West Dickens Avenue: A Marine at Khe Sanh

It was like reading a diary. Very to the point. It was as the old saying goes. Like watching a trainwreck. You don't want to watch but you can't take your eyes off it. Anyone that is interested in a human look at the Vietnam war. A view that is not sterilized by military jargon, dates, and places. This book is for you. It is the quickest 200 pages I have ever read. Amazing.

John Corbett enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to Vietnam because a friend said he didn't have the balls to do it. Corbett ended up at Khe Sanh with about 6,000 other Marine, Army, Navy, Air Force and ARVN personnel surrounded by about 20,000 North Vietnamese regulars. The NVA pounded Khe Sanh with artillery, mortars, and rockets. This book is very reader friendly. It is written in the first person and in the present tense. The latter gives the reader a sense of immediacy with the book's action and the narrator's thoughts. There are four excellent maps at the beginning of the book. You will want to refer to them often as you read. They help a lot. There are also twelve pages of photos. The chapters are as follows: (1) Enlistment, (2) Vietnam, (3) Welcome to Khe Sanh, (4) West Dickens Avenue, (5) A Million-Dollar Wound, (6) On the Job Training, (7) Under Enemy Fire, (8) In Enemy Sights, (9) They've Come to Kill Us, (10) Home Is Where You Dig It, (11) Seventy-Seven Days of Combat, (12) Back to the Jungle, (13) I'm Leaving. There is also an epilogue. Each chapter is divided into sub-chapters with titles such as "Survived Again," "My Shower," "Air Strikes," "Patrol," "Ambush." You can read a sub-chapter and put the book down for later. Each is a kind of vignette in and of itself. Military jargon is explained in text. I gave it five stars because it kept my interest and moved me emotionally. You'd better get this book while it's still in print. Once you start reading it, I'll bet you can't put it down.

I have read many stories from the Vietnam War and this is one of the better ones. Jack does a good job of detailing his 77 days at Khe Sanh. No wonder the Vietnam War scarred so many people at so young an age. Jack is set down in Khe Sanh and the North Vietnamese Army targets the base day and night. Marines get little sleep as rockets, mortars, and artillery are flung at them at odd hours. Jack details his life during this 3-4 month ordeal. Loss of friends, million dollar wounds, and the West Dickens street sign are just some of the stories told in this book.This is a great read. I managed to read it in two days because of the easy flow and good stories. Great job writing your first book Jack.

As a country we seem to forget all of the men, woman, and children who's lives are drastically changed or taken by war. History repeats itself, and this book should be an inspiration to our youth to change the pattern. I am proud of my Uncle Jack for putting his thoughts and emotions out there for the whole world to judge. Honor all of our brothers and sisters who stand up for your rights by giving up their youth or holidays with their children. My Grandma passed away only 7 months prior to the books release, but those who knew her loved her. She and my Grandfather raised 8 childern, all who I am proud to know.They are surely smiling down on Jack now!

This is the first Viet Nam book that I have read and it has opened my eyes. An excellent 1st person account of what it was like to be on a fire base. Jack is a friend of mine and he has hit the nail squarely on the head with his depiction of what it was like for American kids growing up in Viet Nam. Just because you were on a fire base, didn't mean you were safe. Shelling, sappers, friends, stupidity, sleepless nights, the overlooked heroism, were all a part of it. Large bangs still make me jump. I used to feel guilty about having "only" been on a fire base. No more. I whole heartedly endorse this book.