Al Lock > Recent Status Updates

Rereading this so many years later reminds me that this book is VERY anti-war, specifically the Vietnam War. It is not very admiring of the majority of the Vietnamese on either side of the conflict (also rather derogatory about the French who remained in Vietnam). Moore admired the US Special Forces, but not the US Army , the ARVN or the LLDB.

I'm rereading this because I have discovered that the character of Sven Korne in the first story is based on Larry Thorne, and having read the account of the attack at Tinh Bien, and Moore's "fictional" account, it is obvious this is true.

This book made a significant impact on me as a teen and was instrumental in my seeking my Green Beret.

Having just finished Flashman's Waterloo, I chose to read this book next, starting with the short Christmas bit at the end that covers the execution of Marshall Ney and the escape of the comte de Lavalette.

I am struck in the intro by how either naive or brainwashed the author of this book was. He goes out of his way to claim that these pilots that he became friends with weren't NAZIs and that they were just defending their country - ignoring that they were highly decorated by the NAZIs, clearly did not do anything to bring themselves to the attention of the Gestapo and that their country was the aggressor.

Indonesia has dramatically changed since RAH's visit.

RAH visited a Singapore that little resembles the Singapore of today, except maybe Raffles and the charm of the city. He repeats the myth of Singapore's guns facing the wrong way.

RAH mentions the Henry J as the taxi they hire to seek lions. Had to look up tjis Kaiser product as it had a very brief life.

RAH demonstrates a very closed-minded attitude regarding language in his description of Afrikaans. By his same logic, Hebrew, Yiddish, Irish, Scottish, the various Celt languages, and many other languages are a waste and should be abandoned. He seems to be unwilling to grasp language as a reflection of culture and history.

Author has a limited ability to consider how discipline and its importance might change for Custer between school and combat

If the first tale is anything to go by, this book is seriously challenged in regards to historical accuracy. Living in West Virginia between 1841 and 1844 and buying and freeing slaves? First of all, West Virginia didn't exist until the 1860s, and so that would be Virginia - where the freeing of slaves still left the owner responsible for the slave until their death.