Conference repair::reserve_forces

    Several months ago my wife bought me a book about the Vietnam Veterans
    War Memorial; the large slab of black granite with the names of
    the thousands of dead.  
    It consists of photographs taken at the memorial of the relatives
    and friends paying their respects mostly, but there is the odd comment
    which I think is copied from messages left behind at the wall.
    The wall is like a meeting place for the veterans, friends etc.
    
    The book is called "The Wall", and is a touching tribute to those
    who fell. If I ever get to that part of the woods I'll pay my respects,
    for what it's worth.          
    
    If anyone wants more information about it, I think it was published
    in America, just ask. 
    
    Dave
    
    

    DEREGARD THIS REPLY THANKS 

    Here's my 2 cents worth.
    
    
    ATTACKS (aka INFANTRY ATTACKS) by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
         Tracks his actions as a lieutenant in WW1. Hard reading
         but very good. Great book for small unit tactics in WW1.
    
    ON INFANTRY by ENGLISH. 
        Tracks Infantry developement from WW1 to the present.
        Covers the armies of the US, Great Britain, USSR, Germany,
        and China. Slow reading but has many interesting points.
    
    COMPANY COMMANDER by Macdonald.
        Good book on small unit tactics and problems in WW2. The
        author commanded a number of US Infantry companies in WW2.
    
    A SOLDIERS STORY by General Omar Bradley.
        Good book. Covers numerous WW2 battles that he participated
        in.
    
    WAR AS I KNEW IT by General George s. Patton.
        The appendix and suggestions should be manditory reading.
    
    RETREAT HELL, WE'RE JUST FIGHTING IN ADIFFERENT DIRECTION by (?).
        The story of the USMC at the CHOSIN Resevor during the Korean
        Conflict (WAR). Real graphic, especially about the COLD.
    
    MUD SOLDIERS by (?)
        The story of a COHORT unit. Traces the lives of new infantry troops
        from basic to AIT to the rebuilding of a unit that was wiped
        out in Viet Nam. (This is manditory reading for my NCOS/OFFICERS)
    
    THIS SHOULD KEEP YOU BUSY. I'LL CHECK MY BOOKCASE AND REPLY AGAIN.
    
    Randy Schwartz

    I've recently finished 2 books by a man called Gayle Rivers. I'm not
    too sure this guy is all there. The books are called ,"The Five
    Fingers" and "The Specialist".
    
    The Specialist is meant to be an autobiography. Apparently he is
    ex-Aussie SAS, ex-Vietnam and now works for numerous Governments doing
    the "dirty" work. He runs his own charter airline service from Europe.
    If this were fiction I could more readily accept it. I find it very
    difficult to believe it could be true. Maybe I'm too naive.
    
    The Five Fingers details a Vietnam-era operation in which he and 6
    colleagues ( yes I know, 7 of them and its The Five Fingers. Don't ask
    me) walked into North Vietnam to assasinate(that doesn't look right!)
    one of the high ranking officers, then walk out again. In one part of
    the journey he stopped behind a bush, dropped his trousers to offload
    some of his problems and just as he was pulling his trousers up some
    of the other side turned up. They didn't see him as they set up camp.
    They moved on 24 hours later - he stayed crouched up all the time. It
    took him 5 hours to straighten up.
    
    The books don't mention anything about the stories being fiction
    but......Has anyone else read them?
    
    Dave

    
    I have read The Five Fingers and also thought it was pretty far
    fetched and more fiction than the fact it purported to be.
    
    I seem to recall that the assassination team was in place when it
    was called off and also that the North Vietnamese were told that
    the team was in the area.
    
    Read it a long time ago and don't remember all the details.
    
    Roger

    
    Some of my favourite books, sorry can't remeber all the authors.
    
    Chickenhawk - by can't remember - Story of a "Nam chopper pilot"
    
    DON"T CRY FOR ME SERJEANT MAJOR - by Jeremy Hands and some other
    journalist - Their veiw of the falklands campaign which is often very
    amusing, one extract goes sort of like this:
    
    On the journey south the men of the Parachute regiment and the royal
    Marines were transported on the Canberra.  Their officers decided it
    would be to everyone's benefit to keep them seperated because, "The
    Marines looked on the Para's as a bunch of animals who would eat there
    own babies and the Para's regarded the Marines as a bunch of pansies spoilt
    by their officers who cater for their every whim.
    
    THEY STOOD IN THE DOOR - by can't remember again - The story of a Para
    from joining the regiment in the late fifties up until the mid sixties.
    Again some very amusing stories mostly about off-duty riots in
    Aldershot, basically a soldiers view of the army.  Knowing one of the
    characters in the book helped me appreciate it even more (not that I
    needed to).
    
    EXCURSION TO HELL - by Vincent Bramley 3 Para. - Excellent you must read 
    this book.  This is Vincents story of his part in the Falklands campaign. 
    Very good reading, I couldn't put it down.  One of my mates went down
    there with 2 Para., I have always been curious as to what it was like
    but he never talks about it and I don't press him so this book
    explained a lot to me.
    
    MOUTHFUL OF ROCKS - Can't remember the author - This is the story of a
    guy fed up with his lot who decides to join 2 REP (the French foriegn
    legion's Para's).  He used to be in 10 Para.  I get the feeling from
    this book that the guy is trying to gain sympathy or justify himself
    although he states he isn't.  One of my mates (another ex Para) was in 
    the legion at the same time and knew this guy, he said he was a twat
    and not well liked, that explains what I gathered when reading the book. 
    Still not bad.
    
    I'll try and find out the authors to the ones I can't remember,
    
    Loz