The Boys of ’67: Charlie Company’s War in Vietnam – Book Review

I recommend The Boys of ’67 to historians and the general public alike. Historians can benefit from the detailed history of Charlie Company—a part of the 9th Infantry Division that was unique in the Vietnam War because the men and officers trained together and were also deployed together. The general public can benefit from the richly emotional detail of the heartaches that men experience during war, and what they and their families experience in the aftermath of war.

Wiest’s use of personal interviews and letters home put a personal touch on the book. I felt a growing sense of attachment to the men of Charlie Company as the book progressed, felt a sense of their heartache when their brothers died, and I sympathized for many of them who struggled with PTSD following the war. Wiest addresses the ugliness and humanity of war, but also the loving bonds that are created between men who experience war together and the indelible marks it leaves on their minds.

ARMCHAIR GENERAL – MILITARY HISTORY BOOKS-BOOK REVIEW