Honor Dishonored

Book excerpt: Honor Dishonored is the true story of a platoon of young American Marines, serving honorably in a war that unfairly became synonymous with brutality and dishonor. While returning veterans of other military engagements were touted as heroes and welcomed home with open arms, men returning from Vietnam were spit upon, cursed, and accused of countless atrocities. Emotionally and physically scared by their tours of duty, surviving in the worst possible conditions and against impossible odds, these men (mostly barely out of their teens) were treated as pariahs upon their return home-home to the country that had sent them overseas in the first place, often against their will. War is savage by nature, and while there are exceptions to every rule, the men who fought in Vietnam were brave, noble, and self-sacrificing. However, the warrior, the fighting men on the “front lines,” were under-supported by the military machine. We've all seen the movies, heard the horror stories, and debated whether or not the American Military should or should not have been over there in the first place. But what we haven't been able to see-to understand- is what it was really like over there, without the glorification (and gore-ification) of Hollywood or the rampant propaganda that came from both sides of the debate. Told that they should be ashamed of their participation, those who were lucky enough to survive to tell the tale quickly realized that no one wanted to listen. But maybe the time has come. This is their story.