We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam

Nick Brokhausen Memoirs #1

by Nick Brokhausen

"Brokhausen mixes irreverence, perversity, and sarcasm with touches of gonzo journalism to recreate his 1970 tour with the Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observations Group…" ― Vietnam Veterans of America

This riveting memoir details the actions and experiences of a small group of Americans and their allies who were the backbone of ground reconnaissance in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. On his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen served in Recon Team Habu, CCN. This unit was part of MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observations Group), or Studies and Observations Group as it was innocuously called. The small recon companies that were the center of its activities conducted some of the most dangerous missions of the war, infiltrating areas controlled by the North Vietnamese in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The companies never exceeded more than 30 Americans, yet they were the best source for the enemy’s disposition and were key to the US military being able to take the war to the enemy, by utilizing new and innovative technology and tactics dating back to the French and Indian Wars.

Brokhausen’s group racked up one of the most impressive records of awards for valor of any unit in the history of the United States Army. It came at a terrible price, however; the number of wounded and killed in action was incredibly high. Those missions today seem suicidal. In 1970 equally so, yet these men went out day after day with their indigenous allies - Montagnard tribesmen, Vietnamese, and Chinese Nungs - and faced the challenges with courage and resolve.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Prologue

1 The Road to Mandalay
2 Keys to the Kingdom
3 First Blood
4 Cold Storage
5 Buff aloes Can Dance
6 The Coolest Man Alive
7 Polite Society Meets Reality
8 We Few, We Happy Few
9 Luck is a Fickle Mistress
10 Blue Eyes
11 Operation Afrika Corps
12 Selection Process
13 Bright Light
14 The Anthill Mob
15 With Texans Expect Bumps
16 As Through a Glass Darkly
17 Saltwater Therapy
18 Monkeyshines
19 Isn’t Science Wonderful
20 The Cuckoo’s Nest
21 Little Island in the Sun
22 King of the Cannibals
23 Rubik’s Cube
24 Gin and Heartbreak

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

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Special Forces veteran Nick Brokhausen joined the SOG on his second tour in Vietnam, and took part in some of the most dangerous missions of the war, deep in enemy territory. After Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen has led an interesting life, which has included work in security projects in a number of countries. He now runs a tech company and an armoring company.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some call this a memoir. Others would strongly disagree. Myself, I would say this book is a fantastic collection of Vietnam war stories told by Army Special Forces SOG vet Nick Brokhausen. Reading other reviews some really didn't understand the style and tone in which the book was written. If you are a combat vet or have hung around long enough with vets you'll understand how dark humor is used to explain their everyday lives. As strange as it may sound to some, that dark humor is a psychological coping mechanism to deal with the extreme stress of combat, the constant low grade stress of all the time between combat while in country, and a tool the vet uses to process combat events. And what some would call the juvenile pranks that are carried out on fellow warriors? Not so much a coping mechanism as a way to keep your fellow comrades on their toes in a humorous way and keep you sharp. It's a mind set that is prevalent in many combat units. With that said be prepared this isn't your standard field grade officer's memoir who writes in a dignified manner attempting to pass on history. (If this is what you are looking for, you need to look elsewhere.)

Mr. Brokhausen writes in the gritty style of the combat vet who passes on experience and knowledge through the use of written stories. The description of combat is visceral and mind numbing, while the times in the rear swings to the other extreme as ridiculously funny to the point of almost disbelief. War is chaotic and it makes everyone see just how crazy your world can become. Nick Brokhausen does a terrific job placing the reader in that chaotic and crazy environment. If you don't like it... well perhaps that's good. War isn't a thing to be liked by sane people.

[Jim Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Kenn Miller, author of Tiger the Lurp Dog has observed, the US Special Forces have contributed more good books to the military canon than any other unit. This is the cherry on that particular Sundae.
For its unparalleled mordant GI humor We Few could aptly be subtitled The Angel of Death's Comedy Special. This is especially true on stand downs between missions. On missions these guys have the focused intensity of Swiss watchmakers. But in garrison all that goes out the window and they conduct themselves with the gentlemanly forbearance of a fox in a hen house. And woe betide the leg MP or officer who tries to impede their pleasure.
Be forewarned, however. Once you start reading this book you will find it very difficult to do anything else until it is done. You will also find it difficult not to just start reading it again once you reach the end.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read We Few by Nick Brokhausen. I really don't know where my interest for the conflict in Vietnam comes from. I started out like most boys with WW2 stuff and soon went into WW1 and other wars but found my self fascinated with the Vietnam war. I have lost count of the number of books I have read about it but it's several hundreds. This is one of the better ones and I will shortly read his follow up. The author describes all parts of life in a war zone. The good, the bad and the ugly. What he describes in this book is only his little part of the conflict but you still get glimpses of what goes on. It is one book filled with pranks and humor and at the same time grizzly scenes from a war zone. If you wnat to know more about this part of history I can really recommed that you try this one.

[KB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Count me among the reviewers who find the author's style of constant joke-telling and kidding around annoying. I can understand that that's what it was like being in the SOG group, but after about the 100th time in book format it gets really grating. Overall it's an interesting read, but some of the vignettes have more the feeling of as he "liked to remember it" as opposed to "how it actually happened." The story towards the end where beats up all the guys in the bar in particular sounds [cough, cough] total b.s.

[Bob Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good insider report on Special Forces operations in Vietnam, ranging from cross-border operations by CCN and the traditional SF mission of working the locals, in this case the Montagnard mountain people.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into a different aspect of the Vietnam conflict. Not much in the way of battle and tactics, more a collection of memories good and bad. The writing and language is raw, which I can understand turning off some immediately.

I actually would have preferred a bit more in the way of actual operational details on what Brokhausen did on missions...but this really isn't that kind of book. Not bad...not great. 3.5 stars.

[Chuck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not even get past 7% of this book

I don't get all the 4 & 5 stars for this book. I've read over 100 books on the Vietnam War. This was boring from the first page. The authors dry humor wears out very quickly. I guess he thinks he's a comedian? Might be ok for some. But not for me. Glad I didn't pay anything for it.

[Larry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get all of the great ratings. This book has about 15% courageous war stories and the rest is "funny" stories of what they did for leisure. If that is what I wanted, I would have just watched more episodes of MASH (different war but same gist).

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam by Nick Brokhausen (Casemate Publishers 2018) (959.7043).

This is an excellent memoir which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day operations of U.S. Special Forces soldiers on the ground in Vietnam. These guys are known coloquially as “snake eaters” by their brothers and sisters in arms and are considered to be the rawest of the raw. What's more, these guys relish the notoriety that comes with their well-deserved reputation as hunter-killers.

Nick Brokhausen's memoir of his time in country is a collection of “Me and Joe went hunting” tales along with a “greatest hits” war stories. It is certainly densely packed with adventure. The stories recounted herein are truly tall tales of the type that old pals tell time and again around a campfire when all parties are well-oiled.

I suspect that this book has legs. It may join the pantheon of required reading about the Southeast Asian conflict. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 8/28/19.

[Isabell · Rating 2 out of 5]

We Few might deserve its spot on a bookshelf dedicated to humour. The author tries to be funny a lot, and sometimes succeeds. However, some of his jokes are distasteful, or even outright vulgar.

The anecdotes he imparts are entertaining. I have read worse books. Still, I could not shake the feeling that most of what he makes the reader believe is rather imaginative. In general, yes, Brokhausen admits he was frightened when in action. But at the same time, these feelings do not correspond well with how forcibly a lot of the events are being downplayed.

To bridge back to what seemed dubious to me. This critique, to be more precise, especially concerns the last chapter of the memoirs.

[Zach Sigmundik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book after finishing Beyond Band of Brothers by Dick Winters. That book was no-nonsense, as it happened approach to the events of the conflict being narrated. In contrast, We Few was too much ‘chew the cud’ for my taste. It read more like historical fiction than history, which wasn’t my taste.

If you like war history, give this a try, but don’t feel bad if you have to put it down.

Maybe I’ll pick this back up at a later date, and get far enough to hear more of his combat accounts. Most likely not.

[Chris Basis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Respect For The Author But Not My Style

I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would. Overloaded with jargon, cynicism and smart-ass observations about everyone who wasn’t the author. I enjoy that sort of the thing as much as the next reader, but not to this degree. I prefer a balance between the actual events and the author’s narrative. Found the tone arrogant and dismissive of everyone who crossed paths with the author.

[A.K. Vyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. Coming from a military family, MACV-SOG is as legendary as it gets. Frankly, every SOG memoir is unforgettable, but the blend of intensity and dark humor here is unmatched. I don't know where America finds men who volunteer to do such things, she'll be fine as long as she can.

[Jim Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt like the author was more concerned about the way the story was written—pithy, smart alecky, irreverent—than the actual story. I usually enjoy these kinds of memoirs but nothing in this connected with me.

[D. Krauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ordinarily I don’t review non-fiction books, but this memoir of a Special Operations Group-Vietnam unit by a guy who was there is such a rollicking good story you could easily read it as a novel. But it ain’t. It’s real. Which makes it all the more entertaining.

“O makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep,” as Kipling put it, pretty much sums the entire Vietnam War and the people who fought it. While we ‘Muricans have a long and proud tradition of disdaining our soldiers, Vietnam was the first war where we literally spat on them, collectively treating them as a bunch of brain-shocked cripples just one tantrum away from going full postal on a peace-loving and kind America. Ya know, man, tin soldiers and Nixon coming, Westmoreland turned all our innocent farmer boys into baby killers, man. They’re all traumatized from the butchery that the Republicans made them inflict on the peace-loving and wonderful innocent peasants of Vietnam. Doesn’t matter that Vietnam was a Johnson-and-the-Democrats war; somehow, the Republicans are at fault. That attitude has carried forward and if you don’t hear five or six Public Service announcements a day implying that every vet is a PTSD laden time bomb unable to cope, then you’re not listening.

‘Course this is baby boomer hogwash because the baby boomer wars- Vietnam and Grenada and the first Gulf War- were fought under the boomers’ wholesale rejection of the Greatest Generation’s lessons of self-reliance and independence and, yes, going to war against oppression. Peace and love and rock and roll, man, and if the freedom-loving people of Vietnam wanted to form a socialist collective, the running dog lackeys of the capitalist imperialist class had no right to interfere. Mythology and bumper stickers took the place of rational thought, and we tried to fight a war in a manner pleasing to high school sophomores. And lost.

But not without a fight. And a good one, as this book describes with high hilarity and hair-raising detail. My God, how anybody walked into and away from some of the nameless battles and firefights that pepper this book is a testament to the special kind of bravery- or recklessness, pick your characteristic- that Special Forces troops have. Reading like an around-the-campfire trading of war stories, Brokhausen brings you right there, bullets whizzing past your head and grenades exploding. No doubt some of this is campfire embellishment made more harrowing by the passing of time and memory, but you know that, while a detail here and there may be exaggerated, you are hearing true tales of combat by America’s warrior elites against a fanatical enemy.

And our special forces are a warrior elite, true Vikings, men apart and thank God for them. They fight at a level of savagery and competence we mortals simply cannot grasp. And they party at the same level. The stories of their pranks and off duty pursuits through the streets of Saigon and other places is no more for the faint of heart than are the combat operations they executed. Sometimes you can’t tell the difference between a prank and a firefight, and there is a sniffy kind of fussy REMF who would simply be appalled by such goings on. But that is the nature of the warrior class. Thank God for it.

This book will make you uncomfortable with its casual cruelty, both on and off the battlefield, and the tender little muffins that are now taking over the operations of society, who are so scared of a bad cold that they hide quivering in their houses, will cluck tongues and say something about ill educated oafs who can’t do anything useful except be soldiers in need of lifetime psychological support. But you’d do best to remember:

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
(Kipling: Tommy)

Brothers, I salute you. I wasn't strong enough or tough enough to join your ranks. But I sure wish I was.

[Tim G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating account from the MACVSOG perspective of their no nonsense, hard hitting and wild missions during the Vietnam war.
This particular reading period of mine contained a few books focused on Vietnam and the addition of ‘We few’ earned a richer understanding from this unique and special missions orientated perspective, on the overall war.
This bunch of, what conventional military officer types might refer to as outlaws, were dedicated to their notorious recon skillset, conducting risky and life threatening missions. Whether these missions were gathering intelligence, enemy captures or rescue missions for pinned down friendly teams, this account was hell raising, engaging and addictive. Frankly, these guys were a bunch of legends.
The author writes like an outlaw, with an absolute disdain for authority complimented by a dark and wicked sense of humour.
The writing style required a couple of pages to become accustomed to, but then this style certainly suited the theme and particularly the recon mindset, to ensure a real page turner of a novel.
The overall story arc was well put together, as the reader shares in the highs and post mission boozed filled celebrations. Then, within the crux of the content featuring numerous missions including recons and ambushes. Instances of the author describing lying in wait, as the recon was being collected or the ambush was about to be initiated. Created an immersive atmosphere, almost as if the reader shouldn't breath too loud as they may alert the closing in enemy. This ability to depict and detail, was nothing short of excellent.
The story arc to close out the book, winds down appropriately with a notable down shift in tone to ease into the author's rest and relaxation, as the he tried his best to disconnect from the war.

The insights of how recons were conducted, through to the the equipment they required to ensure crazy methods to implement maximum firepower from a small team, were brilliant to learn.

For those with prior military experience, this was a great and humorous read. Others will also enjoy the history lesson as well as an appreciation of how obsessed and wild, the men of US recon teams really were.

[Richard Croner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the personification of the definition of courage. The ability to overcome fear to do your job. In this book the job is to kill or be killed. The military forces of the United States and in particular Special Forces accept that mission. The author stated 'We survived the war on pure aggression and murderous efficiency'. The epitome of accepting the required mission. As a former 'REMF' officer and proud graduate of Artillery O.C.S. I have spent a lot of time thinking about rationalizing the mission and this excellent book brought back all of those feelings from long ago. I was a volunteer because I was about to be drafted and I wanted to have some limited say in what I was going to do even with the requirement of more time in the service (almost double). The up close and personal stories in this book are horrific but the author developed into an expert and it is understood that that was what was required for personal and group survival. I have always wondered what the experiences of 'experts' did to them during the rest of their lives after that chapter closed. This book does not answer that question. We as a country need people to do the tough jobs required and we are requiring the same things today as in all the years long ago. We need it as much today for the survival of the United States of America.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading “THE FEW: U.S. SPECIAL FORCES IN VIETNAM” by NICK BROKHAUSEN. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by GEORGE SPELVIN. A Green Beret’s gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1970, on his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen served in Recon Team Habu, CCN. Officially, it was known as the Studies and Observations group. In fact, this Special Forces squad, which Brokhausen calls “an unwashed, profane, ribald, joyously alive fraternity,” undertook some of the most dangerous and suicidal reconnaissance missions ever in the enemy-controlled territory of Cambodia and Laos. But they didn’t infiltrate the jungles alone. They fought alongside the Montagnards—oppressed minorities from the mountain highlands, trained by the US military in guerilla tactics, armed, accustomed to the wild, and fully engaged in a war against the North Vietnamese. Together this small unit formed the backbone of ground reconnaissance in the Republic of Vietnam, racking up medals for valor—but at a terrible cost. Willie and I listened to this travelling back and forth from Longview to Monahans and it was very entertaining. The men depicted in this book are heroes and I am very thankful for their service. They definitely put themselves in harm’s way continuously! ❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading “THE FEW: U.S. SPECIAL FORCES IN VIETNAM” by NICK BROKHAUSEN. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by GEORGE SPELVIN. A Green Beret’s gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1970, on his second tour to Vietnam, Nick Brokhausen served in Recon Team Habu, CCN. Officially, it was known as the Studies and Observations group. In fact, this Special Forces squad, which Brokhausen calls “an unwashed, profane, ribald, joyously alive fraternity,” undertook some of the most dangerous and suicidal reconnaissance missions ever in the enemy-controlled territory of Cambodia and Laos. But they didn’t infiltrate the jungles alone. They fought alongside the Montagnards—oppressed minorities from the mountain highlands, trained by the US military in guerilla tactics, armed, accustomed to the wild, and fully engaged in a war against the North Vietnamese. Together this small unit formed the backbone of ground reconnaissance in the Republic of Vietnam, racking up medals for valor—but at a terrible cost. Willie and I listened to this travelling back and forth from Longview to Monahans and it was very entertaining. The men depicted in this book are heroes and I am very thankful for their service. They definitely put themselves in harm’s way continuously! ❤️🇺🇸❤️🇺🇸

[Ken Burkhalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A four-star review only because you have to take it for what it is. This is not high literature, not even close. But it is very good at what it is, a humorous non-stop string of war story telling. Maybe the reason I enjoyed this so much is because it brought back memories of two guys I used to hang out with in the Big Sweat, both of whom were on a level playing field with the author when it comes to banter. What do you banter about when you are in the muck? Anything and everything. I hope Vaughn has stumbled across this, "bayou for brains" that he was/is. He would love it. Fourteen hours of stories and repartee without a single repeat as near as I can tell.

So, that's the style. As for content, it is a memoir (of sorts) of a spec op type doing what they used to do in the Nam, with an equal amount of camaraderie stories with his gang, the Montagnards, and the pencil weasels neither had any appreciation for. Think Quang Tri, Nha Trang, Saigon, NKP, fire fights, good times and bad times, it's all here.

I doubt those who haven't been there will appreciate this, but they might. If you want to know about the suck without getting depressed, this is a good one to pick.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a completely random pick for me, based on an audiobook recommendation. It was about to be removed from my audiobook vendor's catalog and had great ratings, so I figured I’d give it a shot and I’m very glad I did.

I loved the humorous presentation of the horrors of war. What struck me most was how shocking and raw the stories felt. It made me realize that all the Vietnam War movies I’ve seen, ranging from classics like Apocalypse Now to various action films, weren’t exaggerated at all. If anything, they were toned down to avoid outraging the audience.

Nick Brokhausen’s collection of war stories had me hooked from the start. I couldn’t put the book down and found myself craving more when it ended. I highly recommend this read, not just to military or history buffs (which I’m not), but to anyone who enjoys gripping, well-told stories.

What impressed me most was how vividly the book conveys the atmosphere of SOG in Vietnam. Despite the serious subject matter, it often remains a surprisingly light and engaging read. The madness of war isn’t delivered in an overwhelming way, instead it seeps in as you follow these seemingly outlandish adventures, which sometimes feel like they could’ve come straight out of M*A*S*H (though I know that was a different war and unit, of course).

[Denis Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick is a very special man. I have heard from Barry Saddlers song about the Green Beret, if 100 men entered Special Forces training, only 10 would be able to complete it. The author mixes tragedy with humor so slick. The story made me feel like I was there smelling the same scent of death. I especially enjoyed his description of the run away duck while flying on the C-130 aircraft. At one part of the book he tells of the different sound that 122 MM rockets make as opposed to morters . When I was at DaNang AB we were hit with 122s and they sound like lightning . He mentions a FAC aircraft which is what I maintained while I was over there. They marked the targets with WP rockets that emitted white smoke so the jets and A1Es could deliver their bombs and other nasty stuff on the VC. FAC stands for Forward Air Control. When I was at DaNang some of us voluteered to go out on a C-123 aircraft and get one of our disabled FACs. When we went back to our base withe little Cessna on board we had villagers with all kinds of chicken and ducks along. It was a colorful trip. I really enjoyed this book. Msgt Denis L Neal USAF Ret

[Nlindgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Few proved a hard book to rate. On one hand, it gives you a good view into what sort of people the Special Forces men who ran recon in Vietnam were and what kind of opposition they faced (at least in 1970 when the North Vietnamese had already developed sophisticated counter-recon techniques). I genuinely learned many things about the RTs and the Montagnards' role in them, and the combat scenes were riveting. On the other hand, I wasn't nearly as impressed by the non-combat stuff which frequently seemed to devolve into shaggy dog stories and I'm fairly sure half the stuff there didn't happen at least in the way depicted in the book. The opening sequence is especially bad about this and put me off reading the book for a long time. This is not to attack the prose - while it, too, gets a little repetitive towards the end, you can tell the author's read his Tropic of Cancer and perhaps some Hunter S. Thompson too. Erudite! Gave me a good few laughs too. I'll give the whole affair three and a half stars, worth a read.

[Josef Gottlieb · Rating 5 out of 5]

De Oppresso Liber

"We Few" invokes Shakespeare's "Henry V" in the same way Stephen Ambrose does with "Band of Brothers." Vietnam, however, was quite a different conflict from the one that faced Easy Company, and MACV-SOG quite a different unit. Nick Brokhausen captures the unique culture of U.S. Special Forces, and tells the story of his experiences with Command and Control North in all of its gory, glorious, mischievous, and meritorious detail. His writing is personal and authentic, complete with military jargon and slang appropriate to the war and the era. The reader is granted a glimpse at the bonds these men made with one another, and the genuine hardships they faced together. This is a different perspective on the Vietnam War than is often presented in the mainstream. It is free of Washington politicking and armchair generalship. These men had a job to do, and they did it.

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads like a compilation of sea stories. So as any veteran worth his salt will tell you means that you can't get hung up on the accuracy of all the details. A good rule of thumb: if you survived it, then it's yours to tell. It's insightful once you understand the sophomoric humor and psychotic antics. (Like otters on speed.) Brokhausen has a great sense of humor. 'We Few' is like 'Full Metal Jacket' meets 'Animal House' and 'Catch 22'. I take exception with your position on SEALs, but cannot fault your take on most occifers, MP/SP or politicians.

Sorry brother, the 'Caddy Shack' candy bar in the pool bit cost you half a point. But the Water buffalo in the pool bit was pure gold. I give this book 4.5 stars.

I'm awed by your service and those of your brothers and sisters and by the bravery and loyalty of the Montagnards. Thank you Nick.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I had to say i have read a few books on military memoirs and this has to be one of the best book so far I have read, the book ends very suddenly and it's not made clear how the war ended for him. This guy is also pretty funny which is rare. I just wish I would have known him personally . Those stories on he and his naugs fighting those monkeys I am pretty sure no one will ever forget. Even though I am familiar with MACV-SOG (military assistance command Vietnam - studies and observations group) by John l plasters books and some brancos pilot's books . This has to be the most entertaining book relating to shop apart from the lonely kind of War by Marshall Harrison

[Chet Slonina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book seen through the eyes of Special Forces Nick Brokhausen. The many stories of time in combat, time at play and time in between develops the rhythm of the book that takes these bad asses doing their job in Vietnam. First of all, I never realized the the number of different type of weapons used by different factions in Vietnam. It reminded me of the Wild West and, in some terms, Vietnam was the 'Wild East"!!!!!!! Also touched upon were the indigenous Montagnard people. These people were recruited by Special Forces for defense in Vietnam. A great read for Vietnam war readers.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to take a little while to get into, its reads with a real attitude and sarcasm. It commits to this tone of voice throughout and reads very well. Its unusual compared to many other books covering this topic, 'We few' goes to much greater lenghts to capture thoughts and feelings towards fellow brothers-in-arms and other branches of the military. So it took a while before I warmed to the tone, but found in the end I enjoyed its charisma and even humorous parts. Certainly desired more at the end, so I will check out the second book which follows this.

[john hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good view of a place and time where people fought an unpopular war

I gave this book a four star rating because it gave incite into a place and time that I heard about from others especially the nightly news. I was drafted into the Army and went to Germany at the time Nick was in country. I can just see Nick his brothers doing some of the crazy things he described. I liked the sharing or pilfering of resources. On a darker note I can understand how quickly things go bad and you do your best to get through it. Nick's descriptions of some of those incidents were great.

[Dustin Abild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Despite the horrific subject matter, the author’s description of the kind of outcasts that volunteer for this caliber of special forces missions makes for a very entertaining read. As early as WWII, attack/recon special forces have been drawing a pretty spectacular crowd of fighters, and the Vietnam divisions were no different. From stealing various vehicles to beating up MPs, these guys made their own rules and just hoped someone would try to stop them so they could get into another fight.