A Year In Vietnam With The 101st Airborne, 1969-1970

by Harry G. Enoch

The author was one of many reluctant soldiers who served in the Vietnam War. Drafted out of graduate school and trained in the infantry, he spent a year with the 101st Airborne. This work is a journal of the experience, a day to day description of what it was like in a "grunt unit" fighting in the Central Highlands, dealing with the heat, the bugs, the rain, the endless patrolling in the villages and mountains, the ever present boredom and occasional violence. It's not all exciting action but it's always real.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 11, 2012

Reviews

[Jeffrey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Year in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne: 1969-1970 joins the growing catalogue of books about the Vietnam War, and more specifically, about the year in the life of a grunt. Though books by Vietnam veterans such as Tim O’Brien or more recently John Podlaski have written about the same subject, what makes Enoch’s book worth reading is the way he has written it: in the form of a journal.

Though some reviewers have criticized him for all the “listing” he does (similar to O’Brien’s opening story in The Things They Carried) and the things he carried, that was one of the things I liked most about the book. I liked the way how he described coping with being in the war and far away from home—even if it was describing the goodies in his latest “care package” from home.

(Having lived in Asia for twenty three years as well as two years in the Air Force in Panama, I could relate to the importance of those packages from home.)

Additionally, he takes time out to provide a commentary on the war from his point of view in the field as well as commenting on Vietnam and her people. Then there are the snapshots he took which add another colorful dimension to this book.

Though the book might lack the gritty, riveting, and visceral combat descriptions that comprise other books on the conflict, I found Enoch’s book a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting read.

Thank you for your service Mr. Enoch and this book.

[Christopher Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currahee !

I served with Alpha company, 3/506th from April 1968 to April 69. I was enlisted, Airborne qualified, rifleman then an RTO for various squad and platoon leaders ( Radio Telephone Operator) then wrapped up my tour by carrying the M60 machine gun for several months. I served in most of the same places and lived through many of the same circumstances, so this book was in many ways the story of all of us wet, dirty, hungry, hot and even cold grunts.
It was a trip down memory lane, well written, in many ways touching and very human.. I really enjoyed reading it. Currahee !

[Gregg Puluka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great easy read of the authors experience in Vietnam war. Worth the time if you have a good knowledge base already of the Vietnam War. If not I would recommend getting the background first and return.

I am glad he took the time to publish and equally glad to read the book. I will be passing this on to my neighbor whose father served in 101 as well.

[John Podlaski · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Year In Vietnam With The 101st Airborne: 1969-1970" by Harry G. Enoch is a different kind of read and does not follow the same boilerplate template used by other Vietnam authors. Instead, Mr. Enoch's work is comprised of his day to day activities as he posted them in a diary/journal over forty years ago. The title caught my interest right away because I had served with the 101st Airborne too, but it was a year later, 1971. I was anxious to compare my experiences with Harry's and downloaded his story to my Kindle and began reading in earnest.

I do have to admit that I was surprised by this type of format, but quickly learned to follow the day-to-day activities as written. Harry's humping experience were spot on and I could relate to his experiences in the bush - almost a carbon copy of my own: humping the mountains, hot days / cold nights, monsoon rains, digging foxholes, cutting through impenetrable jungle, carrying ninety pound rucksacks, and always on the lookout for the enemy. Fortunately for Mr. Enoch, he spent an equal amount of time during his tour in fire bases and rear areas.

Life in those areas are are a mixed bag, some days are boring as hell while others are filled with mundane work details like bunker guard, filling sandbags, reinforcing bunkers, laying concertina wire and burning human waste - from dawn to dusk. Then, as luck would have it, they find themselves back on the bunker line for the night. Although rear areas offer many distractions during the day like the EM Club, PX, Mess Hall, and swimming to name a few, but many of those men serving there would give it all up to get back out into the bush.

When reading this story, a person will learn more about the day-to-day life of an infantry soldier in Vietnam. It doesn't matter if he was in the bush or in the rear areas - it was a dangerous time and everyone served honorably.

One of the other reviewers mentioned that Harry spends too much time writing about what he eats on a daily basis and also itemizing the contents of his many special packages he got from home. It's a little too much and this is why I've rated this story four stars instead of five. Still worth reading!

[Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Vietnam vet's daily journal of life while in-country. It was not the best writing because of that but it did give a perspective into more of the day to day ordeals of the soldiers over there. I found it interesting that for the most part his tour from '69 to '70 was uneventful until the end when they started to work a series of tunnel systems. At that point things got quite harry. In reading this I did come to a conclusion that the military functions(ed) much like business do. They put in a new CO (VP in the business world) who changes all of the plans that are in place and six months later that CO is rotated out and the process repeats. There seemed to be no consistency to what the men needed to do. Much like the scene in Cool Hand Luke where he is told to dig a hole then to fill it. Sad waste of man power and resources.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I read on the daily life of a soldier in Viet Nam. It is not a war story although he alludes to the fact that his platoon did engage he enemy and suffer casualties.

Rather, it is a book about the everyday, mundane, life of a G.I. The guard duty, the chores of filling sandbags or burning the pots. The day to day life off line.

[Debra Freymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book I gave it 4stars

Great book I gave it 4stars

a great look on the war. I liked the Arthur's take on the war. made me fell like I was there.

[Joar Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about life in Vietman..