About:
Eye of the Tiger: Memoir of a United States Marine, Third Reconnaissance Battalion, Vietnam, 1967-1968 by John Edmund Delezen is a memoir of the author’s service in a US Marine Recon Unit during the Vietnam War. Mr. Delezen is a retired boat captain, currently living in Florida.
- 200 pages
- Publication date : July 25, 2003
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0786416564
My rating for Eye of the Tiger – 5
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Thoughts:
This memoir is both haunting and poetic. Instead of focusing of acts of heroism, he focuse on the atmosphere of reconnaissance warfare as well as the physical and psychological toll it takes.
Eye of the Tiger by John Edmund Delezen tells of his time as a soldier in the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. His missions involved going deep behind enemy lines, keeping his eyes and ears open.
Mr. Delezen is a fine writer, his descriptions are both poetic and vivid, which gave an excellent idea of what he saw, heard, and went through. I especially appreciated that he captured the sounds, smells, oppressive heat, disgusting drinking water, and the terrifying pre-ambush.
The author writes with respect about his comrades, his adversaries, and especially about the Vietnamese jungle. The jungle is both an enemy and a friend, an environment which is both beautiful and lethal.
Throughout the book, we witness Mr. Delezen transition from a teenage soldier to a hardened combat veteran. This transition is written with clarity and honesty.
Mr. Delezen doesn’t romanticize the military or the Marine Corps. He talks about the hardships and grief, but also about the bond between the men – both of which he carries with him for decades afterwards.
The memoir almost reminds me of a travelogue in its style and narrative. Not the wine and tourist attractions one, of course, but its far from a military log.
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More books by John Edmund Delezen*
