Reluctant Warrior

From Publishers Weekly Formerly an enlisted "grunt," Hodgins became a Marine Corps commissioned officer in 1969. He was then charged with leading an infantry platoon as part of a mission to help cover the withdrawal of the 1st Marine Division from I Corps in the northern portion of South Vietnam. Even for trained warriors, it was a treacherous job, albeit one that, as Hodgins suggests, provided ample opportunity for a young man to learn much about himself. In a promising prologue filled with clearheaded and impassioned prose, Hodgins proclaims his pride in having served in Vietnam and offers a summation of the narrative to come. His is not a war story, he writes: "It is not even about Vietnam, although the events recounted occurred there." What follows, though, is at odds with this introduction, in both style and content. For this memoir is very much a war story, replete with detailed recountings of Marine life and missions as experienced by a warrior who, despite the title, shows no sign of having been "reluctant." The combat episodes are related with suspense and, at times, startling honesty. In one instance, a gung-ho Hodgins is in charge of a patrol that has captured some Vietnamese prisoners. As the rest of the team departs, he is left alone with a wounded captive. "He smiled up at me, the cigarette dangling from his lip," Hodgins writes. "I smiled back, and pulled the trigger." Moments later, the young lieutenant coolly rolls the corpse atop a grenade and pulls the safety pin. This and Hodgins's other close-up war stories will appeal to action-adventure buffs, but those looking for a larger perspective will have to look elsewhere. Photos. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal YA. The account of one lieutenant's tour of duty in Vietnam during the waning days of American involvement in the war. Hodgins does not attempt to provide any insights into why America was involved but only to tell what life was like for the common soldier operating in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. Throughout, the author successfully conveys his pride in his men and what they accomplished. One of the great values of the book is its hidden lessons on leadership?especially on how to motivate people to do their best under adverse conditions. The book is fast paced and easy to read, but the use of many technical terms and military slang may turn off some readers.?Robert Burnham, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VACopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Hodgins's first book is a gritty memoir of his Vietnam War experience as a Marine Corps lieutenant. Set in the period March to May 1970 in the rugged northern I Corps area of South Vietnam, the account reveals with startling clarity and more than a little narrative license Hodgins's days as a patrol leader and platoon commander in the famed 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Battling the North Vietnamese Army, mountain jungle terrain, and his own fears, Hodgins faced every lieutenant's greatest challenge?to get the job done, kill the enemy, and keep his Marines alive. Training his men, earning their trust, and leading them into combat consumed Hodgins's every move and thought. Although weakened by an abrupt and inconclusive ending, this powerful book proves "Vietnam was not an experience; it was a place." War was the experience. Recommended for public libraries.?William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, Me.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Hodgins was a Marine Corps platoon leader in Vietnam during 1970, and this fine memoir of his time there puts readers right in-country. Hodgins went to Vietnam with few illusions: America is in the process of pulling out; troop morale is low; and many feel the top brass doesn't have a clue as to what is actually going on. But all of that is left behind once Hodgins and platoon are dropped into "the bush" on their combat patrols. The tension and strain is palpable when Hodgins and his men search out the North Vietnamese. A truly harrowing scene is re-created: the patrol takes two prisoners, flees from the North Vietnamese forces in pursuit, and is extracted via "the flying trapeze," a rope ladder dangled from a helicopter. Particularly affecting is the strong bond formed between these men. A gritty and poignant addition to the literature of Vietnam. Brian McCombie From Kirkus Reviews A dialogue-heavy, techno-talk-filled war memoir by a former Marine lieutenant who led reconnaissance missions in Vietnam in 1970. Hodgins joined the US Marine Corps in 1964. After five years as an enlisted man, he became an officer in 1969, at the height of the American war in Vietnam. Later that year, Hodgins went to Vietnam, where he served as an infantry platoon leader. He then passed up a safe job in the rear and volunteered to become a reconnaissance platoon leader in northern Vietnam. Hodgins's book concentrates on the three-plus months he spent leading dangerous, tension-filled patrols behind enemy lines--a story he tells as if it happened yesterday. The narrative is filled with minute-by- minute reconstructions of what the author experienced, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Possessing something akin to total recall of events that took place 26 years ago, Hodgins spells out in great detail the meals he ate, the beverages he consumed, the conversations he had with his fellow officers and the enlisted men who served under him, the types of weapons he and his men carried, and the weather and terrain conditions they encountered--among myriad other details. Hodgins ``freshened'' his memory of those long-ago events, he says, by studying official Marine Corps documents, ``historical publications,'' letters and diaries written by his former comrades, and ``by personal interviews with some of those men.'' The result is a decently written wartime journal that in some parts reads like a novel. Hodgins tells his tale chronologically, sticking to facts and offering little reflection on the sometimes momentous events he took part in. This is occasionally jarring, as in the case where he describes shooting a wounded, unarmed enemy soldier. For Marine Corps action aficionados only. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen) (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. From the Inside Flap s a story about how things were, when I was young and my Country was at war. It is a story about young men for whom acts of heroism became daily routine. It is a story about moral courage, glory, and luck. It is a story about Marines." *Michael C. HodginsBy the spring of 1970, politicians had determined the outcome of the war in Vietnam. But for the troops in the field, it was a dangerous time. Morale was low, casualties were mounting, and no one *soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine *wanted to be the last mother's son killed in Vietnam.In I Corps *northern South Vietnam *the Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Wild Bill Drumright, were assigned to cover the withdrawal of 1st Marine Division. Under Drumright, the Marines of 1st RECON Bn operated in small teams of six or seven men. Heavily armed, often led by a lieutenant, the teams fought a multitude of bitter engagements with a numerically su s a story about how things were, when I was young and my Country was at war. It is a story about young men for whom acts of heroism became daily routine. It is a story about moral courage, glory, and luck. It is a story about Marines." *Michael C. HodginsBy the spring of 1970, politicians had determined the outcome of the war in Vietnam. But for the troops in the field, it was a dangerous time. Morale was low, casualties were mounting, and no one *soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine *wanted to be the last mother's son killed in Vietnam.In I Corps *northern South Vietnam *the Marines of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Wild Bill Drumright, were assigned to cover the withdrawal of 1st Marine Division. Under Drumright, the Marines of 1st RECON Bn operated in small teams of six or seven men. Heavily armed, often led by a lieutenant, the teams fought a multitude of bitter engagements with a numerically su Michael C. Hodgins enlisted in the United States Marines on July 7, 1964, shortly after his eighteenth birthday. He was commissioned through the Enlisted Commissioning Program in February 1969 and, upon completion of The Basic School, assigned to 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, then deployed in South Vietnam. He served as an infantry platoon leader in Company H, 2d Battalion, 26th Marines from August 1969 to February 1970, whence he joined Company C, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Upon his return from Vietnam, the author served at various posts and stations as an infantry officer until resigning his commission in August 1978. He now resides in La Jolla, California, with his wife and two sons. From the Paperback edition. Read more