|
|
The Bridges of Vietnam:
From the Journals of a U.S. Marine Intelligence Officer
Fred L. Edwards, Jr.
As an intelligence officer during the Vietnam War, Fred
L. Edwards, Jr., was instructed to "visit every major
ground unit in the country. Go to Special Forces camps,
ground reconnaissance units, armored cavalry units, and
waterborne reconnaissance units. Search everywhere for
intelligence sources—long range patrols, boats, electronic
surveillance, and agent operations. Don't get bogged down
by dog-and-pony shows staged for colonels and generals."
"While he was searching, Edwards found time to keep a journal,
an extremely well-written, sharply observed report of his
adventures. Along with contemporary postscripts and a helpful
historical chronology, that journal is a significant improvement
on most Vietnam memoirs. It is the record of a marine's on-the-
job education."—Proceedings
"Edwards's tale is frequently riveting, especially when describ-
ing the travails of combat soldiers fighting a war that, with
hindsight, can be seen as futile. One is struck by the naivete
of the commanders as they tally up body counts and assume villages
are ‘pacified.'"
—Booklist
_________________________________________________________
FRED L. EDWARDS, JR., who was a captain and a major when he
wrote the journal, culminated a thirty-year Marine Corps career
as a lieutenant colonel. After the events narrated in this book,
he returned to Vietnam in 1973 before retiring from the marines
in 1979.
|
|
