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Casualties of War
1969, First Edition, Paperback, 123 pages
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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149 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Lang
65 booksDaniel Lang (1913–1981) was an award-winning journalist and author. He was a staff writer for the New Yorker for forty years, covering World War II in North Africa, Italy, and France. After the war he reported extensively on nuclear weapons and the morality of military science, and his articles were collected into several books, beginning with Early Tales of the Atomic Age. Casualties of War, the account of the brutal rape and murder of a South Vietnamese girl by US soldiers and the obstacles Private First Class Sven Eriksson faced in bringing his platoon mates to justice, won a Hillman Prize and was adapted into a Brian De Palma film of the same name. In addition to his journalistic work, Lang wrote poetry, children’s literature, and the libretto for an opera, Minutes to Midnight.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 13, 2022
In his book, Daniel Lang recounts the story of a courageous American soldier's quest for justice and redemption.
On his tour of duty in Vietnam, infantry soldier Sven Eriksson – a pseudonym, Lang does not use real names in his work – witnessed a terrible crime. Phan Thi Mao, a Vietnamese girl, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by the men whom Eriksson was on patrol with. Her body was abandoned in a mountain bush after one of the perpetrators stabbed her three times with a knife. As if this was not bad enough, the idea to abduct and rape a village girl came from their commander, Sergeant Tony Meserve. He believed that having fun with a girl would help the men to let off some steam, which would improve their morale. Since he understood that the fun would not be consensual, he had also suggested a way to spare himself and his subordinates trouble with the law – they would kill the girl and dispose of the body.
Eriksson, the only man with active conscience there, refused to participate in the atrocity despite the fact that Meserve threatened him that if he did not take his turn raping the girl like the other men, Eriksson might become a friendly casualty. Courageously and resolutely, Eriksson reacted neither to the threats nor the taunts regarding his manhood that followed. The day after he wanted to run away with Mao, but gave up on the idea because he thought that the others, suspicious of his moral behavior, were just waiting for him to make a move. The guilt he felt for failing to save her tortured him for the rest of his life. However, it also made him determined to make the four criminals pay for their brutality. Guarding the perimeter while the others raped the girl, he had promised himself he would not let the matter go.
Eriksson would have actually not lived to tell the story if not for the five Viet Cong men who attacked the patrol. Meserve had demanded that Eriksson kill Mao, threatening him again that if he did not dispose of her, he would be the day's first casualty. He and the others, anxious to get rid of witnesses, would have probably acted on his threat if they had not been attacked by the Viet Cong, who put up such a strong fight that the Americans ran out of ammunition and had to go back for more bullets and grenades. Eriksson survived the mission.
The details of the crime are stomach-churning to read – from Mao's mom running after the patrol to give her daughter her favorite shawl, which one of the men then used to gag Mao with to the actual rape, to the killing. What is even scarier is that the horror of the atrocity is matched by the horror of the moral, social and bureaucratic situations that hindered the judicial process. I think that if a writer had described anything like the people Eriksson met and the things he heard while he searched for justice, they would be accused of writing propaganda.
My favorite instance has to be Harold Reilly, the African-American commanding officer of Eriksson's platoon. When the infantryman reported to him the nightmarish deed that had been committed by people who served in the American Army, the black lieutenat's first reaction was to advise him to not press charges. As it turned out, Reilly had suffered bad consequences after an attempt to buck the system. His wife had gone into labor with only a white hospital nearby and had been forced to have her baby in the hospital's lobby because the hospital's authorities refused to admit her to a ward. The lieutenant's anger at the injustice done to his family had not had any effect on the system and had only got him in jail for causing a disturbance at a hospital. To Eriksson's astonishment, Reilly expressed no outrage at the terrible story his subordinate had just reported. The lieutenant genuinely believed that by telling Eriksson to relax and accept the incident as something that happens in combat zones he was protecting him from danger and problems.
Another instance that left a particular impression on me, which is something, considering that the whole narrative is harrowing, was that court decided that Eriksson's sanity should be checked. The officials found the fact that a soldier had refused to give in to temptation and rape a girl more incomprehensible than that four soldiers had kidnapped, raped and murdered a defenseless girl in cold blood. I do not think I will ever understand this thought process. The psychiatrist concluded that Eriksson was perfectly sane, which probably came as a great surprise to the court. He also had a great relationship with his wife, so he was not gay either. Unbelievable.
CASUALTIES OF WAR is not for the faint of heart. I saw other reviewers complain about Lang's writing style, but I found it to be chillingly evocative. This is a book that can give you nightmares, but it might also give you hope because it proves that good people exist, and the bad guys get what they deserve.
On his tour of duty in Vietnam, infantry soldier Sven Eriksson – a pseudonym, Lang does not use real names in his work – witnessed a terrible crime. Phan Thi Mao, a Vietnamese girl, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by the men whom Eriksson was on patrol with. Her body was abandoned in a mountain bush after one of the perpetrators stabbed her three times with a knife. As if this was not bad enough, the idea to abduct and rape a village girl came from their commander, Sergeant Tony Meserve. He believed that having fun with a girl would help the men to let off some steam, which would improve their morale. Since he understood that the fun would not be consensual, he had also suggested a way to spare himself and his subordinates trouble with the law – they would kill the girl and dispose of the body.
Eriksson, the only man with active conscience there, refused to participate in the atrocity despite the fact that Meserve threatened him that if he did not take his turn raping the girl like the other men, Eriksson might become a friendly casualty. Courageously and resolutely, Eriksson reacted neither to the threats nor the taunts regarding his manhood that followed. The day after he wanted to run away with Mao, but gave up on the idea because he thought that the others, suspicious of his moral behavior, were just waiting for him to make a move. The guilt he felt for failing to save her tortured him for the rest of his life. However, it also made him determined to make the four criminals pay for their brutality. Guarding the perimeter while the others raped the girl, he had promised himself he would not let the matter go.
Eriksson would have actually not lived to tell the story if not for the five Viet Cong men who attacked the patrol. Meserve had demanded that Eriksson kill Mao, threatening him again that if he did not dispose of her, he would be the day's first casualty. He and the others, anxious to get rid of witnesses, would have probably acted on his threat if they had not been attacked by the Viet Cong, who put up such a strong fight that the Americans ran out of ammunition and had to go back for more bullets and grenades. Eriksson survived the mission.
The details of the crime are stomach-churning to read – from Mao's mom running after the patrol to give her daughter her favorite shawl, which one of the men then used to gag Mao with to the actual rape, to the killing. What is even scarier is that the horror of the atrocity is matched by the horror of the moral, social and bureaucratic situations that hindered the judicial process. I think that if a writer had described anything like the people Eriksson met and the things he heard while he searched for justice, they would be accused of writing propaganda.
My favorite instance has to be Harold Reilly, the African-American commanding officer of Eriksson's platoon. When the infantryman reported to him the nightmarish deed that had been committed by people who served in the American Army, the black lieutenat's first reaction was to advise him to not press charges. As it turned out, Reilly had suffered bad consequences after an attempt to buck the system. His wife had gone into labor with only a white hospital nearby and had been forced to have her baby in the hospital's lobby because the hospital's authorities refused to admit her to a ward. The lieutenant's anger at the injustice done to his family had not had any effect on the system and had only got him in jail for causing a disturbance at a hospital. To Eriksson's astonishment, Reilly expressed no outrage at the terrible story his subordinate had just reported. The lieutenant genuinely believed that by telling Eriksson to relax and accept the incident as something that happens in combat zones he was protecting him from danger and problems.
Another instance that left a particular impression on me, which is something, considering that the whole narrative is harrowing, was that court decided that Eriksson's sanity should be checked. The officials found the fact that a soldier had refused to give in to temptation and rape a girl more incomprehensible than that four soldiers had kidnapped, raped and murdered a defenseless girl in cold blood. I do not think I will ever understand this thought process. The psychiatrist concluded that Eriksson was perfectly sane, which probably came as a great surprise to the court. He also had a great relationship with his wife, so he was not gay either. Unbelievable.
CASUALTIES OF WAR is not for the faint of heart. I saw other reviewers complain about Lang's writing style, but I found it to be chillingly evocative. This is a book that can give you nightmares, but it might also give you hope because it proves that good people exist, and the bad guys get what they deserve.
January 15, 2019
Found this in my recent overhaul of long owned but unread books. Its is hard to rate. I finally just went with the reading experience, which is brief and bare bones, magazine article-y. The story is horrific and certainly should have been told. But the movie is a far more engrossing and gripping experience. What was most chilling about the book is the oh so casual way so many in military authority treated the crime. The kidnapping, rape and murder of a young woman in completely cold blood was shrugged off. "Well, she lived in a war zone, these things happen" "Well the VC would have gotten her anyway" or "She probably WAS VC"...etc, and the soldier who turned them in put himself in danger of reprisals for being a traitor to his bros in arms . Not a pleasant story at all.
May 21, 2016
A short but powerful book that became the basis of Brian DePalma's 1989 film of the same title. As a Vietnam Veteran I found this true story of the rape and murder of an innocent Vietnamese girl by American soldiers gut retching. One of the most important books about the Vietnam experience.
May 10, 2015
In 1966 a squad of American soldiers on patrol in Vietnam, kidnap, rape and murder a young Vietnamese woman. What happens when the young man, who refused to take part in any of the above,
comes forward to seek justice for young Mao is sickening.
"The kind of thing that happened to her - what else can you expect in a combat zone?"
To kidnap, rape and murder is never o.k. ... anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
And the slaps on the wrist that these "excellent soldiers" received made me furious.
As for the writing style, I didn't care for it, it doesn't flow along easily but is more dry, abrupt facts, all-up-in-your-face, sort of like a bunch of newspaper headlines all strung together and called a *Book*.
Now, I'd like to see the movie, as I do admire the acting skills of both Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn.
comes forward to seek justice for young Mao is sickening.
"The kind of thing that happened to her - what else can you expect in a combat zone?"
To kidnap, rape and murder is never o.k. ... anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
And the slaps on the wrist that these "excellent soldiers" received made me furious.
As for the writing style, I didn't care for it, it doesn't flow along easily but is more dry, abrupt facts, all-up-in-your-face, sort of like a bunch of newspaper headlines all strung together and called a *Book*.
Now, I'd like to see the movie, as I do admire the acting skills of both Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn.
Read
May 2, 2025So quaint to imagine a time when magazine articles were sometimes long enough to be turned into short books. I learned this one was, though, so I'm logging it. Feel free to read it here, or you can check out a copy from the Internet Archive.
Went and tracked it down myself the other day after watching Brian De Palma's screen version. De Palma has a tendency to sensationalize, and that's not necessary (and probably even ill-advised?) here, when the plain facts of the true story are already so brutal and gutting—in short, in 1966, five US infantrymen in Vietnam kidnapped a young woman, Phan Thi Mao, from a small village and led her miles into the jungle, where four of them raped and murdered her while one refused to participate, and it wasn't until their return that he was eventually able to turn his fellow soldiers in via a chaplin, after several ignored attempts to report the crimes up the regular chain of command.
Lang's article/book is largely an extended interview with the soldier who refused to participate, pseudonymed as Sven Eriksson. The direct, blunt prose of the original piece, laying out cleanly Eriksson's recollections and his reactions to his own recollections as he's being interviewed, is better at complicating his complicity in everything that happened. You can sense how much more he holds himself accountable for failing to help Mao escape, and that he doesn't consider himself a hero merely for reporting things after the fact. You also get a better sense of his struggles, as a reserved Midwesterner, to move on mentally.
I do wonder if there's more that could have been revealed about Mao herself here. She couldn't give further testimony of her own, obviously, but Lang a few times quotes her sister, who took the stand at the mens' trials. If, in her time in court, she dropped any further hints regarding Mao's humanity and her life before her violent end, I hope Lang didn't leave them out.
Regardless, it's still an impressively reported work.
Went and tracked it down myself the other day after watching Brian De Palma's screen version. De Palma has a tendency to sensationalize, and that's not necessary (and probably even ill-advised?) here, when the plain facts of the true story are already so brutal and gutting—in short, in 1966, five US infantrymen in Vietnam kidnapped a young woman, Phan Thi Mao, from a small village and led her miles into the jungle, where four of them raped and murdered her while one refused to participate, and it wasn't until their return that he was eventually able to turn his fellow soldiers in via a chaplin, after several ignored attempts to report the crimes up the regular chain of command.
Lang's article/book is largely an extended interview with the soldier who refused to participate, pseudonymed as Sven Eriksson. The direct, blunt prose of the original piece, laying out cleanly Eriksson's recollections and his reactions to his own recollections as he's being interviewed, is better at complicating his complicity in everything that happened. You can sense how much more he holds himself accountable for failing to help Mao escape, and that he doesn't consider himself a hero merely for reporting things after the fact. You also get a better sense of his struggles, as a reserved Midwesterner, to move on mentally.
I do wonder if there's more that could have been revealed about Mao herself here. She couldn't give further testimony of her own, obviously, but Lang a few times quotes her sister, who took the stand at the mens' trials. If, in her time in court, she dropped any further hints regarding Mao's humanity and her life before her violent end, I hope Lang didn't leave them out.
Regardless, it's still an impressively reported work.
September 19, 2020
There are a few books that you can zip right through. Quick reads. This was one of them. Maybe because it wasn’t written as a short novel in the first place. It’s an interview, told from the perspective of the protagonist.
As far as first person POV stories can go, this was one of the better ones. Maybe because of the shocking events that unfold are enough to hold our attention, or maybe it’s the way the story is told. Either way, this is one of the better Vietnam tales that I have come across so far.
If you are a fan of the sad and tragic film Casualties of War, you should enjoy this book. Minor changes to characters were made for the film, but the story is there, and it’s a memorable one.
As far as first person POV stories can go, this was one of the better ones. Maybe because of the shocking events that unfold are enough to hold our attention, or maybe it’s the way the story is told. Either way, this is one of the better Vietnam tales that I have come across so far.
If you are a fan of the sad and tragic film Casualties of War, you should enjoy this book. Minor changes to characters were made for the film, but the story is there, and it’s a memorable one.
February 6, 2018
I'm mad it took me this long to read such a short book. I want to be clear that it took me that long due to my schedule and not because of the content of the book.
I appreciated the conciseness and brevity of the book. I was still able to sympathize with Eriksson without the extra narrative. The book reads like a news article - surprise, Daniel Lang was a journalist - so if that's something you don't care for, then this isn't the book for you.
I appreciated the conciseness and brevity of the book. I was still able to sympathize with Eriksson without the extra narrative. The book reads like a news article - surprise, Daniel Lang was a journalist - so if that's something you don't care for, then this isn't the book for you.
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May 12, 2022The first time I heard about this story I was in high school, we were watching De Palma's movie based on this essay and it deeply disturbed me.
Two months ago I decided to make a university project on the events here recounted by Lang and I'm quite satisfied on how it turned out. I don't want to rate this work because to me it's pointless, there's nothing to rate here, but I deeply suggest the reading, or the movie.
This is a reality we should acknowledge.
Two months ago I decided to make a university project on the events here recounted by Lang and I'm quite satisfied on how it turned out. I don't want to rate this work because to me it's pointless, there's nothing to rate here, but I deeply suggest the reading, or the movie.
This is a reality we should acknowledge.
July 3, 2023
I watched the movie many years ago.....I'd seen Platoon and FMJ and, even in my teens, was aware of the atrocities that war could bring. Casualties of War shook me to my core.
I admit that, not being a student of the Vietnam War, I only found out recently that it was based on a true event.
This is the authors notes on an interview with the young soldier who had the courage, morality and basic humanity to resist his peers and testify against them.
Outstanding
I admit that, not being a student of the Vietnam War, I only found out recently that it was based on a true event.
This is the authors notes on an interview with the young soldier who had the courage, morality and basic humanity to resist his peers and testify against them.
Outstanding
May 17, 2020
An incredible and powerful story. I can't give it four or five stars though due to the way it's written. While a very quick and easy read, compelling with a creeping horror and meloncholy, it's still not written as powerfully as a story like this deserves. It is very much a long-form journalistic article. Still, I'd recommend it.
January 2, 2023
A brief and very blunt account of “The Incident on Hill 192”. It makes you consider war atrocities, human nature, and the system. Though written journalistically, I still found it to be dense with stark imagery.
April 12, 2023
I remember watching this movie with Michael J fox years ago. I recently discovered that it was based on a book. I had no idea it was based on a true story. My only complaint is there was not much detail into all of the soldiers lives before and after the war.
June 23, 2019
really tough stuff
May 31, 2025
A very quick read that kept my attention throughout. A story of a very extreme time in our military’s history and what emotions our men went thru. The movie was excellent.
May 18, 2008
Okay, so maybe it wasn't "amazing." But I'm giving it 5 stars anyway. I saw this in the library while I was browsing. It is a tiny book--like 120 pages or something, and they are small pages with sort of large print. It looked really hokey and like it was just one of those companion books to a movie. There WAS a move based on it, but as it was published in 1968, the book did come first. It had all sorts of rave reviews on it, including one from the Boston Globe saying it was the best piece of writing to come out of the Vietnam war. I thought, that's interesting, I've never even heard of it. As it happens, to even FIND this book on Goodreads or Amazon, I had to enter the title and the author.
So it's not that well written. It's a lot of "He said this, he said that. Then he did this, and then the other person did that." It was not complex at all and I read it in one sitting.
I'm giving it 5 stars, though, because of what a great story it was anyway. It deals with a very important topic that doesn't get nearly enough coverage: rape. This is the story of a gang rape and murder of a young Vietnamese civilian by a patrol unit. The one guy who didn't take part in the rape faced taunts about his masculinity and even death threats from his fellow soldiers because he refused to kill an innocent girl. When he tried to report it to his superiors, he faced many obstacles (including being thrown in jail for "his own protection"!), as the army did not want to punish their soldiers. When he was finally successful in bringing a case against the rapist-murderers, his life got even more hellish as the defense questioned HIS integrity and morals! I already knew things like this happened...but many people would be completely shocked to read this true story.
Anyway...if you can get your hands on a copy somehow, it's well worth it, despite the not-so-hot writing.
So it's not that well written. It's a lot of "He said this, he said that. Then he did this, and then the other person did that." It was not complex at all and I read it in one sitting.
I'm giving it 5 stars, though, because of what a great story it was anyway. It deals with a very important topic that doesn't get nearly enough coverage: rape. This is the story of a gang rape and murder of a young Vietnamese civilian by a patrol unit. The one guy who didn't take part in the rape faced taunts about his masculinity and even death threats from his fellow soldiers because he refused to kill an innocent girl. When he tried to report it to his superiors, he faced many obstacles (including being thrown in jail for "his own protection"!), as the army did not want to punish their soldiers. When he was finally successful in bringing a case against the rapist-murderers, his life got even more hellish as the defense questioned HIS integrity and morals! I already knew things like this happened...but many people would be completely shocked to read this true story.
Anyway...if you can get your hands on a copy somehow, it's well worth it, despite the not-so-hot writing.
September 6, 2015
This is, perhaps, the most important book from the Vietnam War.
When Americans think that soldiers from other countries are the only ones to commit atrocities, they should absorb this book. Americans can be, and often are, as brutal as any military monster. The rape and murder of this young Vietnamese girl by four Americans went,in the final analysis, unpublished.
When Americans think that soldiers from other countries are the only ones to commit atrocities, they should absorb this book. Americans can be, and often are, as brutal as any military monster. The rape and murder of this young Vietnamese girl by four Americans went,in the final analysis, unpublished.
January 5, 2011
dry, stilted and formal but was written in the late 60's
May 15, 2012
A story of inhuman principle pitted against ultimate evil. And it's not a story--it happens again and again and again. Sven Errikson is blessed indeed, whoever he really is.
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February 24, 2019I'm reviewing the original New Yorker article as I'm unable to get my hands on the book version of this.
Today is the first day in two weeks that it hasn't been pouring down rain or freezing, so with the sun out and a beautiful day in front of me I decided to get out my hammock and read the worst possible outdoor read: a story about the graphic rape and murder of a teenage girl during the Vietnam war.
It's impossible for me to give this a rating out of five stars, because reading something as heavy and depressing as this it's hard for me to pin down how I'd even begin trying to rate this. This story was turned into a well known movie by Brian de Palma, and its wild how our culture can turn such a vile piece of history into something who's legacy is nothing but a well known piece of fiction and cinema. At some point during spring break I'll watch the movie as well, I'm interested to see what the adaption of this story is like.
Today is the first day in two weeks that it hasn't been pouring down rain or freezing, so with the sun out and a beautiful day in front of me I decided to get out my hammock and read the worst possible outdoor read: a story about the graphic rape and murder of a teenage girl during the Vietnam war.
It's impossible for me to give this a rating out of five stars, because reading something as heavy and depressing as this it's hard for me to pin down how I'd even begin trying to rate this. This story was turned into a well known movie by Brian de Palma, and its wild how our culture can turn such a vile piece of history into something who's legacy is nothing but a well known piece of fiction and cinema. At some point during spring break I'll watch the movie as well, I'm interested to see what the adaption of this story is like.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews