Read Online Acceptable Loss An Infantry Soldier Perspective Kregg P Jorgenson Books

Product details Mass Market Paperback 256 pages Publisher Ivy Books; Reprint edition (September 23, 1991) Language English ISBN-10 0804107920

Acceptable Loss An Infantry Soldier Perspective Kregg P Jorgenson Books Reviews

• I had previously read this book but never wrote a revue about it. I wanted to have a fresh memory of the book when I did it so I went back and reread it, Acceptable Loss was just as good the second time as it was the first. The author Kregg Jorgenson brings the reader right into the action with the units he served in, he also does a great job describing the men in his unit what they were like and the jobs they did, he also describes his fears of being wounded after seeing other WIA men in the hospital while he was there himself. And how much the men meant to each other, it was just amazing what these men would do on a daily basis. These men were amazing the things they did rescuing downed helicopter crews, as in all the men who fought in Vietnam they were so brave.
• "The Army gave us two parachutes. If the first one fails, open the emergency then when you land there will be a truck on the drop zone to bring you guys in. As I leaped from the plane, the guy behind me had his first chute fail, then his emergency chute failed and as he flew by me at 120 mph I heard him say, "I bet the truck aint there either"".
  
  The above is a story one G.I. tells another in the book. Obviously a joke but the irony of the story is something you adopt having served time in the Army. Kregg Jorgenson takes us through his tour of Vietnam where he landed as a gung-ho, let me at em boot and left the war a year later, wiser, 10 years older with a cynicism reserved only for those who have been in combat.
  
  Kregg volunteered for the Rangers pretty much as soon as he arrived in Vietnam. 5 man teams sent out on reconnaissance missions into hostile territory. He tells his mission stories with both humor and seriousness. He enjoyed what he did despite the fear he felt. After a spell on Ranger teams he joined the Air Cav, 1st of the 9th as a "Blue". The missions mainly involved rescuing downed chopper pilots inside enemy held territory.
  
  He has a no nonsense way of telling his story and you can feel the gung-ho, spit, shine nature he landed in Vietnam with erode from the middle outwards as he sees friends get killed or maimed, and as he sees friends and trusted team member rotate out of Vietnam back to the world. Despite the erosion and eventual disappearance of the "John Wayne" spirit he retained his professional edge as far as doing his job. He struggles with his inner thoughts and guilt about the situation. The guilt is only magnified once he receives the Silver Star for bravery in combat. Unfortunately this was the same battle where he lost a good friend.
  
  As his time in country and his reputation with his buddies grows and, after he is seriously injured he is offered "soft" jobs which he wants to accept but, due to his nature and his torment, he turns them down again and again. Even a serious wound to his legs doesn't help him accept a soft job. Once out the hospital he is back with his team doing what they do best, rescuing downed airmen.
  
  I particularly enjoyed Jorgenson letting us inside his head as he deals with his thoughts and his guilt. The fear is always there but with each siren heralding a new mission the adrenaline rush overcame the fear somewhat and he'd go back out. 54 missions and 3 purple hearts later he came back home. A true hero.
  
  This is a great book and a fast read. One worthy of your time if you are a big Vietnam none-fiction fan.
• Well written reflecting a different time...a time when America was at war both abroad and at home. The life of an 11B 1967-1970 were very difficult and those who survive must life on for those who did not...
  
  PS I have stayed at the Caravalle Hotel/Saigon..and the rooftop bar/restaurant is still there but with out Spooky working the suburbs...
• I have read many personal memoirs and all are great in their own right, this one is an amazing account of some of the remarkable soldiers who served during Vietnam. Having read about a cobra pilot's experience in the 1st of the 9th who never had to find his fellow pilots on the ground but covered them from above. This book is enlightening to read and gives an idea of what these soldiers went through, but for those of us who have not lived it we will never truly grasp what these soldiers sacrificed for each other.
• Kregg Jorgenson’s memoir of his tour of duty in Vietnam is an interesting account of 10 months in combat. He tell of his arrival and decision to train to become a member of a select LRRP team and Ranger. His story begins with Kregg’s youthful belief that he is helping the people of South Vietnam to remain free from the North Vietnamese communists. During his time fighting the enemy he proves to be a brave solider who is awarded combat medals and Purple Hearts for his heroism. However his attitude is negatively impacted by Army policies that return him to action after combat act wounds that nearly cost him his life.
• This book is more than a memoir of someone's war experience. It's complete and does several things well. Meet your author who enters the war a virgin with everything to learn but not knowing squat. Following him as he's thrusted into a shooting and dying war. Follow as he begins to make sense of surviving. Reading, you can't help but bond with the main character and begin to a transformation, from eager to learn, take chances and confront bravery as friend or foe. As his war continues we see a young soldier transform where he attempts to understand the politics of war which is where the title comes from. Jorgensen wraps up the book very well when he talks about what really happens when surviving men and buddy's rotate out. He discusses the horrors of war and the need of dealing with death. It a well written book that allows readers full circle look at a combat infantryman life.