Hard to Forget: With the Mobile Guerrilla Force in Vietnam

by Steven M. Yedinak

Book Overview

Welcome to Mobile Guerrilla Force (MGF): Prepare to be outmanned, outgunned, and deep in enemy territory--with no chance of artillery support or medevac. . . . In 1966, U.S. Army Captain and Green... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804118094
• ISBN13: 9780804118095
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

HARD TO PUT DOWN

I have read ,HARD TO FORGET, The book captures the smell of damp vegetation rotten in the jungle, the sweat burning your eyes, the rucksack straps digging into your shoulders and that ever-lasting ache, on your hips, from the the burden of the pistol belt. The apprehension and fear, of a too quiet jungle, resurface in your mind. Your heart beating so loud, you think, everyone hears it. The hunter waiting to become the hunted. To the men who fought in Vietnam, "HARD TO FORGET". will bring the memories, flooding back. The good memories along with the bad.The book also deals with the effects of the war on the men who fought it. The book shows the beauty of America along with her warts. One point the author makes is, Soldiers do not fight wars by mistake. Soldiers fight wars because of mistake by politicians. In the end only soldiers and their families pay the piper. "HARD TO FORGET"

FANTASTIC!!!

Being female and never having been in the military, this is truly a book I could read and enjoy. I have ever been able to keep up with other military books (I enjoy reading about Vietnam) because I could not keep up with all the "G.I. Jargon". I stayed interested in this book until the last page. I hated to put it down! It made me laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. My heart, prayers and many thanks, go out to all Vietnam Vets. Thanks to all of you. I hope Steve writes another book.

Gruesomely sincere!

Steven Yedinak relives one of his most horrific ordeals in his life in this book of tragedy and death. His book gives a real life portrait to Vietnam where other bokks lack.

A UNIQUE AND HONEST BOOK ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR

Yedinaks book is unique in that it gave me a totally new perspective on the gallantry and fighting skill of the Cambodian soldiers he fought beside. The Bodes sound like they were truly great warriors, unlike our opinion of most of the ARVN units we were involved with in the 4/39 th Infantry Battalion. I was also very impressed with the MGF concept, one that would have probably led to victory if it had been carried out on a larger scale. In closing, I tip my hat to Steve Yadineks' courage and honesty in telling it like it was concerning the deep and everlasting emotional effect experienced by all of us who served in Vietnam. Following the publishing of my book I heard from hundreds of Vietnam vets. They all shared some similarites but Vietnam was largely different to each of them, from the desk clerk, to the track driver , to the MP escorting convoys through the mountain passes of the central highlands. Each returned home with his(her) own experiences, never to be forgotten. And don't forget the brave and faithful nurses in all those Surgical and Evac Hospitals all over Vietnam. They were heroes in a very special way. Steve, thanks for a great read. It will help anyone associated with veterans from this ugly war to read and perhaps better understand where we are coming from. Like the title says, it truly is hard to forget when you've been to hell and back!

Explodes like a grenade. Couldn't put it down.

HARD TO FORGETAN AMERICAN WITH THE MOBILE GUERRILLA FORCE IN VIETNAMSTEVEN M. YEDINAK __________________________________________________Review by David H. Hackworth, Author of Vietnam Primer, About Face and Hazardous Duty __________________________________________________Explodes like a grenade. Couldn't put it down. When I finished, I was disappointed only because I wanted more. Yedinak has written a gripping account of SECRET green beret missions he and 13 other Americans, and their Cambodian brothers, conducted in the heart of War Zone D in 1966. He reveals in go-to-hell passion how MGF avoided annihilation by Viet Cong guerrillas and NVA units on their tail. Small, quiet, elusive, on foot and light to fight, this heroic group of volunteers fought the war sans the heavy sounds and pounds of conventional forces. MGF blew the b-Jesus out of the Cong, and destroyed their camps, while zeroing out two intelligence missions of National interest. Black Box was a United States response to recover the SECRET System 13A device from a U-2 spy plane after it exploded over the jungled mountains of Nui Ba Ra. When MGF fought its way through VC units to find the device, President Johnson was immediately notified. Had the Black Box fallen into NVA hands, the entire U.S. strategic reconnaissance effort may have been compromised. On Blackjack-31, the first successful mobile guerrilla force mission in Vietnam, the small, outgunned, always on the move, and operating mostly at night MGF survived 52 separate engagements while registering 51 enemy KIA and 17 base camps destroyed. Going well beyond green beret tactics, Yedinak deals frankly with the enigma of war, sharing his difficulty in coming home, and his terrifying transformation from destroyer to husband, father, friend and peacetime soldier. The nightmares he suffered for over twenty years cut through me like a rusty jungle blade. Parents, wives, children, and friends of vets, as well as those who did not serve, will better understand Vietnam. The author suggests we begin to listen to each other's stories in the hope that we can put Vietnam behind, and repair the damage we have suffered personally, and as a nation. Great book about real fighting men, written by a real fighting man. Everything a Vietnam war memoir could possibly be -- high adventure, scary as hell, and behind-the-enemy-lines true. Steve fought with me in the 44th Special Tactical Zone in 1971. He is a real stud who took no prisoners.