hills in search of a brazen enemy, Water and food are scarce - rationing only goes so far and then you have to do without for a day or longer; fatigues are in tatters - soiled with dried blood and feces - the later due to dysentery which seems to last forever. The men are exhausted. Patrols last from sun-up to sun-down, foxholes completed in the twilight, night defensive perimeters require the troops to share in guard duty and remain awake 50% of the time, night ambush patrols are dispatched well after dark - these squad members are awake all night long, then periodically, the entire platoon packs-up in the middle of the night and rushes through the pitch darkness to support a sister unit that is in trouble. Sleep is taken whenever possible...eating and writing letters become luxuries that are down at the bottom of their list of responsibilities. Their main goal is to survive the day...one day at a time for 13 months. Oh, and didn't I mention - somebody out there with you is always trying to kill you at every opportunity. There is no peace of mind!
Mr. Strunk tells it like it was - the good, bad and ugly. As a Vietnam Veteran myself, I served as an infantry soldier with the U.S. Army and could relate to much of what the author writes in this tome. No matter how many years ago it happened, it is an experience that will never be forgotten. The epilogue summarizes his life after Vietnam - excessive drinking, different jobs, marriage, starting a family and then eventually finding God
Well done Brother! Thank you for your service and Welcome Home!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
The author brings readers right into his squad as they hump through jungles, rice-paddies and over hills in search of a brazen enemy, Water and food are scarce - rationing only goes so far and then you have to do without for a day or longer; fatigues are in tatters - soiled with dried blood and feces - the later due to dysentery which seems to last forever. The men are exhausted. Patrols last from sun-up to sun-down, foxholes completed in the twilight, night defensive perimeters require the troops to share in guard duty and remain awake 50% of the time, night ambush patrols are dispatched well after dark - these squad members are awake all night long, then periodically, the entire platoon packs-up in the middle of the night and rushes through the pitch darkness to support a sister unit that is in trouble. Sleep is taken whenever possible...eating and writing letters become luxuries that are down at the bottom of their list of responsibilities. Their main goal is to survive the day...one day at a time for 13 months. Oh, and didn't I mention - somebody out there with you is always trying to kill you at every opportunity. There is no peace of mind!
Mr. Strunk tells it like it was - the good, bad and ugly. As a Vietnam Veteran myself, I served as an infantry soldier with the U.S. Army and could relate to much of what the author writes in this tome. No matter how many years ago it happened, it is an experience that will never be forgotten. The epilogue summarizes his life after Vietnam - excessive drinking, different jobs, marriage, starting a family and then eventually finding God
Well done Brother! Thank you for your service and Welcome Home!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
July 23, 2015
Outstanding book about life in the Vietnam, as a grunt.
The book is filled with all the information necessary to convince anyone that war is a young man's game. The author is representative of a generation of a small group of young men who did their duty on behalf of their country and they did it quite well. Their sacrifices, their day's without food or water, no sleep, are things that every single American should know about. The author wrote a great book and I choose to wish him and all combat vets , peace in your life.
The book is filled with all the information necessary to convince anyone that war is a young man's game. The author is representative of a generation of a small group of young men who did their duty on behalf of their country and they did it quite well. Their sacrifices, their day's without food or water, no sleep, are things that every single American should know about. The author wrote a great book and I choose to wish him and all combat vets , peace in your life.
April 25, 2015
Excellent rendition of survival
This well told account of the constant struggle for survival in Vietnam is how it was. I served as a Sergeant/RTO, in the central highland region from 1967 to 1969, and survived the Tet Offensive. Brother Strunk's account of how we survived the elements, and the NVA, is correct. God Bless the graves we walked across........everyone one of our brothers........and the enemy.
This well told account of the constant struggle for survival in Vietnam is how it was. I served as a Sergeant/RTO, in the central highland region from 1967 to 1969, and survived the Tet Offensive. Brother Strunk's account of how we survived the elements, and the NVA, is correct. God Bless the graves we walked across........everyone one of our brothers........and the enemy.
January 12, 2017
Story, well-told
I had the pleasure of being with the author in Viet Nam in 2016. All experiences for us combat vets are personal; John does a good job telling his.
I had the pleasure of being with the author in Viet Nam in 2016. All experiences for us combat vets are personal; John does a good job telling his.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews