Lions of Medina: The Marines of Charlie Company and Their Brotherhood of Valor

A book that provides the complete picture of courageous Marines in Vietnam. It describes the difficulties these Marines faced and overcame, as well as the respect they had for each other. It outlines command decisions that were made, some good and bad, but how the Marines adapted and overcame overwhelming circumstances to survive and prevail. The book gets you to know the participants from when they join the Marines, their experience as Marine recruits, their arrival in Vietnam, their incredible valor during Operation Medina, and their experiences in returning home from a war that people no longer wanted. You experience their battle conditions in Medina and you find yourself tensing up, almost wondering if you too will survive as you feel you are in their place. A must read for any young person considering the military, and a must read for all of us that respect what they did and now do today!

In "Lions of Medina," Doyle Glass has produced one of the best, most well written, solid pieces of Marine Corps history of our time. Glass' book rivals the gripping accounts of military events that come alone only once or twice in a generation. "Lions of Medina" can proudly take its place among the best that history has provided, adding a masterwork of the Vietnam experience to the annals USMC and military literature at-large. The engagement and events that occurred in the Medina Operation has for too long gone unheralded in even wide military and historical circles. Were it fiction, it would not be believable enough to be published. Glass identifies the key players, tells their story, reveals their thoughts and those of their families and follows their anticlimactic attempts to return home to a nation less honorable than the one they left. The story in "Lions of Medina," should serve to inspire new Marines as they make their own place in history, and remind all Americans of those shameful citizens who were allowed to target their hatred of the government on those men least in a position to create or change policy. Glass closes the book with a brief bio on the survivors of Medina. This is all to telling of the fact that heroes do indeed walk amongst us everyday. The Marine Corps itself would be well served to add to its own hymn, a stanza or two that tells of the men of Medina. They shall exist in the realm of the men who treaded the black beaches of Iwo Jima; who stained the coral sands of Wake Island with their blood; who endured the horrors of Belleau Woods. Far better a book than I could have hoped. REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ, AUTHORS DESERVE READER'S OPINIONS.

Awaiting my copy of Doyle Glass' "Lions of Medina" I had intended to enjoy reading it at a leisurely pace during a relaxing weekend. However, minutes after the UPS driver dropped it off and I started reading the first few pages as I was about to leave for the day's business activities, it became clear I wsn't going anywhere that day except my favorite reading chair. Doyle Glass' account of the heroic action by the Marines of Charlie Company during an intense battle in Vietnam is so real I could almost experience the sounds and smells of battle surrounding these brave Marines. Glass gets the Marine "culture" and unmitigated commitment to the mission right on target. He shares the personal story of each of these heroes, both with their families and with their fellow Marines in the heat of combat. I guarantee anyone who begins reading this book absolutely will not put it down. It reads like a novel and posts images in your mind of John Wayne rallying his men against the enemy and overwhelming odds, but Glass' book is about real men and their very real experiences. He tells, for example, of the young but combat seasoned lieutenant who, in a final effort to get his men up and at the enemy who greatly outnumbered them, jumps to his feet, exposing himself to a barrage of enemy fire, and with .45 pistol in hand begins singing (actually "yelling") the Marines Hymn, "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, etc". And he tells about the even younger Marine corporal who makes the ultimate sacrifice by throwing himself on an enemy grenade. This is just an incredible story. If I had to sum Glass' book up in only a few words, they would be "emotional, awe inspiring, and thank God for men such as these".

The Author, Doyle Glass, takes you back into the Vietnam War through the eyes of the Marines who fought in Operation Medina. The journey starts with each man joining the Marines. I had to laugh when he spoke of the first interaction with a Drill Instructor. Anyone who has been there will remember thinking, "What did I get myself into now?" Each character is brought to life. You associate with them, their excitement, their fears, and their commitment to each other. It tells of the officers who, in the heat of battle had to make quick decisions that may cost the lives of their men. It speaks of the young "Maverick," Lieutenant Ruffer, who spirited his men to keep fighting even when they were out-manned, out-gunned and running low on ammunition. The author places you alongside the Marines in the foxholes fighting off heat, fear and the enemy. By far it's one of the best stories that has to be told.

I am a Vietnam Vet (USAF B-52 Navigator) and a veteran of 39 years of teaching US History. I have read a lot of books on the Vietnam war. Doyle D. Glass has written a new book on the Vietnam War called Lions of Medina. It's like no other book that I have read on the war. Glass goes into the lives of a company of men in the US Marine Corps. He takes these men through their lives as civilians. He goes into detail as to why they joined the Marine Corps. He then takes them to Vietnam. These men, from Charlie Company, are involved in a plan to run the NVA out of a region in South Vietnam. The plan is called "Operation Medina." The author has a gift of describing what is going on in the battle that will soon occur. A young Lt. and his men will barely escape with their lives. As one of the Marines said, they were "really getting clobbered," then he heard someone singing the "Marines' Hymn," It was that young Lt, he yelled, "Let's get some, Let's go Charlie." That young Lt, his song, and his men will rally to save themselves from what would have been their death. I raved about the book so much that my wife picked it up and read it. She thorougly enjoyed it. I asked her how she liked it and she said, "that Lt and his men had to have been crazy....but it saved their lives." This is a must read for any reader, not just the history buffs. If you still believe in bravery, character and courage, you need to read Lions of Medina.