THE ARNHEITER AFFAIR

When I was S Division Officer aboard the USS El Paso from 1971 to 1973, one of my stalwart Chief Petty Officers was SNC Gustavo P. (Gus) Revita. Chief Revita was a fine Navy man in every respect. I respected him, liked him and relied heavily on him. He never let me down. The Chief served on the Vance throughout Arnheiter's command and had the quarterdeck watch when Navy brass finally came aboard to relieve Arnheiter of his command. I wouldn't betray the Chief's confidences by posting here everything he told me. I will say that he was reluctant to discuss the situation but told me and others who asked him about it that everything in the book was absolutely accurate. I knew other officers who knew Arnheiter before he was given command of the Vance. None could believe the Navy gave him command at sea. I love the Navy but it made a terrible error here before finally correcting it. This is a well written and highly readable account of the tragedy of the Vance. I highly recommend it.

In March of 1966, I was on the USS Falgout DER-324 which was tied alongside the Vance in Manila Bay. I recall hearing the infamous reveille tape while I was there. I learned all about Arnheiter and his reign of terror from a couple of Vance sailors while I was on liberty one night. When I read the book a few years later, I realized that it was all true. Because the Vance was a sister ship of the Falgout, the book was a very interesting read for me. I recommend it very highly if you're interested in Naval history and Navy justice.

This story is so very true and the description of Marcus Arnheiter is factual. The man should never have been given command of a ship much less left to remain in the Navy. He is a disgrace to our military forces everywhere. I served under him when he was the XO on the USS Ingersoll as a radionman.

I was a radioman aboard the Vance from 1965-1968. Reading this book brought back many memories. Some good and alot of very tough times due to the unpredictable Arnheiter. He was a very strange person. This book is extremely accurate and very well written.

The Arnheiter Affair by Neil Sheehan is not fiction. It surprises me how accurately he captured the events aboard the USS Vance Der 387 off the coast of Vietnam. It surprises me because the crew was given orders not to speak to any of the news teams who came aboard. The crew was also told not to make eye contact for any pictures taken on board the Vance. Being a radioman from 1965 - 1968 aboard the Vance I can make these comments because I now they are true. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in factual naval history.