What passages surprised you?

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
User avatar
wordslinger42
Posts: 130
Joined: 11 Jan 2019, 12:18
Currently Reading: The Lost Road and Other Writings
Bookshelf Size: 669
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wordslinger42.html
Latest Review: The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

Re: What passages surprised you?

Post by wordslinger42 »

Everydayadventure15 wrote: 22 Nov 2019, 09:05 I was surprised about how far the rivalry between the Navy and Marines went. I didn’t realize there was that much hate between them so the depth of brutality and retaliation against the Marine Lieutenant was eye opening (although he was a big jerk, they left him in really bad shape).
Same here! I had no clue that there was so much animosity between the two groups.
User avatar
wordslinger42
Posts: 130
Joined: 11 Jan 2019, 12:18
Currently Reading: The Lost Road and Other Writings
Bookshelf Size: 669
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wordslinger42.html
Latest Review: The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

Post by wordslinger42 »

Prisallen wrote: 21 Nov 2019, 19:40
LV2R wrote: 18 Nov 2019, 22:13 I was surprised to learn that the military dropped over 19 million gallons of Agent Orange on Vietnam. That seemed like overkill. It was hard to believe that the military thought that Agent Orange was not dangerous to humans or animals, but it would kill all plant life!

I was also a bit surprised that there was great animosity between the Navy and the Marines. The fighting each other seemed out of control when they had a bigger enemy to fight.
I was also surprised by the animosity between the Navy and the Marines. I thought they all believed that they were fighting on the same side and, therefore were comrades.
I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who was surprised by this! I had the same thought that since they were fighting on the same side, there would be a sense of loyalty.
User avatar
Abacus
Posts: 1057
Joined: 14 Oct 2018, 13:11
Favorite Book: Elizabeth's Garden
Currently Reading: Zonas de
Bookshelf Size: 194
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-abacus.html
Latest Review: Elizabeth's Garden by Phillip Leighton-Daly
Reading Device: B00GDQDRPK

Post by Abacus »

I am not surprised that the army used so much Agent Orange. They continue to this day to do unconscionable things to unsuspecting soldiers like providing earplugs that do not work, and protective clothing that doesn't protect.
LyorBoone
Posts: 184
Joined: 29 Jun 2019, 17:53
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lyorboone.html
Latest Review: Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream by Dr Frank L Douglas

Post by LyorBoone »

Wamakima wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 04:50 I don't know if this is related but I was really surprised that white people called other whites Yankees 'cause of their accent. It really bothers me.
I was surprised by the civil war tensions between northerners and southerners in this war. I hear Vietnam war and I don’t think about previous war affecting the environment.
Though, I find it curious that their application of the Yankee term rubs you wrong. An accent can be an accurate indicator that someone is from the north. Though I will grant you that yankee seems to have been a more politically charged term back then.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme” - Mark Twain. Dare we say the same thing about every story that gets told in the world?
Nkoo
Posts: 778
Joined: 24 May 2019, 08:32
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 124
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nkoo.html
Latest Review: 50 Fabulous Women by Janiece McCarthy

Post by Nkoo »

What I found surprising was the way the veterans were treated; rather than be applauded as heroes, their pensions were denied which in turn had a ripple effect on their families.
User avatar
djr6090
Posts: 680
Joined: 29 Jun 2019, 10:15
Favorite Book: The North Wind Descends (The Lord Hani Mysteries Book 4)
Currently Reading: There's a Hole in My Bucket
Bookshelf Size: 111
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-djr6090.html
Latest Review: The Odessa Legacy by Dr. Richard Bend

Post by djr6090 »

Kansas City Teacher wrote: 29 Nov 2019, 21:16 I did not know about the heroin, and how the Viet Cong gave it to the American troops for very cheap, so they could get addicted, go back to the U.S. and destroy their own culture.
They also laced their marijuana with opium. 'Pot" was sold in cigarette packages so as to be easier to bring on board. (Don't ask me how I know.)
User avatar
La Cabra
Posts: 213
Joined: 04 Apr 2019, 10:05
Currently Reading: Jag är Zlatan
Bookshelf Size: 412
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-la-cabra.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

Post by La Cabra »

I find the sort of hate/rivalry and borderline animosity between the navy and marines very shocking. I mean, they're fighting for the same country, aren't they? Mad!
Nikolas Farmakis
Posts: 786
Joined: 29 Sep 2019, 04:18
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 285
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nickolas-farmakis.html
Latest Review: Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer

Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

What surprised me was how Zack was met with disrespect when he returned back to the US and someone even threw him a milkshake.
Nikolas Farmakis
Posts: 786
Joined: 29 Sep 2019, 04:18
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 285
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nickolas-farmakis.html
Latest Review: Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer

Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

La Cabra wrote: 21 Dec 2019, 10:33 I find the sort of hate/rivalry and borderline animosity between the navy and marines very shocking. I mean, they're fighting for the same country, aren't they? Mad!
I absolutely agree with you. I was really surprised that soldiers of the same country hated each other that much and wanted to ruin each other.
roymutuma
Posts: 19
Joined: 04 Nov 2019, 06:04
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 20
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-roymutuma.html
Latest Review: Beneath the Muscle by Lauren Powers

Post by roymutuma »

Mine is not a passage but a body.The VA! I was so surprised at the inhumane treatment accorded to the deserving veterans by a body that was mandated with the responsibility of taking care of the veterans in the first place.
Isn
Posts: 15
Joined: 19 Dec 2019, 14:53
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 19
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-isn.html
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker

Post by Isn »

Attack on the VA system, and the way everything proceeded it, really surprised me.
Plus the way, government system works, it really made me think.
gaily13
Posts: 10
Joined: 11 Dec 2019, 16:47
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gaily13.html
Latest Review: Stranded In The Wild by Gary Rodriguez

Post by gaily13 »

I feel like even though the descriptions felt out of place in the book, probably someone who was there would have thought the views were a reprove from the terrors of war.
Saraion
Posts: 49
Joined: 04 Dec 2019, 07:10
Currently Reading: Spirituality for REAL
Bookshelf Size: 23

Post by Saraion »

I was amazed at the way the soldiers treated each other as a compatriot.
Cwaganagwa Dorothy
Posts: 306
Joined: 15 Dec 2019, 06:07
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 133
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cwaganagwa-dorothy.html
Latest Review: A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah

Post by Cwaganagwa Dorothy »

I loved the rich blend of gun powder, apes, rats plus descriptions of the various sections of the destroyer. This showed that the writer is well informed and informative and I applause Miller for that because that is how a person like me discovers more about what I did not originally know.
User avatar
Megapede
Posts: 58
Joined: 17 Mar 2019, 23:50
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 15
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-megapede.html
Latest Review: Masters and Bastards by Christopher J. Penington

Post by Megapede »

La Cabra wrote: 21 Dec 2019, 10:33 I find the sort of hate/rivalry and borderline animosity between the navy and marines very shocking. I mean, they're fighting for the same country, aren't they? Mad!
This surprised me as well. It also made me wonder if that sort of thing is true in reality. Is it I'm very curious.
"Forget everything that you think you know." - Doctor Strange
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "Deadly Waters" by Randy Miller”