This book by Eric Blehm is a fascinating account of a hero, and a legend. My typical reading consists of Christian Fiction so this was a different genre for me. I read Fearless by Eric and was enthralled by his writing. So, when I had a chance to read another book by him, I agreed after reading the synopsis of the story. I graduated from high school in the mid 60's when the Vietnam war was escalating so this story peaked my interest of the background of things that happened.
The storyline centers around Staff Sergeant Roy Benavidez who was part of a 12 man Special Forces team.
It starts out with his childhood and how he grew up as a street kid from Cuero, Texas. At age 6 he turned into a "tough mean kid". His mother died and he went to leave with an uncle. He dropped out of school and proceeded to join the military. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne and eventually went to become a member of the Special Forces. From there the author chronicles Roy's single mission in 1968 in the jungle of neutral Cambodia . This is where the battle intensified and Roy jumped from the aircraft and ran 100 yard thru enemy fire. He was wounded but refused to abandon his efforts until every survivor was out of harm's way.
This was written with access to family members , survivors of the 240th Assault Helicopter Company as well as declassified military records. Hero's come in different shaped, sizes and skin colors and Roy Benavidez was just that-a hero. This book helped me understand more of the why we were involved with Vietnam even thought I lived thru that era.
Thanks to Blogging For Books for this free copy just for my honest opinion
http://images.randomhouse.com/cover/9780804139519?width=125&alt=no_cover_b4b.gif
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/153527/eric-blehm
