Year in Nam: A Native American Soldier's Story

"Year in Nam: A Native American Soldier's Story" is a memoir by Leroy TeCube, a Jicarilla Apache from New Mexico. He served as an infantryman in the Vietnam War from January 1968 to January 1969. TeCube fills this book with many details about the daily life of an infantryman in a war zone: being in a firefight, undertaking a combat air assault, walking point, etc. He discusses the weapons they used. The story is told in a straightforward style that is considerate of the general reader. For example, the author stops to define or explain such military terms and acronyms as "MOS," "tracer round," and "concertina wire." TeCube does not flinch from describing the horrors and loss of war. But he balances out the narrative by discussing some of the humorous and friendly activities of the troops. He discusses the encounters, both positive and negative, he and other troops had with Vietnamese civilians. Along the way he offers many observations on the plants and animals he observed in Vietnam. An important theme of the book is how TeCube's Native American heritage and identity provided him with an anchor in this dangerous, challenging environment. Particularly interesting are his accounts of how both other U.S. troops and Vietnamese people reacted to his Indian appearance. TeCube discusses his ethnic identity and its impact on his combat tour in a matter-of-fact way. Another important thread that winds through the book involves leadership and soldiering skill; we see TeCube move up the ranks as he gains experience in combat. Overall, this is an interesting memoir that brings a valuable perspective to the rich canon of Vietnam War literature.

Having done a tour myself, I have seen the movies and read several books that have come out about the war in Viet Nam. Nothing, and no one, has been able to authenticate the reality of the day to day operations of search and destroy missions, the monotony, the high levels of alertness, the camaraderie, the tragedies, and the senseless pain and suffering that took place on both sides, until now. Leroy does a superlative job of describing the feelings of the GI and those of the Vietnamese. His description of events are factual yet without sensationalism, a manner that can only be told by a seasoned combat veteran who became immune to the catastrophic events that surrounded him, as a means of survival, both physically and mentally.This is a must read for anyone who served in I Corp or the Americal. You will again feel yourself walking through the paddies, on the trails, smelling the odors of the villages, or hugging a rice paddy dike as the sniper rounds were in-coming. This book truly describes the reality of the life of a combat infantryman (grunt) during the war in Viet Nam.

In very straightforward, understandable prose, Mr. Tecube has captured the essence of the daily horrors and futility of America's presence in Vietnam. The real heroes of the book are the members of Leroy's platoon. They're a bunch of American kids that really didn't want to be where they were but tried to do make the best of a tragic situation. What's refreshing about Tecube's approach is that he's not out to condemn the soldiers, the politicians, or the enemy. Yet he's able to convey a sense of the absurdity of the situation and still maintain his dignity and objectivity. I've read a number of books about Vietnam but none conveys the sense of what it was really like the way Tecube does.