A Rumor Of War

9 Pages 2306 Words

zing book that went into detail about Vietnam. It was based around Philip Caputo and began when he decided to join the Marines. Then, Caputo told about his days at the training camp, where he learned everything he needed to know about fighting in a war. As the book progresses, so does the war. Caputo ends up in Da Nang serving as a Platoon leader. The war is not very exciting; the only action is that of a Viet Cong sniper. The sniper mainly torments and teases the Marines, not doing severe harm. After serving as a leader he becomes the Assistant Adjutant at the Headquarters base camp. The book then describes the everyday lives of the Marines at Headquarters. After a while, Caputo goes back to being a Platoon leader, and the war involves much more action and enemy contact now. The sniper is still around, however, ambushes are more common in this stage of the war. The Viet Cong takes over and ends all hope for The United States’ victory. This war proved to The United States that they were not as invincible as they had once believed. Although this war was a huge disgrace to The United States, a part of me feels that we needed to learn this lesson, and we would have sooner or later. Vietnam helped The United States learn their lesson sooner, rather than later.
A Rumor of War was written not long after Caputo’s experience in this tragic war. It received numerous reviews, most of which were good. According to www.barnesandnoble.com, it was the book that shattered America's deliberate indifference to the fate of the men it sent to fight in the jungles of Vietnam, and in the years sin...