Review of Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
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Mary Longeway
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Review of Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath" by Randy Miller.]
War is a tragedy. Randy Miller explores the depth of this tragedy in his latest book, Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War and Its Aftermath. This story is told from the unique perspective of a sailor aboard a U.S. destroyer. There are many books written about the Vietnam ground and air wars, but very few about the blue water Navy’s role in this conflict. Randy Miller fills this void admirably.
Based on true events, this novel follows the fictional life of a young naval recruit. Zach Martin leaves the familiar comfort of his Vermont family farm only to be thrust into the unrelenting rigors of military life and a horrific foreign war. The daily grind and hardship of living and working while at sea are realistically portrayed. His ship is a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam. His assignment is a sight-setter within one of the destroyer’s gun turrets. His eyes are quickly opened to the destructive power being rained down on the Vietnamese countryside. Besides the naval bombardments, the Air Force is dropping Agent Orange onto the jungles surrounding the port cities. He realizes that the barbaric Viet Cong aren’t the only ones inflicting pain on the Vietnamese civilian population. What he doesn't realize is the future pain that his country is inflicting on him and his fellow sailors with the use of Agent Orange.
Through well-developed characters, the story highlights the universal importance of love, family, and friendship. However, duty is the overriding theme of this novel. Duty is defined as a moral and/or legal obligation. Zach fulfills his duty to his country, but at what cost? The more disturbing question concerns the responsibility the country owes Zach for the performance of his duty. The failure of the U.S. government in this regard is at the heart of this compelling novel.
At over 400 pages in length, I was originally hesitant to read this book. I thought it might be a dry rehashing of the Vietnam War. How wrong I was! The well-constructed and well-researched plot was comprehensive and provided a great tutorial for this historic period. It presented both sides of the conflict as the author interspersed the story with chapters devoted to the VC soldiers. Their motivations, hardships, and complaints mirrored those of their foreign enemy, and reinforced that war is a tragedy for all combatants. It left me with a better understanding of the cultural and political problems that existed at the time, as well as the ones that remain in our society today as a result of this war.
The liberal use of off-color language, military nomenclature, and inventive spelling added greatly to the authenticity of this story. The constant profanity exhibited by the salty sailors with whom Zach interacted was a necessary component in their development as believable characters. Likewise, the ploy of using inventive spelling to convey Zach’s Vermont dialect added a degree of realism to his character. So as not to confuse the reader, the author thoughtfully provided a glossary for the translation of these words. Military terms and slang used aboard ships were also defined in a glossary at the back of the book.
I loved this book and would readily recommend it. However, anyone offended by profanity or graphic war descriptions would not enjoy it. This book is for those interested in military history; anyone born after this conflict occurred; and anyone considering enlisting in the Navy.
I can not think of any suggestions to improve this book. By choosing to write this story as a novel rather than as a non-fiction book, I believe that Mr. Miller found an interesting way to tell a complex story. He succeeded in bringing understanding to the Agent Orange controversy and the anger surrounding it.
I found Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War and Its Aftermath to be informative, entertaining, unsettling, and thought-provoking. Extremely well-written and well-edited, this book deserves a 5 out of 5-star rating.
******
Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
War is a tragedy. Randy Miller explores the depth of this tragedy in his latest book, Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War and Its Aftermath. This story is told from the unique perspective of a sailor aboard a U.S. destroyer. There are many books written about the Vietnam ground and air wars, but very few about the blue water Navy’s role in this conflict. Randy Miller fills this void admirably.
Based on true events, this novel follows the fictional life of a young naval recruit. Zach Martin leaves the familiar comfort of his Vermont family farm only to be thrust into the unrelenting rigors of military life and a horrific foreign war. The daily grind and hardship of living and working while at sea are realistically portrayed. His ship is a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam. His assignment is a sight-setter within one of the destroyer’s gun turrets. His eyes are quickly opened to the destructive power being rained down on the Vietnamese countryside. Besides the naval bombardments, the Air Force is dropping Agent Orange onto the jungles surrounding the port cities. He realizes that the barbaric Viet Cong aren’t the only ones inflicting pain on the Vietnamese civilian population. What he doesn't realize is the future pain that his country is inflicting on him and his fellow sailors with the use of Agent Orange.
Through well-developed characters, the story highlights the universal importance of love, family, and friendship. However, duty is the overriding theme of this novel. Duty is defined as a moral and/or legal obligation. Zach fulfills his duty to his country, but at what cost? The more disturbing question concerns the responsibility the country owes Zach for the performance of his duty. The failure of the U.S. government in this regard is at the heart of this compelling novel.
At over 400 pages in length, I was originally hesitant to read this book. I thought it might be a dry rehashing of the Vietnam War. How wrong I was! The well-constructed and well-researched plot was comprehensive and provided a great tutorial for this historic period. It presented both sides of the conflict as the author interspersed the story with chapters devoted to the VC soldiers. Their motivations, hardships, and complaints mirrored those of their foreign enemy, and reinforced that war is a tragedy for all combatants. It left me with a better understanding of the cultural and political problems that existed at the time, as well as the ones that remain in our society today as a result of this war.
The liberal use of off-color language, military nomenclature, and inventive spelling added greatly to the authenticity of this story. The constant profanity exhibited by the salty sailors with whom Zach interacted was a necessary component in their development as believable characters. Likewise, the ploy of using inventive spelling to convey Zach’s Vermont dialect added a degree of realism to his character. So as not to confuse the reader, the author thoughtfully provided a glossary for the translation of these words. Military terms and slang used aboard ships were also defined in a glossary at the back of the book.
I loved this book and would readily recommend it. However, anyone offended by profanity or graphic war descriptions would not enjoy it. This book is for those interested in military history; anyone born after this conflict occurred; and anyone considering enlisting in the Navy.
I can not think of any suggestions to improve this book. By choosing to write this story as a novel rather than as a non-fiction book, I believe that Mr. Miller found an interesting way to tell a complex story. He succeeded in bringing understanding to the Agent Orange controversy and the anger surrounding it.
I found Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War and Its Aftermath to be informative, entertaining, unsettling, and thought-provoking. Extremely well-written and well-edited, this book deserves a 5 out of 5-star rating.
******
Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Two Hunters by Tony Scott, MD
