The Education of Corporal John Musgrave: Vietnam and Its Aftermath

by John Musgrave, Ken Burns (Foreword), Lynn Novick (Foreword)

A Marine's searing and intimate story—"A passionate, fascinating, and deeply humane memoir of both war and of the hard work of citizenship and healing in war’s aftermath. A superb addition to our understanding of the Vietnam War, and of its lessons” (Phil Klay, author of Redeployment ).

John Musgrave had a small-town midwestern childhood that embodied the idealized postwar America. Service, patriotism, faith, and civic pride were the values that guided his family and community, and like nearly all the boys he knew, Musgrave grew up looking forward to the day when he could enlist to serve his country as his father had done. There was no question in Musgrave’s He was going to join the legendary Marine Corps as soon as he was eligible. In February of 1966, at age seventeen, during his senior year in high school, and with the Vietnam War already raging, he walked down to the local recruiting station, signed up, and set off for three years that would permanently reshape his life.

In this electrifying memoir, he renders his wartime experience with a powerful intimacy and from the rude awakening of boot camp, to daily life in the Vietnam jungle, to a chest injury that very nearly killed him. Musgrave also vividly describes the difficulty of returning home to a society rife with antiwar sentiment, his own survivor's guilt, and the slow realization that he and his fellow veterans had been betrayed by the government they served. And he recounts how, ultimately, he found peace among his fellow veterans working to end the war. Musgrave writes honestly about his struggle to balance his deep love for the Marine Corps against his responsibility as a citizen to protect the very troops asked to protect America at all costs. Fiercely perceptive and candid, The Education of Corporal John Musgrave is one of the most powerful memoirs to emerge from the war.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, War, History, Military Fiction, Biography, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir begins with the author's enthusiastic enlistment to join the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was 17 years old, but was 18 by the time he reported for bootcamp training. He looked so young at the time that a reviewing officer asked to see his proof of age. He shares in considerable detail his experiences in bootcamp which to me seemed needlessly rough and overly focused on details of behavior and speech. Nevertheless as described here, the training seems to have resulted in strong identification and pride in being a Marine.

The next part of the book tells of his experiences in Vietnam. At first he was assigned to an infantry unit guarding a military police unit which didn't satisfy the author's desire to see combat action. So when the opportunity was available to transfer to an infantry unit near the DMZ he took it. He then tells in jarring detail the experiences of combat including killing another human at close range and physical discomforts of jungle warfare.

His combat deployment came to an end when he received a serious chest wound which once he reached medical care resulted in one doctor calling for a chaplain because he couldn't do anything for such a serious wound. Fortunately another doctor saw things differently and saved his life. From there the author returned to the States and worked hard on rehabilitation hoping to be able to rejoin the war. But he was unable to pass the requited physical tests and was discharged from the Corps.

The author's disability benefits enabled him to attend college where he encountered considerable antiwar sentiment. At first he resisted the antiwar activities, but slowly his perceptions of the war changed. He began to see that he and his combat units were asked to fight under circumstances which made the war unwindable and thus futile. He joined a new organization called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and for a time became a spokesman for the group in the midwest region.

Today the author works with issues related to PTSD and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. He was interviewed in the documentary The Vietnam War produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

[Aimee Dars]

When Ken Burns and Lynn Novak released The Vietnam War on PBS in 2017, George and I watched it as it aired, and I immediately watched the rebroadcast. Since then, I’ve probably read more than forty books on the subject—general and specialized histories, memoirs, and fiction. I’ve really been waiting for one book in particular, though, John Musgrave’s memoir.

If you’ve seen the documentary, you know why: Musgrave is sympathetic, articulate, and reflective, and his personal trajectory is surprising, though I’m sure anyone who has served can relate to parts of his experience. His interviews reliably make me cry every time I watch the series, yet they are not without hope.

So, maybe I built this up a little much and got overly excited when I placed my preorder for THE EDUCATION OF CORPORAL JOHN MUSGRAVE several months ago. I’m happy to say, though, that Musgrave’s book (out 11/2/21) met my expectations, and his narrative voice reflected the authenticity and honesty, as well as the thoughtfulness, I saw on screen.

The book reveals Musgrave’s determination to enlist and his pride in overcoming the challenging nature of boot camp. He discusses his tour in Vietnam, including the unrelenting horror of Con Thein where he received a near fatal injury. Reintegrating into civilization society was difficult, and while he felt betrayed by the government, he also felt uncomfortable with the stand of the peace movement—until he became involved with Vietnam Veterans against the War. Now, he uses his experience to help other veterans. As much as I’ve read about the Vietnam War, I learned new things.

I think this book is worth reading because John Musgrave has a story worth telling and the ability to analyze his experience in the context of history. It’s also the best military memoir I’ve read from the war. Moreover, it transcends Musgrave’s own perspective to illustrate the life of a marine, whose very existence often depends on an ineffective bureaucracy, uninformed politicians, and inexperienced officers but who still develops the closest of ties with the men and women with whom they serve.

To all veterans and military families, thank you for your sacrifices.

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry out of pugnaciousness

This work by John Musgrave is among the top books of the many I, a fellow vet, have read on Vietnam.

My reading adventure here started with VFW Magazine’s June/July 2022 article (available online) about John Musgrave in “The Face of VFW’s Statue: Vietnam Veteran Shares His Story.” It turns out the statue is comprised of two figures, one citizen and one soldier, both with John’s face. The article goes on to describe John as a timeless combat veteran spending his post-war years honoring the memory of fallen friends through his writing. And it is through his poem writing that John has helped himself and countless others with PTSD through what I would call, not his “talking cure” but his “writing cure” strategy. While all this was interesting, when the article mentioned that John was prompted to write a memoir by filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, who had interviewed John for their 2017 documentary “The Vietnam War,” I knew I had to read more of his work.

I started with “Notes to the Man Who Shot Me: Vietnam War Poems” and became so hooked I immediately ordered “The Education of Corporal John Musgrave.” Quite simply the book is literally about John’s education in war and life through his experience in eagerly going to fight in Vietnam, getting horribly wounded, and coming home to wrestle with the fallout. A dip into the “Look inside” Amazon feature will give you a view of the book’s content as well as a prologue, forward, and most of the first chapter’s taste of John’s story, ably put into outstanding book form by Bryan Doerries, Director of Theater of War Productions. Yet, you know the book is John’s when each of the chapters seems to end on a pithy, poetic sentence reminiscent of his poems in his earlier “Notes To The Man Who Shot Me.”

In summary, the book brings the Vietnam War years alive in his never-a-dull moment recollection of war and its aftermath, made even more real for me due to some personal coincidences I had with the author’s time in Sugar Creek, MO, Lawrence, KS, and Kansas City, MO. A must-read for those wishing to better understand the profound grip the Vietnam years still have on America.

Of possible interest: Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poignant memoir is an honest portrayal of a youth, who proudly enlists in the Marine Corps infantry to fulfill his dream and serve America. His graphic images, while serving on the front lines, as a member of 1/9 notoriously known as “The Walking Dead”, along with his days in the hospital, are very gripping.

I had mixed emotions over the last ¼ of the book when the author details his rather turbulent reentry into American society. As I turned the pages, I briefly reflected to the movie Tootsie, when Dorothy Michaels (played by Dustin Hoffman) appears on live air TV and departs from her script, causing the director to question where things were headed. With his life in disruption, I was relieved by the positive ending.

[Jeffrey McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening and genuine in displaying the horrors and emotions of war and wrestling with the aftermath. So insightful and beneficial in catching a glimpse into the mind of veterans who have given more and witnessed atrocities that we can't even begin to imagine. Coarse language is throughout the book.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intense and candid memoir of combat in Vietnam. The book is divided into thirds. A before, during, and after. It’s preceded by a moving introduction by Ken Burns.

I would disagree that the hazing and abuse he received at boot camp that he credits for making him tough saved his life. His buddies saved his life. Given up for dead his survival is a miracle. Grievous chest wound.

It’s all there. Mosquitoes, leeches, defective M-16’s, glory hounds, the sheer misery of the bush, and killing a human being for the first time.

After Vietnam he was was involved with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and visited the local Black Panthers in Kansas City. Self medication with alcohol. A gift for public speaking.

Nothing but respect for him. I was on recruiting duty for the Marine Corps in Kansas City in the mid 1980’s and wish I had met him. It’s a shame more people have not read this book.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are great memoirs written about interesting, exciting, even difficult lives, and then there are memoirs that speak beyond the author's experiences to shed light on issues larger than just one life. The Education of Corporal John Musgrave takes the reader through John's formative years and his desire to become a Marine, through his naivety during basic training, the horrors of the Vietnam war and being near death, to his difficult transition after returning to a society that considered him a criminal and "baby killer." Raw, yet engaging, this book should be on anyone's reading list who wants to know more about the Vietnam era and what the soldiers endured, and what it took for many of them to heal. John pulls no punches, calling out offense and corruption where he saw it, but he also admits his own naivety and hubris. From the distance of years, no one can deny that the Vietnam war was a very different experience for soldiers and veterans who fought and returned, and John's eloquent words help shed light on the why.

[Ben Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw so much of myself in John and his story, only removed by different wars that were so very similar to Vietnam. As a young man all I ever wanted to do was join the Marine Corps, and 9 days after I graduated from high school I was down at MCRD San Diego.

I loved the Marine Corps and when I left it was on my own accord, unlike John.

You couldn’t tell me anything was wrong with the wars inIraq and Afghanistan and what we were doing there was the right thing. Now, stepping away and seeing how useless it all was, how we were betrayed at all levels of our leadership I disagree with my younger self. John’s memoir is about the pride of belonging, and the struggle and sacrifice required of experiencing the Marine Corps Infantry. It’s about coming to terms with yourself, and the lies you (we) were fed. Finally it’s about doing the right thing.

[Brian Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

To simply put, I could not put this damn book down.

Through the eyes of Mr. Musgrave, I understood his fear, guilt, shame, and making his peace with himself.

I praise his efforts of never leaving a veteran behind. I was angered by the treatment of Vietnam Veterans when they made it back home or lack there of it.

Hopefully, if Mr. Musgrave ever reads this, I love your work and I admire you ✌🏻

[Mary Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Could not put it down.

[Samantha Loeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

He’s a dawg

[Justin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who grew up during the invasion of Iraq, I learned about the Vietnam War in comparison to that needless war. Vietnam represented for a generation or two before me the same lies, failures, and futilities of war as Iraq did for me. No one experienced this more than soldiers themselves. Many young Americans had their lives shattered by their time in Vietnam— losing a limb, enduring PTSD, and facing disrespect once they got home— not to mention the millions of Vietnamese lives that were destroyed in that conflict.

One veteran who knows this experience well is Corporal John Musgrave of the U.S. Marine Corps, who spent nearly a year in combat in Vietnam. He shares his story in one of the most poignant memoirs I have ever read, The Education of Corporal John Musgrave: Vietnam and Its Aftermath (2021). A contributor to Lynn Novick and Ken Burns’s magisterial documentary series, the Vietnam War, Musgrave has led a life of service, sacrifice, and perseverance which comes through on every page in this book.

Growing up in Independence, Missouri, Musgrave never wanted to be anything more than an U.S. Marine, hearing of his father’s service in WWII. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Marines and was shipped off for basic training, combat training, and finally, to Vietnam, where he served for 11 months in Danang and Con Thien, among other areas. His harrowing reflections on the conditions of war— poorly made weaponry, jungle rot, and fighting the enemy— culminated in his injury in battle in 1968, where he nearly died.

Adjusting to civilian life was hard for Musgrave, who turned to alcohol to numb the pain, but he endured, ultimately becoming one of the most public faces of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. As he learned about the war he recognized it for what it was: a futile conflict cooked up by Washington to save face against the supposed scourge of Communism, which ultimately tore the US apart and forever maimed a generation of Americans and Vietnamese.

Musgrave’s story is so powerful because of his vulnerability, his humility, and his desire to make sense of something so senseless. It is an indispensable contribution to the literature on Vietnam.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Wow. Much to think on here. This is an vulnerable glimpse into the mental battles of our veterans, especially of "unwon" wars (Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq, etc). The language is very strong and coarse, but i would pose this to anyone who wants to understand veterans/war better. What an important story!

[John Kaufmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the dust jacket/Goodreads summary is quite accurate. The book covers everything from his childhood desire tlo be a Marine, to his enlistment, boot camp, being shipped off to fight in Vietnam, his his injury, and his return and learning to cope with lfie after war and injury. Told from very personal perspective. I was able to imagine what it was like to serve during Vietnam -- and that, my friends, is what a good book is supposed to do.

[Julie Stielstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many others, I was smitten with John Musgrave as he told his story in Ken Burns's Vietnam War series. Articulate, emotional, intelligent, thoughtful, his appearance on the screen always made us sit up and pay attention. So I was eager to read this full-blown memoir.

A tall skinny kid, Musgrave never wanted to be anything but a Marine. Gung ho from childhood, from a family with long military experience, this is where he belonged. And he is here to tell you now what learning to be a Marine is like. It's torturous, violent abuse. The boys (and they *are* boys - Musgrave turned 19 in the jungles of Vietnam) are torn down in every possible way, and then built back up into Marines, imbued with an inviolable code of behavior and obedience. Once he has survived (and thrived), all he wants to do is go to Vietnam. Once there, he's angry when they assign him to MP duty - he's infantry! he's a rifleman! He wants out there in the jungle, where the action is. Once he's sent out there, he wants to walk point, the most dangerous, death-inviting role there is. And he looks back at the horrific training camp and is grateful, because it taught him exactly what he needed that kept him alive.

Barely. Hideously wounded by machine gun fire into his chest, Musgrave is invalided out and, contrary to everyone's expectations, survives. And then comes the aftermath of healing, readjustment, and a dire struggle for another kind of survival. Drinking heavily, isolated, suicidal, brooding over what he has experienced, he finds a connection with the Vietnam Vets Against the War organization. While maintaining his abiding love for his incredibly courageous and supportive Marine buddies and the Marines in general, he comes to see that their bravery and dedication was in service of... nothing. Millions of deaths in the name of a lost, noxious cause, a government sending him and his colleagues to die horribly while having to scrounge in the pile of equipment taken off dead soldiers for boots, unrotted clothing, and sufficient ammunition for rifles that jam every time you pulled the trigger. And it is this recognition that leads him to join the long line of veterans who lined up in Washington DC and threw away their medals.

Since then, Musgrave has been prominent in veterans' organizations, in a leadership role with VVAW and the POW movement. While working in a bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas, he created a collection of military and war literature that became a gathering place for vets to meet and talk. He reads, he writes poetry, he runs reading groups at Fort Riley. He looks for other vets - regardless of which war they have fought in - and connects them, serves them, provides opportunities for talk, for aid. It is a powerful and absorbing story of one man's experience in the military, in war, after war, and forging a new path to thinking and living.

That said, Musgrave considers himself a poet, not a novelist or memoirist. This book was written with the assistance of Bryan Doerries, who assembled transcripts of interviews and memories from John into this book. While the salty and often profane language is left in, and the incidents described are often harrowing, the finished product is smooth, detailed, and polished. The memories seem flawlessly presented, details all present and correct, the narrative streams like silk. And I found myself wondering how Musgrave could recall the infinite detail of decades ago, however vivid, in such perfect entirety. Did he keep a journal? Obviously, events burned deep into his consciousness, and some things you just don't forget. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this was an expertly packaged portrait, and that the man who trembled and stuttered before the camera as he recalled the night he nearly blew his head off until his dogs scratched at the door, is somewhere beneath this surface of this important and affecting book.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Education of Corporal John Musgrave, Vietnam and Its Aftermath, by John Musgrave
In composing an autobiography, the temptation for omission or glorification is great. This raw and painfully honest account by a Marine has a tremendous impact on its readers because of its candor. “This book is a willful act of remembrance in honor of my friends, some who didn’t make it back, others who are still finding their way home.” (Pg.5)
“Service was in my DNA from the very beginning.” (Pg. 19) Coming from a family who had served in the military, John enlisted in the Marines at age 17. “The Corps specializes in tearing down recruits and remolding them as Marines. At boot camp, Drill Instructors work tirelessly to undo nearly two decades of civilian bullshit in new recruits.” (Pg.3). As the book title states, he was quickly “educated” by his boot camp experiences.
Soon he found himself in Vietnam furthering his “education.” With wry humor, John describes war. “During my time in Vietnam, I learned to spell infantry M-I-S-E-R-Y. That’s what we called it. Our helmets were our billboards, and I’d written on the back of mine, “Missouri is the state I’m from, but misery is the state I’m in.” (Pg. 127) The jungles of Vietnam were thick with gigantic mosquitos and “rats as big as Shetland ponies” (Pg129) and leeches. “There wasn’t a moment when I was in the bush, especially I was I-9, when I wasn’t scared to death.” (Pg. 135) John goes on to explain the “pucker factor.”
“It took me decades to understand that in denying the basic humanity of the people we were fighting, I was also denying my own humanity, which is the wound that never heals. I might have lived to speak and write about it, but when I made my deal with the devil, a part of me died in Vietnam.” (Pg.108)” “… I embraced the very attitude I had come to despise in other Marines. I did it for my own psychological and emotional salvation and it served me well while I was there, but it has haunted me ever since.” (Pg. 109)
After his medical discharge, “I was twenty years old, and I didn’t have the Corps anymore. I didn’t have my buddies anymore. I was no longer a professional. I was a cripple in the deep end of the cesspool…in a hostile environment.” (Pg. 188). “Also, I was suffering from a horrible, unrelenting case of survivor’s guilt… (Pg. 203)
From the above quotes, we hear the author’s unimaginable pain. With tremendous introspection, John’s story continues through his post-war years as he further reflects on the war. John ends his memoir with an extremely poignant poem.
As Ken Burns and Lyn Novick state in the Forward, “For more than a decade, we tried to make sense of one of the most consequential, divisive and unsettled events in American History.” (Pg.1) Every war veteran would benefit from reading this book because it is so relatable. PTSD victims should read this book. Vietnam historians must read this book. Soldiers going into war must read this book because of John’s “determination to impart his wisdom to younger generations of Soldiers so that they do not have to endure the same suffering he went through.” (pg2)

[Brydon Albers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just another Vietnam book, which isn’t a slight to the stories told by countless other forgotten heroes, but a genuine point of difference for John Musgrave. A true Marine, who realized the travesties at play in this war and the country at that time and the years after. What’s more is he did something about it - but still maintained his love for the Corp and our country. As CPL Musgrave puts it - “The most patriotic thing we can do as citizens is say no to our government when we think it is not representing the people in the best possible way.”

Too often the most ardent “patriots” have slighted and marginalized others who disagree with the actions of their government, leaders, or service. And often Vietnam stories tell of the frustration and disappointment with our nation, and how it left them broken and lost after the war. CPL Musgrave’s “education” covers the typical span of a story from Vietnam, but then rallies as he discovers his purpose and realizes the great statement made above. His service to his fellow service members is beyond honorable, and I’m a better man, Soldier, and American for having read it.

Thank you for your service CPL Musgrave and may God bless you always.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impossible for me not to moved by this memoir of an idealistic young man who joined the Marines and was sent to fight an ignoble war. Impossible not to feel again a surge of rage toward the duplicitous government who put them there. The power of Musgrave’s book is that it embraces the contradictions of that conflict, and overcomes them because of his personal integrity, courage, sense of honor, and the vision of what an American should be. And his love for his family and his buddies. Musgrave also tells a good story. For all that he’s been through, the voice of that 17 year old idealist still sounds strong. That’s probably why I couldn’t read this book dispassionately.

I picked the book up because I recently purchased a new edition of Neil Sheehan’s A Bright Shining Lie, intending to read it again, so the topic was front of mind. For readers who want more context for that war from the American side, I highly recommend Christian Appy’s American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity.

[Anna Tickner-Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so thankful Ken Burns and Lynn Novick encouraged John to write a biography. His contribution to the Vietnam War documentary added an incredible amount of depth to the production. For anyone who heard parts of John's story during the documentary but wanted to know more, please read this touching biography.

John's life experience, insight, storytelling, and compassion have led to the creation of a vulnerable and meaningful story. The level of nuance and empathy John holds is truly unmatched. For those of us born so long after the end of the Vietnam war, it is an incredibly confusing era of history. John's insight provides so much clarity; both to the Vietnam war era and to our current political climate.

If you are interested in history and politics: read this book. If you want to learn more about trauma and PTSD: read this book. If you want to have a better understanding of the United States: read this book. If you want to be inspired by the courage and vulnerability of John Musgrave: read this book.

[Marianne Fanning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow ... that was a huge surprise. I loved the first half of the book - I loved reading about how Marines lived their lives and about the brotherhood. It started to change when the author began to criticize those that failed yet made excuses for when he failed. Interesting. It got progressively worse.

The Vietnam War was certainly controversial - in so many respects. Kennedy got us in ... Johnson accelerated our involvement and Nixon tried to get us out in a questionable way. It was an absolute mess. But good honest men went over and fought - they had absolutely no role in our government's decision making. So many young innocent lives lost - just heartbreaking.

But as this book unfolded this author became a bit of a pontificator. He was a "holier than thou" type that really should have quietly gone his way. Instead, he leaves behind a piece that besmirches the Marines that he professes to love and sullies the legacy of so many respectable men and women.

[Judith Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed with Mr. Musgrave when he was featured on the wonderful Burns/Novick documentary about Vietnam, that I was very eager to get this book. One of the reasons I am obsessed with the Vietnam experience, is that had I been male, I would likely have been drafted. I graduated from high school in 1965, had no college deferment, and one of my classmates died there (killed instantly by a landmine) and we were all permanently affected by the war. John Musgrave graduated from high school in 1966, enlisted in the marines and had a passionate desire to serve. However, after being severely wounded, he found out that the war was a fool's errand and eventually joined the Veteran's group opposed to the War. I found his account to be harrowing, but very truthful and I am so glad he survived the physical and emotional trauma. An excellent read.

[Jessie Mattis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of the Vietnam War. Through the eyes of a combat veteran, you get to experience life before the war, during training, in the bush, and back in America, where people still struggle to understand what happened. The battles Musgrove fought in Vietnam parallel those he fought politically once he returned. I appreciated the well-balanced feel to this book, realizing that other writers could have easily turned the project into a soapbox. I just may be a better person after taking in Musgrave's words. (But word of caution to parents, this book does contain lots of language and highly sensitive descriptives. My teenagers won't be reading it any time soon, but I recommend to any adult who has a reason and inclination to care!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

None of the content of this book is easy - the subject of Vietnam has been so fraught for so long, and the experience of its veterans so challenging - but the storytelling in this book is so honest and relatable, it was somehow comforting to read. John Musgraves’ frank and compelling stories in The Vietnam War by Burns/Novick led me here, and this book is a deeper dive into those stories and his life. As we continue to reckon with that war and subsequent ones, this glimpse into one person’s journey feels like required reading.

[Rob Pruden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankfully I missed the Vietnam war by one year (my lottery number was #11) and this book more than any other I have ever read details the horror of living in the jungles of Vietnam above and beyond the horrors of war itself. Musgrave is bold in his honesty of his devotion to the Marines and his education to realize that the war was an immoral episode in America's history. I was disappointed in his glossing over of his family life (2 marriages and 4 children) as I believe that would have added immeasurably to his story, but that would have been perhaps a different book

[Todd Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I unlike most of the other reviewers here and elsewhere I haven’t seen the Vietnam series by Ken Burns so John wasn’t familiar. As a veteran myself I could relate to many of the aspects of John’s story. His editor and his writer did great work in telling his story in an easy to read manner, blood and all. I would recommend this book to anyone considering joining the military as a primer on the possibilities such an endeavor would create.

[Paladin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some may think that my three-star rating indicates a lack of respect for Musgrave's service. Nothing could be further from the truth. My rating is based solely on the writing, which is not at the level of other Vietnam books I've read, e.g., A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, Fields of Fire by James Webb, About Face by David Hackworth, and We Were Soldiers Once... and Young by Harold Moore. I found Musgrave's book to be more along the lines of Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is far and away the single most compelling story I have ever heard. I sincerely wish every American, or anyone who cares about America would read this book. Or better, listen to him tell his story in his own voice by audiobook. Corporal Musgrave, Sir, with all my heart, thank you for your service to this country, in every form that your service has taken.

[Carolyn Lawry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most, I came to this book after watching Ken Burn’s Vietnam documentary and again, as for many, John Musgrave stood out amongst a raft of extraordinary contributors. His memoir is challenging, compelling and thought provoking. It is not a history of the war but instead one Marines experience and how he dealt with its impact. This book has rocketed into my Top 10.

[Timothy Gretler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Semper Fi Corporal John Musgrave, Semper Fi. I've heard stories of Marine Corps boot camp in the Vietnam Era (from my dad and from my own drill instructors in 1983) and turns out they were true. Gotta do what you gotta do to make warriors. Loved this quote from the book, "But the sad calculus of war is that what helps us survive dehumanizes us too."

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother was one of those clean-faced American youths who served in Vietnam and earned three Purple Hearts. I know it is awful to say, but the cover is what drew me to the story. It was if I was looking into the face of many I knew during the Vietnam War. For me, this was both heart-wrenching and compelling to read.