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kathykekmrs's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It reads quickly and so the reader is not bogged down in minutiae as in so many military stories. There are few definitions of military terms so there is no need to be afraid of jingo. Yes, these men are fierce patriots of the United States of America, but they are soldiers and as such supposed to be. This story takes place during the Vietnam War and that may make some readers uncomfortable, but there is little in the way of politics in this book. Yes, the presidents are mentioned in the capacity of Commanders-in-Chief, but that is all. There is one character who is against America, but that is personal against his father and his upbringing rather than a direct attack against the Army. Yes, he hates the Army and he does lean far to the left in his politics, but he is not a central character and I do not believe that W. E. B. Griffin wants the reader to side with him or against him. Apparently the people in this novel really existed or are still alive. It is interesting that Griffin has been able to write so much about real people. I did not check is personal biography too closely to know when he served in the Military to get this information, but most of it seems accurate.
When the novel starts it is 1962 and the Bay of Pigs is in the process of being diverted. Meanwhile in Vietnam Dien Bien Foo II is under attack. The reader learns of battlefield promotions and unkept promises from the beginning, but the central story is preparing for Operation Monte Cristo to bring the POWs home. There is a lot of Top Secret documents in this book and secret training missions. There is intrigue and an illicit romance, but the parties pay for their infidelity. There is an epilogue at the end that explains what happened to everyone after the operation in Vietnam.
When the novel starts it is 1962 and the Bay of Pigs is in the process of being diverted. Meanwhile in Vietnam Dien Bien Foo II is under attack. The reader learns of battlefield promotions and unkept promises from the beginning, but the central story is preparing for Operation Monte Cristo to bring the POWs home. There is a lot of Top Secret documents in this book and secret training missions. There is intrigue and an illicit romance, but the parties pay for their infidelity. There is an epilogue at the end that explains what happened to everyone after the operation in Vietnam.
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