4 out of 4 stars
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Sometimes soldiers volunteer to go to war and sometimes they receive an unsolicited "greetings" letter from good 'ol Uncle Sam. Some of these soldiers end up as front line infantry, fighting the everyday fight, but many others fill that all so crucial support role. Through a lens darkly: Vietnam is an eye-opening historical fiction novel that tells the story of Second Lieutenant Ty Skelley, the photo maintenance officer of the 351st Signal Company, stationed in Long Binh, during the Vietnam war. To be perfectly clear, and Jack R. Stanley (the author) does so from the very first page, this is a work of fiction. That being said, I get the impression that this amazing tale is heavily based on his own experiences in Vietnam. Like any good historical fiction, not knowing where the fiction ends and the real life experiences begin, adds immensely to the terrifying nature of books like these.
Second Lieutenant Skelley, a butter bar, starts his adventure with us the morning of the Tet offensive in Saigon. He is officially there to meet up with a supplier to get a repair part for a camera, but he finds himself running out the door to capture what photos and videos he can of the attack. On his return to his home base, he finds himself on the his Major's hit-list, and quickly lands himself the unofficial title of "SLJO" (don't worry, Mr. Stanley does an excellent job of translating military jargon for you throughout this book and for propriety's sake I'll leave this one to read yourself!) He ends up leading a roaming photo/video team that deploys all over Vietnam during the war documenting the conflict. Sometimes this means his team is in the thick of the fight, dodging bullets with the rest of the grunts, and sometimes it means they find themselves doing a mundane "day-in-the-life-of" series. Although this team is shooting pictures/videos and not (usually) an M16, this most definitely does not mean they aren't in any danger. They often find themselves rushing into oncoming danger in order to immortalize the moment on film. Besides fighting the Vietcong, 2nd Lt Skelley battles with irrational leadership, moral dilemmas, and the persistent realization that the stories everyone hears back home never reflect the actual war these heroes are fighting. During his tour, 2nd Lt Skelley learns not only how to track how long he's been in theatre by when his bouts of diarrhoea from the malaria pills arrive, but also what it means to be a real leader. This book will make you laugh at some of the absurdities of war in one chapter, then leave your jaw dropping due to its atrocities in the next.
I loved the frank, no-nonsense way that this book was written. War is horrible, but it is also a way of life and a significant part of our history. Jack R. Stanley is able to tell a first rate war story, where the fire fights and battles are not the central theme, and still keep the reader coming back chapter after chapter. One moment he can tell a humorous tale of having to empty out the porta-potties in order to burn excrement, and the next about a fellow soldier being killed by a booby trap. He expertly conveys that both situations make up the totality of war. What I liked the best about this book is how you came away with a better understanding of the Vietnam war and those that fought in the conflict. Without feeling like I was learning, I gained a greater knowledge of where the major offensives took place, what equipment the U.S. used (and how), and some of the struggles the deployed members faced. It was an added bonus that I'm a photography nerd and this book was centred around imaging this war.
The only thing bad I have to bring to the table is that it is still full of spelling and grammatical mistakes. These will likely be taken care of through rigorous final editing, but it was enough to force me to stop and re-read some passages to make sure I understood them properly. Simple items like saying, "...2st Lt. Sawyer Ahern..." Is enough to make you wonder if it is the "st" that is the error or the "2."
As I am 100% convinced that all of the minor mistakes mentioned above will easily be taken care of in a round or two of final editing, I have decided to give this book 4 out of 4 stars. Based on the spelling errors alone I almost gave the book 3 stars, but I firmly believe the powerful story and amazing presentation overshadow the errors that will quite frankly not be present once this is finally published. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in military history (especially Vietnam) or anyone that loves a good war book that delves into the details of soldiers' everyday lives. If reading about the horrors of war is not for you or if you have a strong opinion against war and/or the American involvement in Vietnam, this book is likely not for you.
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Through A Lens Darkly: Vietnam
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