A Rumor of War

A Rumor of War, by Philip Caputo, is a first hand account of the Vietnam War. He landed with the first group of Marines to be committed to Vietnam. Caputo was a Lieutenant in the Marines and was the leader of a platoon. His platoon encountered many assaults by the Vietcong and the group of men passed into Vietcong controlled land several times. Caputo left Vietnam 16 months after he had arrived.
Philip Caputo is one of America's most prominent writers. Besides A Rumor of War, other novels of his include, Horn of Africa, Delcorso's Gallery, Indian Country, and Equation for Evil. Caputo was born in Illinois, served in Vietnam in the Marine Corps, and for several years worked as a journalist, most incredibly for the Chicago Tribune, where as part of an investigative team he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

This book gives a good view of the American soldier’s fear going into this war. Caputo ment...