Payback

by Joe Klein

Intimate profiles of five Marines who fought together in a bloody battle called Operation Cochise portray, in large part in the searing language of the veterans themselves, the pain and squalor of the war and its indelible after-effects

Genres: Nonfiction, History, War

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Joe Klein is a longtime Washington, D.C. and New York journalist and columnist, known for his novel Primary Colors, an anonymously written roman à clef portraying Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. Klein is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former Guggenheim Fellow. Since 2003 he has been a contributor at the current affairs Time news group. In April 2006, he published Politics Lost, a book on what he calls the "pollster-consultant industrial complex". He has also written articles and book reviews for The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, LIFE and Rolling Stone.

Reviews

[Chin Joo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Vietnam War is a big part of the USA's history and has been extensively written about. This book's focus is on the life of five men after the war and how they each tried to cope with the war and its aftermath. The tragic undertone was set from the outset, this is a book written after one of the five was killed in a shoot-out with the police after he snapped seeing how the American hostages were celebrated when they returned home from Iran. The lives of the five men took different turns but were always under the shadow of the war that they experienced. Everyone struggled to become 'normal', each one succeeding to different degrees, but almost none wanted to talk about the war until they agreed to participate in this project.

The structure of the book is simple, the prologue followed by a chapter on Operation Chochise, which is supposedly the most dramatic event that affected all five men. Then a chapter each on the five of them, followed by the last one on the aftermath of their participation in the project. While each man had a different childhood and family circumstance, there almost seem to be a common motivation when they joined the Marines, either to get away from home or to impress their parents who had otherwise not thought much of their sons. And then their stories coming back from the War appear similar to some extent too, especially their career and marital difficulties, the two biggest parts of men at that stage of their life. And so while not poorly written, a huge part of the book became repetitive and laborious.

The author said that he had interviewed more people than these five and in the end decided to only include the stories of these five people. If they are but five unrepresentative samples who yet appear so similar, it's really tragic to imagine whether this is actually the common affliction of the veterans. If it is, the country has sent a large portion of the generation to waste. And then to not acknowledge their plight for a long time is truly irresponsible.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his prologue, Klein clearly states that "this is not a book about the plight of Vietnam veterans." He is also clear that the 5 vets whose stories he recounts are in no way a representative sample of the people who fought in Vietnam. Instead, he says "My intention was simply to write about five men who had fought together in Vietnam, and what happened to them when they came home." He achieves that goal, but I'm not sure that that alone is enough to sustain this book.

Payback was first published in 1984 and the interviews on which it was based started shortly after the Iran hostages were released to great fanfare and public acclaim, a source of irritation to many Vietnam vets who felt overlooked and underappreciated. This means that Klein was coming into their lives about 15 years after they had been in Vietnam. The edition I read was the first Simon and Schuster trade paperback edition from October 2015. To me, it represents a huge lost opportunity.

The story, as it is told in 1984, shows five vets who had many issues before going into the service and even more once they came home from Vietnam. Broken marriages, drug and alcohol abuse, an inability to reintegrate and to come down from the high of ever-present danger abound. This is not surprising. As the author notes, at that time we were just becoming aware of and were still highly skeptical about post traumatic stress disorder; however Klein does not try to parse which of the issues engulfing each vet came from the war and which from their upbringing. Many did not realize how marginalized and forgotten our vets felt. What would have been fascinating and would have given the book a currency that it presently lacks would have been for the author to have reconnected with each of the 4 (one was dead) and updated the book with a recounting of where are they now. Have they come to be able to talk about their trauma and their feelings. Have they found more peace in their lives than in 1984? Have they gotten counseling? Did their marriages survive? Did their careers survive? How are their children doing? Etc. But none of this is provided, leaving us in 1984 with 4 stories (one vet was dead) that seem incomplete and almost irrelevant now that we know there is more we can look to to fill in the picture.

One other aspect of the book that did not work for me was Klein's description of the firefight that so profoundly affected each of these men. It is confusing and hard to follow. Moreover, from other things he writes, this firefight was no more and no less violent than many others in which the vets participated. Why is this one so significant to them?

Klein's writing is generally easy to read and engaging. I can see why in 1984 this book got excellent reviews. However, what was new and unknown in 1984 is today common knowledge and passé. Without some new information about how his interviewees are doing years later, this book now feels empty and unmotivated.

[Nathaniel Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Klein's book sat on my book shelf for years waiting for me to read it. It was hard to go back to Vietnam with these band of brothers. The stories of the men were sadly captivating.It was a hard trip back but I'm glad I faced it. Thanks Joe.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting account of 5 marines and their post-war issues. I honestly picked up the book thinking it would be more about their war-time experiences. Nevertheless, it was an interesting book. Having two uncles that are Vietnam vets, it made me appreciate their situation more.

[David Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those that want insight into ptsd from the perspective of those who have been in vietnam, this will give a good look into it. The men and their wives were very open about all of the weird and the ugly, and it shows how hard it was for men to seek help and open up.

I found it spellbinding a long time. Even though the book is quite long I found myself wishing there was more details on certain parts. One man misses a surprise party not realizing it was one. I wanted more on that and the families response but it just kind of jumps over it. There is so much to go over that some things are addressed very briefly I would have liked more on.

I’ll admit I liked the fifth guy and the conclusion quite a bit less although I still did like it.

One thing was one guy acted too tough at work from his military background. Some had drinking and drug problems. One almost kills his dad when he slaps his mom but then refuses to talk about it.

All was very interesting. Loved his writing.

[Heather Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certain aspects of this book were hard to read. The Vietnam War was brutal and ferocious for both sides. It's sad and unsettling to hear accounts of the young marines who fought in the war. The author was respectful but straightforward. Not to sound crass or rude because the horrors endured by these men can not be forgotten, but this book told the lives of five marines who lived challenging lives before the war. The affects of the war only made their previous physiological conditions worse. It's a heavy read, but it's definitely one worth reading.

[willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandfather is going through a tough time lately. The early stages of Alzheimer's also (finally) prompted the doctor to diagnose him with PTSD from the Vietnam War. He very rarely talks about what happened, and when he does share he is cryptic, hiding the truth behind jokes. Reading this book really helped me to understand what he is going through, even decades after the war is over.

Overall, it was a very well written piece of non-fiction. I never felt like the truth was stretched. There was little to no author bias. Klein kept it to the facts while maintaining a comprehensive story-line.