365 Days

Dr. Glassner provides a unique perspective on the American experience in Vietnam -- that of a medical officer responsible for treating the shattered, burned, and exhausted men caught up in that conflict. There is plenty of heroism in his short tales, but usually it is the heroism of brute survival, of adapting to impossible conditions, of enduring the unendurable.I have heard this book referred to as an "anti-war" work, and one that derides America's involvement in Southeast Asia. I disagree. Glassner simply tells it like it was -- he pulls no punches, so oftentimes reading this book is very unpleasant: how many "John Wayne shoot 'em up" memoirs of Vietnam recount the suffering endured on a burn ward? I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam War, the continued psychological and physical suffering of combat vets from all eras, or to anyone concerned with the consequences for our sons and daughters when politicans send our troops to war. Should be required reading for college students,...

I have read scores of books about the Vietnam war and witnessed countless movies. I have found no one who can capture, with such poignant clarity, the horror of the war and the nobility of those who fought it quite like Dr. Ronald Glasser. Through a series of deeply affecting vignettes, Dr. Glasser reveals the experiences of men who struggle with the personal and private moral conflict that only those who have taken a life can understand. These men did not, as later accused, lose a war; rather, their loss was their own youth and innocence.The book is a haunting tribute that evokes images that are raw and bleeding...and yet bestows a sense of peace and understanding. I reread this book every year. It is a book about courage...the courage of the warriors who populate its pages...and the courage of the man who wrote their stories at a time when a Nation was not prepared to know a truth their sons could not convey. Thank you, Dr. Glasser, wherever you are....

As a student of SE Asia history I have over 300 books on the subject and 365 Days ranks in the top 5%. (Also a veteran of three tours in Vietnam & Cambodia). I first read Dr. Glassner's book over two decades ago and yet remember it as if it was yesterday. For those who want to know what it was like to be in Vietnam, this is a must read book. The writing is very graphic and it is a book you will not soon forget. My deepest gratitude to Dr. Glassner for his fine work. Not only for writing it but especially for publishing it at a time when it was not fashionable to be writing about Vietnam or Vietnam veterans. My sincerest thanks to Dr. Glassner.

I first read this book when I was in junior high school in the early 70s...if you read the publishing dates, it actually came out as that hell hole conflict was winding down...I still read it to reinforce lessons...I learned of sacrifice and of dedication, not to the country, but between comrades...At the same time I was reading this, the protests were still going on...and service people coming back to the "World" were being horribly treated by those that they had gone off to theoretically protect...it bothered me greatly that no one gave homage to those coming home...in my mind, a debt to those involved in a human tragedy was left unpaid...the war ended, I finished college and went to med school...when time for residency came, I chose the VA...and when I finished, I decided that I wanted to stay...Why? because I wanted to give back to all that served in the uniformed services, but especially those who went to 'Nam and never got a thank you...and importantly, I wanted to work to make the "system" better for those that served...the book really had an impact...read it for what it tells you about the human spirit and the inhumanity of governments...when I run into a vet from 'Nam that I don't know, I always try to remember to say "thank you for going and coming home" because I can't be sure that anyone else has told them that...we all should...will you?

It's the old men who make wars happen, and cause us younger ones to go to far-off shores to give our lives in the name of ....whatever buzzword they've dreamed up to get the American Public beating the war drums. It wouldn't do the politicos any good to read it,....but, BY GOD, the American Public should...especially those interested in raising a right hand and enlisting. During the war in VietNam, I was a medical service specialist attached to a CONUS 350-bed medical center's Intensive Care Unit and Neuro/Neuro-Surgical Unit taking care of the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen who'd fallen. From that perspective, Doc Glassen tells it like it is. All that's missing are the smells and sounds...Maybe someday technology will be able to put THAT into a book form. Until then...an intense read. It gives a good perspective on why YOU DON'T want to go to war... Charley Mike