Not a Gentleman’s War

The author served as an advisor to Montagnard units late in the American war, and in this book takes issue with the popular notions that US Army officers were generally poorly trained and unmotivated and that the best and ablest avoided service in Vietnam. More than 4000 junior officers were killed in-theatre, and Milam seeks to restore their reputations through exhaustive research and wide-ranging analysis. There are very few books that dissect the experience of command in war at more junior levels, and this one makes an important contribution to the field.