On the River

All of the stories in this book are true. They are either first-hand accounts of things that the author saw and did himself, or they are eye-witness accounts relayed to the author by people that were close to him in Vietnam. The events described are so stark and brutally honest that the author chose not to reveal his real name, instead he merely goes by the initials, "G. L. A." G. L. A. arrived in Vietnam in December, 1966. He was an idealistic young man from New York City eager to serve his country. He was assigned as an advisor to a South Vietnamese Ranger unit. He quickly adapted to life among the Vietnamese soldiers and began to make friends. He grew especially close to a soldier named "Kim" who taught him the ways of war in Vietnam. Kim taught G. L. A. how to become the enemy's most feared adversary. He also taught him the heart-wrenching price that must be paid for betrayal. In On The River we follow G. L. A.'s progression from a green new arrival to a hardened combat veteran. He describes in vivid and personal terms the sounds and emotions of battle, and the smell of death. Each chapter in the book brings a new challenge to G. L. A.'s emotional and physical survival. The reader is drawn into a world where the unthinkable becomes common place and where the addictive thrill of danger is sought after. G. L. A. is forever scarred by his one-year tour of duty in Vietnam. In On The River he describes his very personal life-long struggle to understand.