"UNFRIENDLY FIRE"
EXCERPTS
(Published by University of Iowa Press, Iowa City IA 52242)
"FROM MICHAEL'S LETTERS HOME:
Nearly all the letters Michael wrote from Vietnam have been saved. Reviewing them now after more than twenty years, I find that they reveal subtle changes his experiences wrought over a short period - a bitterness, weariness, and a sense of futility.
During the years that Courty Bryan spent in writing "Friendly Fire" we had many discussions after the behavior and personality of Michael's company commander. Courty always defended Colonel Schwartzkopf, contending that he didn't take command of the 198th until December 1, 1969. More than two decades later, the sudden change in the activities of Michael's unit at that time jumps off the page at me. He writes of the ceaseless humping and always being tired, never getting to rest or dry out, and putting up with the "bullshit" that was growing worse than that back in the States. All of this occurred when the majority of U.S. combat units in Vietnam were being held back to save lives and to force the ARVN to take over the war. In discussing this upsurge of action with veterans who survived the 198th, we came to the conclusion it was the result of the colonel's need for body count, the Americal's requirement for promotion. "
"FROM MICHAEL'S LETTERS HOME:
Michael's letters home were published in their entirety in the Des Moines Register on Sunday, 3/29/1970. My decision to republish them here was made when I realized that the majority of readers may know little about the Vietnam War, and many will have forgotten it.
The young people of this country lived through a year of the Persian Gulf War -- seeing only a sanitized version on the TV screen, with continual propaganda that unquestioning patriotism was once again a alive and well."
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