First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne

by John D. Howard

Fresh out of West Point, John Howard arrived for his first tour in Vietnam in 1965, the first full year of escalation when U.S. troop levels increased to 184,000 from 23,000 the year before.When he returned for a second tour in 1972, troop strength stood at 24,000 and would dwindle to a mere 50 the following year.He thus participated in the very early and very late stages of American military involvement in the Vietnam War.His two tours one as a platoon commander and member of an elite counterguerrilla force, the second as a senior advisor to the South Vietnamese provide a fascinating lens through which to view not only one soldier s experience in Vietnam, but also the country s."

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2017

Reviews

[jim bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading For Those who Served Then..

I was in the 11AAD test to become the 1st Air Cavalry division and ETS’ed in early 1965 missing Vietnam as an infantryman. The author explained a lot of what Vietnam was like that year well. Odd that he allowed his Tiger Reconnaissance United to spit off in hostile areas like the 7 man unit that sent 2 troops ahead to scout and were lost. I recall reading how the V.C. found them and killed one, making the other prisoner and he was never accounted for thereafter! His map of the Korean DMZ area shows my 2/17/7 I.D. was located far North at Camp Keiser. Very interesting book.

[Louis N. Webber · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first portion of this book is worth the time it took to read it once you get past the first chapter. I sincerely enjoyed it. However…. The second half of the book(the second tour in Vietnam as an advisor) turned the experience into a less than enjoyable read. To be honest it drug my opinion of the book into a tail spin. I cannot in all honesty recommend this book to anyone. I realize the Author put his time and effort into telling this story. But the first part should have been the entire book.

[Leonard A. Japchinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was there. Great book by an American hero.

[robert j dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An American paratrooper's view of Vietnam history.

A honest reflection on the Vietnam war. You come away with a better understanding of what happened on the ground and why.