Anonymous : Honor Denied

This is the action packed tale of the daring and heroic exploits of "N" Company, 75th Infantry (The Rangers), in the final years of the Vietnam War. Youthful innocence meets wartime reality in this fascinating story that's based on true events. In Anonymous: Honor Denied Robert Houston has crafted a story that is taunt with action, danger, and adventure. At the same time, he gives us some penetrating insight into the psychology and emotions that swirl around the life of a young combat infantryman. From the opening paragraph the reader begins to view the world through the eyes of the heroic principal of the book, Sergeant Martin R. (Gonzo) Roberts, a small town Mississippi boy newly arrived in-country. Gonzo undertakes his tour of duty in Vietnam in endearing Huck Finn fashion-excited by his prospective adventure, wary of the likelihood of death or dismemberment. Gonzo also has a secret, one he fears could at any moment land him in the stockade, or worse, send him home in disgrace. Gonzo is a run-away teenager. He lied about his age and used fake identification documents to join the army. He is really only 15 years old as he arrives in-country. Sound far fetched? Perhaps, but according to the author, Robert Houston, he himself was only 15 years old when he arrived in Vietnam, having himself run away from home to join the army. The book centers mainly on the lives of a six-man Ranger team in the northwest corner of the Ashau Valley; "N" Company, 75th Infantry, attached to the 173rd Airborne Division. In fast-paced language Houston details the boredom and horrors of war, the loss of comrades and the ambiguity of killing. We are given an authentic look at a soldier's life in the field, and into the camaraderie that develops between the troops. The book vividly describes the emerald beauty of the Asia countryside, contrasted with war-scared landscape. With building empathy, we follow Gonzo's many battles-both with the Viet Cong and within himself-from the beginning of his tour through the end. We accompany him on reconnaissance missions and on top secret CIA suicide missions. We shower, shave, and slave with him through long, hot, days of monotony, punctuated by terrifying incoming mortar attacks. We cry with him over his fallen friends, and we rejoice with him as he meets his first love. When finally we take Gonzo home to the U.S., we share fully share his bewilderment at the irony of his fate. Ask yourself, does valor have an age limit, like the minimum age to vote or drive a car, or is courage a gift from God to mankind at birth? The average age of a combat soldier in Vietnam was 19. Does the truth exist in government files and records, or is the truth simply the truth, regardless of whether the government documents it or not?