Pathfinder: First In, Last Out: A Memoir of Vietnam

by Richard R. Burns

December 1967: Richard Burns had just arrived in Vietnam as part of the fourteen-man 101st Pathfinder Detachment. Within just one month, during a holiday called Tet, the Communists would launch the largest single attack of the war--and he would be right in the thick of it. . . .In Vietnam, Richard Burns operated in live-or-die situations, risking his life so that other men could keep theirs. As a Pathfinder--all too often alone in the middle of a hot LZ--he guided in helicopters disembarking troops, directed medevacs to retrieve the wounded, and organized extractions. As well as parachuting into areas and supervising the clearing of landing zones, Pathfinders acted as air-traffic controllers, keeping call signs, frequencies, and aircraft locations in their heads as they orchestrated takeoffs and landings, often under heavy enemy fire.From Bien Hoa to Song Be to the deadly A Shau Valley, Burns recounts the battles that won him the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and numerous other decorations. This is the first and only book by a Pathfinder in Vietnam . . . or anywhere else.

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

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2002

Reviews

[Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

once or twice, Burns reminds his readers that everything he's describing happened when he was 19 years old. he really doesn't delve to deeply into his feelings or his politics, he doesn't discuss the draft, his tone is fairly consistently chipper. details throughout the book hint at the frustration many felt towards inept commanding officers, the constant physical discomfort (not just the heat and mosquitoes and fire ants; spaces are too small, shelters flood and collapse overnight), and the agony of watching helplessly while others suffer.

the writing is simple and direct. I think this might be a good place for someone to start, if they are interested in the Vietnam War and don't want to be overwhelmed with academic analyses or tons of technical terms with footnotes and so on. I enjoyed learning about Pathfinders and appreciate having a better idea about what personal meaning names and events might hold for someone (for example, the Tet Offensive).

[natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

super solid vietnam memoir. well written and paced. super cool to learn about the pathfinders and different squads in vietnam like the tigers which i knew little about. good recommendation.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Burns had a unique war, as befits as unique MOS. The Pathfinders have a storied history; they were the first units to jump into Normandy, setting guidance equipment for the main waves of paratroopers to arrive later. Burns was a Pathfinder in the 1960s, and as well as paratroop techniques, he was trained in the management of a helicopter landing zone, the delicate dance of landing and extracting troops as quickly and safely as possible under fire, in bad weather, or any other circumstances.

Burn's memoir is a chronological account of his time as a Pathfinder, from training stateside through his first deployment. There are plenty of interesting pieces, from him refusing an order from a Colonel to execute an extraction from an unsafe firezone, a unit dog named Torch, helping build firebase Bastogne near the A Shau valley, and training at the Recondo school, where graduation involved a deep patrol against the active enemy. As a special unit, the Pathfinders wen't a lot of places and did a lot of things, and Burns volunteered for more duties, including Recondo school and a couple of runs as a Huey door gunner.

Burns is clear, journeyman-like writer. Better than many, while not quite in the top tier of truly great memoirists. But this is still a good book, and well worth a read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader who has read dozens of Vietnam war memoirs, I can say the author's experience was unique. Partly due to the loosely defined role of his unit, compounded by a youthful eagerness to volunteer for, or take the initiative in joining various missions, we find the author in a wide breadth of interesting, usually harrowing, situations. Rather than spoil the story by listing some of them, I suggest reading the book.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.33 stars. Excellent. Well written, even paced, and easily understandable even by anyone not familiar with the army or Vietnam. Incredible to read about the extremely dangerous situations Burns got himself into, performed so well in and survived. Historically significant because, as the cover says it's "the only Vietnam account from a soldier in this elite unit."

[Donna A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pathfinder: First In,Last Out

Wow, talk about a rite of passage and baptism by fire! I realize how special these guys were and what they sacrificed but I come from a military family. All these years later you think back and these were 18-21 year olds with the lives of many in their hands true heroes!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book. Reads easily and in a nail-biter fashion. Superb storytelling made all the more enthralling by the fact that true events are being recounted. Also an excellent look into a portion and view of Vietnam history that is not often brought to light by the current historical interpretation.

[Judith Sentyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vietnam

What a life Mr. Burns had in Vietnam and how well written this book is. I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. Back then I was 19 or 20. I remember in later years on tv every night there was a body bag count. That war was horrible. We lost a lot of young guys over there. Thank you for your service and God bless you.

[Peter H. Erenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hero’s All

I was an A4 Skyhawks and O1 Birddog pilot in the Marine Corps. I found this book to be the best I’ve ever read about Vietnam. The Pathfinders did a fantastic job while being attacked and under mortars raining down. I didn’t want this book to end it was so exciting. Burns is an excellent author. I hope he writes more books.

[Bill Elston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, great story telling.

Another aspect of the war in Vietnam nam that was quietly aside from the regular army story. Excellent read, a different dimension of being a soldier in VN.

[Frank Lassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Device mans first time a crossed the ocean and his thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.i can remember leaving America and the feelings I had . This book brought back many of those feelings and my thoughts

[William Prather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read and educational as to mod and trsining.

Learned much about pathfinder. Well written and hard to put the kindle down!
I always regret the ending of a great book and this was an excellent read.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

A humble account of a Team we don’t read about often, the Pathfinders. Thanks for your story and for doing what needed to be done in a time when that wasn’t the popular choice.

[Richard A. Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

Written as if he were standing next to you and relaying his experiences. Very easy to relate to the story as he told it. Reaffirms why I chose to fly and not hump the ground!

[Eric Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a fabulous book about a unit that I never knew served in Vietnam. The author did, I feel, a great service to his fellow pathfinders telling there unknown story to the rest of us. I hope more his fellow pathfinders continue by telling there stories also.

[patrick mcmanaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written and exciting . Had trouble putting it down

Richard Burns did an excellent job of describing his experiences and feelings during each one of his missions. One of the best war books yet.

[John Meitner · Rating 4 out of 5]

REads like a diary for the entire time he was in country.... very good!!!

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey and experience from just one man. Glad to read .

[Eugene Choong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and now have an appreciation for what Pathfinders do.

[Robert M. Galbraith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting account of activities I has not heard of before. These stories of great danger and courage were a pleasure to read about.

[Stephan Neff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written gripping account

A very honest book, from the perspective of a young man who not only survived but thrived during his year in Vietnam. A pleasure to read!

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthralling account of a tour in Vietnam…glosses over the historical and political context of the conflict and instead focuses on the writer’s personal thoughts and perspectives. Really good stuff.

[Marvin Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of “Pathfinder: First in last out...”

A very good diary of an Infantryman’s journey to become a Pathfinder and his personal combat experiences supporting the ground/air operations for the Army and other units including the CIA in Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam war. An excellent read for any Military historian.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve known a thing or two about US Army Pathfinders for years, but I wanted more information. I looked it up and found one book about their operations in Vietnam. I was saddened to hear after buying it that the author had died of cancer (he never saw it in print), but the introduction was written by Gary Linderer, the author of several books I’ve enjoyed. I was pleased to learn that this book fits into the larger “101st Airborne Division in Vietnam” un-official series.


SUMMARY
Richard Burns was scared the first time he jumped out of an airplane, but he learned to love it before volunteering for Pathfinders. These elite soldiers are combat air controllers who are trained to arrive first at a landing zone, direct incoming helicopters, and make sure every chopper gets away before leaving. He was soon sent to Vietnam in 1968 where he served with the 101st Airborne Division when it first deployed to that warzone.


OVERALL: 4 out of 5
I really enjoyed reading this one. The author had his own, unique perspective on the Vietnam War, and I thought the Pathfinder operations were fascinating. He was a gifted writer and it’s unfortunate that he passed on before seeing his work in print, but I think it’s also a badge of veracity; Burns had nothing to prove when he wrote this, and he could simply tell things the way he saw them.

I would particularly recommend this to those who have read other books written by members of the 101st Airborne Division during this period of the war; “Eyes of the Eagle” and “Eyes Behind the Lines” by Gary Linderer, “Recondo” by Larry Chambers, “LRRP Team Leader” by John Buford, and “Wings of the Eagle” by W.T. Grant.


RATINGS BY CATEGORY
CHARACTERS: 4 out of 5
As a nonfiction book, the Characters category represents how well the author conveys and describes people.

Burns tends to only mention people when they come up in the narrative. Only three or four of the dozen soldiers he is sent to Vietnam are named at first, but he describes most of them throughout the course of his book.

Ron Reynolds, who is also mentioned a few times in Gary Linderer’s books and “Recondo” by Larry Chambers, is probably the most developed character, and it’s usually an interesting story when he’s in it (Reynolds was unfortunately killed in 1969). Other characters may only appear once or twice, but the author does a good job of describing them in only a few sentences.


PACE: 4 out of 5
I thought the pace on this book really worked. Each chapter is usually dedicated to a single major event or period of the author’s tour, including his time spent at a new firebase, a week or two spent with South Vietnamese Airborne soldiers (he only has good things to say about them), and the time he assisted a Special Forces team that was in Laos. It keeps things moving even though the book is of average length.


STORY: 5 out of 5
I loved this story, and not just because the Pathfinders live daring, adventure-filled lives. In fact, a lot of what they do is just directing air traffic, which doesn’t sound exciting at all. What really sets this book apart is the author’s perspective on the environment around him.

For instance, Burns doesn’t tell us every time he’s wearing tiger stripe camouflage or standard issue jungle fatigues, and he doesn’t tell us what he did on his R&R (soldiers typically had a choice of Australia or Hawaii for two weeks of their tour), but he does an amazing job of conveying the isolation and loneliness of the jungle. He describes how South Vietnamese soldiers bathe in the field (using rain when possible), and how the US Army went about establishing a new base in the middle of jungles and mountains.

There’s some real excitement here, and some of the “horrors of war” that other books don’t get into. Burns sees plenty of people die, including a helicopter’s crew chief who is literally cooked before the author’s eyes. It is terrible, but I’m glad he had the bravery and ability to write about it.


DIALOGUE: 3 out of 5
Any dialogue in a book like this is going to be an approximation based on the author’s memories, but it works in this book. No one ever launches in unrealistic speeches, and no character is used to lecture the reader. Burns does a particularly good job with the characters he butted heads with.


STYLE/TECHNICAL: 4 out of 5
I think Burns had a good, competent writing style. He describes his environment well, and I was never confused about what was going on or where things were. I think he could have been more descriptive at times.

[Chris Bohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Airborne

Good read and very real. I didn't know about pathfinders and this book provided new and interesting information not in any other tale of a soldiers experience while in Vietnam. Pathfinders are not heralded but from what I learned they had to have courage and skill to do their job. So this writing was interesting and worth the read.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that my oldest son who is a Pathfinder in the Army told me about and I enjoyed reading more about what he does in his job although this book is about the true experience of a man during the Vietnam era. I just didn't have enough time to finish reading so I may go back to it later.

[Wes Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an insider look at Airborne operations during the Vietnam war - Pathfinders were the ground-air controllers for helicopter operations as well as air support.
Very interesting story. I enjoyed it.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more, it was an interesting memoir, but not nearly as good as I had hoped.

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful read into this very specialized, highly trained role in the war

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my Vietnam War reading. An excellent account of a little known group that performed a vital function. Good stuff.