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The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966
The first trade paperback edition of the New York Times best-seller about West Point's Class of 1966, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Atkinson.
This is the story of the twenty-five-year adventure of the generation of officers who fought in Vietnam. With novelistic detail, Atkinson tells the story of West Point's Class of 1966 primarily through the experiences of three classmates and the women they loved--from the boisterous cadet years and youthful romances to the fires of Vietnam, where dozens of their classmates died and hundreds more grew disillusioned, to the hard peace and family adjustments that followed. The rich cast of characters includes Douglas MacArthur, William Westmoreland, and a score of other memorable figures. The West Point Class of 1966 straddled a fault line in American history, and Rick Atkinson's masterly book speaks for a generation of American men and women about innocence, patriotism, and the price we pay for our dreams.
This is the story of the twenty-five-year adventure of the generation of officers who fought in Vietnam. With novelistic detail, Atkinson tells the story of West Point's Class of 1966 primarily through the experiences of three classmates and the women they loved--from the boisterous cadet years and youthful romances to the fires of Vietnam, where dozens of their classmates died and hundreds more grew disillusioned, to the hard peace and family adjustments that followed. The rich cast of characters includes Douglas MacArthur, William Westmoreland, and a score of other memorable figures. The West Point Class of 1966 straddled a fault line in American history, and Rick Atkinson's masterly book speaks for a generation of American men and women about innocence, patriotism, and the price we pay for our dreams.
608 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
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About the author
Rick Atkinson
40 books1,733 followersRick Atkinson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven works of history, including The Long Gray Line, the Liberation Trilogy (An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light), and The British Are Coming, the first volume of the Revolution Trilogy. His work as a historian and journalist has won numerous awards, including three Pulitzer Prizes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
November 24, 2020
What an epic book this is!! It follows the West Point class of 1966 mainly through the lives of 3 cadets, whom I would describe as a warrior, a servant and a rebel, as well as the West Point reverend who knew most of them from young cadets to old men. The stories of many other cadets are intermingled throughout the book to give a better picture of what these men went through during their lives. The book is heart-rending as it is about young men full of bright ideals when they start on their journey, who are then during the Vietnam-era and afterwards searching for meaning in their life after everything they believed in have been broken down, where some of them cope well under the pressure and others break. You may not like and agree with all of the 3 cadets in the story, but that is life and what makes this book great as it takes the lives of 3 very different men. This book is also full of West Point history and traditions and the story of an institution going through major changes and searching for it's own identity, and the 10th year anniversary edition has a great afterword to show where some of the '66 graduates ended up in life. I highly recommend this book as it is one of the best books I've read and shows that honor and duty never goes out of fashion!!
November 25, 2020
Very mixed feelings about this one.It glorifies the wrong war,but is still hard to put down.
Despite my distaste for the Vietnam War,this book kept me engrossed.It follows the West Point class of 1966 all the way from West Point to the war zone.
As the new cadets arrive,the commandant looks at them and thinks,"the new cadets are lucky,they'll have their own war." (As if this war were some kind of prize).
The individual stories about the cadets at West Point and how many of them would go on to lose their lives in battle make for compelling reading.
There are also interesting glimpses of cadets' lives at West Point.
It's been a while since I read it,but I especially remember the story about Art Bonifas, the American officer who was killed near the DMZ in Korea,over a rather small matter.
In later life,some of them would get involved with building the Vietnam War Memorial.Rick Atkinson is a first rate storyteller.
It is a patriotic,one sided book.So, it makes no mention of the sufferings of the people of Vietnam.And I'd like to read such a book,written from the perspective of the Vietnamese,with a detalied description of their sufferings.
Despite my distaste for the Vietnam War,this book kept me engrossed.It follows the West Point class of 1966 all the way from West Point to the war zone.
As the new cadets arrive,the commandant looks at them and thinks,"the new cadets are lucky,they'll have their own war." (As if this war were some kind of prize).
The individual stories about the cadets at West Point and how many of them would go on to lose their lives in battle make for compelling reading.
There are also interesting glimpses of cadets' lives at West Point.
It's been a while since I read it,but I especially remember the story about Art Bonifas, the American officer who was killed near the DMZ in Korea,over a rather small matter.
In later life,some of them would get involved with building the Vietnam War Memorial.Rick Atkinson is a first rate storyteller.
It is a patriotic,one sided book.So, it makes no mention of the sufferings of the people of Vietnam.And I'd like to read such a book,written from the perspective of the Vietnamese,with a detalied description of their sufferings.
November 19, 2008
One of the hazards of being Santa Claus in a library is that one sees all sorts of interesting items in between promises for Barbie dolls and AK-47s. I happened to run across Rick Atkinson's Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966 in the Forreston Public Library. This is just a wonderful book. Based on scores of interviews, Atkinson spent 10 years gathering material. The reader gets to know the pains and pleasures (very few indeed) of 4 years at West Point. The class becomes a microcosm of American society for the next 20 years as many of the officers suffer the same agonies and worries as their countrymen. Atkinson describes the revolution that Kennedy tried to foment in the officer corps. In his address to West Point in 1962, Kennedy referred obliquely to the war in southeast Asia as a new kind of war with insurgents, assassins, ambushes and an enemy seeking to win by exhaustion rather than engagement. Kennedy wanted the new officers to be as much diplomats as soldiers, particularly to be nation builders. After Vietnam, an American officer said to his Vietnamese counterpart: "You know you never beat us in battle." To which the other replied, "That's true, it's also irrelevant." West Point resisted the change. They were used to creating a fighter who gave no quarter and who won by massive firepower. Yet the army desperately needed a new mission in the atomic age so counter-insurgency techniques were a godsend yet these proficiencies were virtually unknown. In 1951, a senator asked Omar Bradley if the army had learned anything new fighting in North Korea. His reply was that "we have certainly been up against one type of warfare we never had before, and that is the guerilla type, in which you have infiltration of your lines by large groups." Military historians were stunned. The 19th century army had destroyed a whole continent of gorilla fighters, often by fighting unconventionally; they had successfully defeated the Tagaloos in the Philippines, not to mention the British in the late 18th century. West Point Superintendent Dave Richard Palmer wrote, "The army corporate memory was little more than one generation long, stretching back no further than the experiences of the men in it."
The impact of Vietnam on the corps was tremendous. The contrast between the strict honor code of the Point and the mendacity of the army in the field: lying on readiness reports and digging up graves to inflate body counts. Ironically, the first class of '66 graduate to die became a metaphor for the war. His own rifle killed him when he became mired in mud and handed his M-16 to a soldier butt first without the safety on. The soldier accidentally hit the trigger and Frank Rybecki died in a hail of his own bullets. The number of soldiers killed by friendly fire was astonishing. In the book's most intense section we watch several '66 graduates maneuver their troops up hill 875, 6 of the 8 classmates in the battalion were to become casualties. One died as a jet flew the wrong trajectory and dropped his bomb in the middle of Company C killing 42 and wounding all the rest. Paradoxically, the hill was then evacuated after finally being taken. The West Point chaplain's story is particularly poignant as he presides over an increasing number of funerals of boys whose weddings he had officiated at not too many months before. Atkinson follows the class through Grenada and Panama and for many into their civilian careers. An interesting tidbit: Battle fatigue causalities (acute environmental reaction -- which I always thought was something parents suffered from) was much lower in Vietnam (2-3%) than in WW II (20-30%). A WW II study found that soldiers reached peak efficiency at 90 days of combat and that after 200-240 days the value of battle-hardened men to their units became negligible. That was the reason for one-year tours in Vietnam.
The impact of Vietnam on the corps was tremendous. The contrast between the strict honor code of the Point and the mendacity of the army in the field: lying on readiness reports and digging up graves to inflate body counts. Ironically, the first class of '66 graduate to die became a metaphor for the war. His own rifle killed him when he became mired in mud and handed his M-16 to a soldier butt first without the safety on. The soldier accidentally hit the trigger and Frank Rybecki died in a hail of his own bullets. The number of soldiers killed by friendly fire was astonishing. In the book's most intense section we watch several '66 graduates maneuver their troops up hill 875, 6 of the 8 classmates in the battalion were to become casualties. One died as a jet flew the wrong trajectory and dropped his bomb in the middle of Company C killing 42 and wounding all the rest. Paradoxically, the hill was then evacuated after finally being taken. The West Point chaplain's story is particularly poignant as he presides over an increasing number of funerals of boys whose weddings he had officiated at not too many months before. Atkinson follows the class through Grenada and Panama and for many into their civilian careers. An interesting tidbit: Battle fatigue causalities (acute environmental reaction -- which I always thought was something parents suffered from) was much lower in Vietnam (2-3%) than in WW II (20-30%). A WW II study found that soldiers reached peak efficiency at 90 days of combat and that after 200-240 days the value of battle-hardened men to their units became negligible. That was the reason for one-year tours in Vietnam.
March 17, 2025
At this point I expect nothing less than excellence from Atkinson. I loved his WW2 trilogy and am excited to get to his Revolutionary War trilogy which is in process. 'The Long Gray Line' was, I believe, his first foray into book publishing and was published in the late 80's. Atkinson tracks the experiences of the West Point class of '66 for a number of reasons. First, they graduated and were immediately thrown into the Vietnam War, resulting in the loss of several classmates. Secondly, the backlash these officers faced after returning home illustrate the experience of the military as a whole. The reader gets a sense of the dip in moral and even the despondency of members of the military. The book does drag a little bit towards the end of the book, but I appreciated getting to know more about the struggle for the Vietnam war memorial. A moving, informative book. Easy four stars.
August 1, 2012
My brother is a great reader of books on military history. When he finds one he really likes, he tries to get me to read it. I usually defer, but sometimes, if I'm searching for something to red, I'll relent. The Long Gray Line is a case in point. It is about the West Point class of 1966, which had the misfortune of graduating into the Vietnam war. At first glance it would seem a book about the war, but it is far more than that. Atkinson, who is a fine writer, follows the class from 1962, when they enter the academy to the late nineties (in the version I read - the book was first published in the 80s and reissued in the 90s).
He picks a handful of recruits and follows their entire careers, but he tells the stories of dozens more. He also tells he story of their girlfriends, wives, and children. Only a small, terrible part of the book covers Vietnam. The rest really tells the story of the changes wrought by the war in both West Point and the Army. And, of course, the changes that took place in America during the same period.
Most of the cadets leave the Army and he follows them into civilian life. Some never lived up to their potential, but all of them were smart and some hugely successful.
It's a very interesting book and a great read. And it reminded me of why I chose not to stay in the Army after my three years were up. I don't think I was cut out for a military life.
He picks a handful of recruits and follows their entire careers, but he tells the stories of dozens more. He also tells he story of their girlfriends, wives, and children. Only a small, terrible part of the book covers Vietnam. The rest really tells the story of the changes wrought by the war in both West Point and the Army. And, of course, the changes that took place in America during the same period.
Most of the cadets leave the Army and he follows them into civilian life. Some never lived up to their potential, but all of them were smart and some hugely successful.
It's a very interesting book and a great read. And it reminded me of why I chose not to stay in the Army after my three years were up. I don't think I was cut out for a military life.
October 27, 2025
When I read this book, I saw part of myself in the mirror, having been in the Class of 1965--truly loved my classmates, detested the system while I benefited greatly from both. I'm lucky not to have stayed there the whole 4 years to make the military my career, but I respect those who did both. All prospective cadets to USMA should read this book. All ex-cadets should read it as well.
January 6, 2013
This is a story of the United States Military Academy at West Point class of 1966, a class that graduated into the war in Vietnam. It is non-fiction, about real people and real events. We are introduced to several cadets and follow them and their cohort through twenty-five years. Women were first admitted to West Point in the fall of 1976 and that is a part of the story. The same year that 109 young women entered the academy, an honor code cheating scandal engulfed the school touching over 150 cadets. That also is a part of the story. Author Atkinson thoroughly examined the institution and the men who are a part of that institution; he painted a portrait without the use of an air brush to hide the blemishes.
The first quarter of the book covers the years 1962-1966, the years our protagonists were at West Point. Although there were some interesting segments, I found it in general to be rather dull. There are hyjinx of kidnapping the Navy goat before the Army/Navy football game and other standard college pranks as experienced by men who were for the most part the cream of the crop, bright and boisterous. There is also the drinking and the daring and reckless driving in the new red Corvette leading to nearly fatal consequences. What is the phrase? Work hard, play hard. There are the doubts and certainties about becoming a warrior in a time when yet another war was in its beginning stages. But mixed in with these highlights, were many uninteresting days for young men in a male dominated society. These four years made me think of what it must be like to live in a college frat house.
I decided to read this book because of its connection with Vietnam. While I am not so knowledgeable about military history, I did live through that era and was one of the many young men subjected to the draft. Like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, I was not drafted. I did sing the song “Alice’s Restaurant” along with Arlo Guthrie. I was touched by that war in ways that contributed to who I became as an adult. So reading the book was in some ways a flashback to places, West Point and Vietnam, that would have been extremely strange to me in 1966 and still have a surreal quality in my mind.
Our young protagonists are prepared by four years at West Point, steeped in duty, honor, and country.
The second quarter of the book covers the time spent in Vietnam. Our West Point graduates came to Vietnam as lieutenants, full of ideals and ignorance. Seventeen hundred lieutenants died in Vietnam; three generals.
West Point was the calm. Vietnam was the storm. Lt. Crocker suddenly found that he was a target and The Long Gray Line no longer had any dull moments.
The narrative is gruesome and graphic.
Tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, tons of bombs and napalm are delivered in an attempt to annihilate an invisible enemy. Machine guns and grenades obliterate the dense jungle. Men are horribly maimed and die instantly or slowly. At some point the enemy “melts away” into the jungle.
Death in war is really not ever simple.
And what about the young lieutenants from West Point?
And then there were the civilians stateside. That would be me.
That was not true for many of us. We watched it on the television news every night and saw daily photos in the newspapers. At the high school reunions we heard about the members of our class who had served and died.
I have not yet succeeded in putting Vietnam behind me. For me it is the big “What if?” What if I had been drafted in 1969? What if I had been ordered to Vietnam? What if I had gone to Canada instead?
The second half of the book deals with the lives of our Lieutenants after the war whether they stayed in or resigned from the Army. They were still young – most in their mid-twenties – b ut the war had aged some of them beyond their years. The U.S. Army was a different place by the end of the war. Drug use and abuse was common and relations between blacks and whites were tense. The all volunteer Army was a different animal from the draft. Discipline was erratic.
The resignation rate was high and the satisfaction of West Pointers low. Some were glad to get out and some were sad to get out. The Army had more officers than necessary after the war due in part to promotions in the field. The book contains stories about what some of the men did after the war, some that made the news. We also learn about the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., to become one of the most moving and popular national memorials after a very mixed initial reception. I’ve got to tell you, as someone who has stood and touched The Wall, a shiver in my spine and a lump in my throat combined with tears in my eyes as I read the portion of the story of The Wall where the idea of the statue was combined with the polished black granite.
Relishing the battles led by our West Point class of ’66, the October 1983 invasion of Grenada is revisited. One disastrous encounter of the four day operation on this very small Caribbean island was when a Navy fighter jet mistakenly strafed an Army operations center wounding sixteen and killing one. In another operation where Blackhawk helicopters bringing Rangers into what turned out to be a mostly deserted facility crashed together killing four Rangers. Nine thousand medals for valor and achievement were awarded, far more than the total number of troops on Grenada.
I had such great expectations for this book. I thought that it could never be as good as I expected it to be. The Vietnam segments were grisly as I have come to expect. The struggles of the West Point graduates of 1966 to maintain their allegiance to the cause for which many died were powerfully presented by the author. How they individually and collectively confronted their commitment to “duty, honor, and country” illuminates the gentle boys who went to war.
It all boils down to this: I wasn’t too interested in what they did before the war but I was interested in what they did during and after their war experience. The writing throughout the book was very good. The “before” chapters could have been condensed, I thought. I found the “during” and “after” chapters fascinating and often did not want to stop reading.
My obsession with Vietnam runs deep as if it is a missing or unknown part of my life. The Long Gray Line fed that obsession and made me glad that I still have some significant Vietnam books on my shelf to read: Fire in the Lake, July July, Vietnam A History, In Retrospect The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, A Rumor of War, The Killing Zone , In Country , Last Men Out , The Cat from Hue. Most of these are rated as four star books by GR encouraging me to look forward to reading them.
Because I found the first segment of the book, the period at West Point before the war, less than the excellence achieved by the rest of the book, I give The Long Gray Line four stars. Although I was not captivated by the first section of the book, I thought the rest of the book was five star quality.
The Long Gray Line has some stunning stand-alone stories that come together as a unified whole. The men who are tracked through the book are part of what brings it all together. West Point is clearly a major unifying factor. While it is not always at the front of your mind, you know that it is part of who these men were and who they have become.
I was and am a strong “anti” person: anti-military and anti-war. (A more positive way to put it would be to say I am a pacifist. But I kind of like the anti label.) I would not consider myself an ally of West Point. But that antipathy (that anti again!) did not prevent me from enjoying and learning from The Long Gray Line. I was horrified by some of it and touched by others.
The book does have a good set of notes and a bibliography at the end that give some insight into how the material for this non-fiction book was gathered and written.
The first quarter of the book covers the years 1962-1966, the years our protagonists were at West Point. Although there were some interesting segments, I found it in general to be rather dull. There are hyjinx of kidnapping the Navy goat before the Army/Navy football game and other standard college pranks as experienced by men who were for the most part the cream of the crop, bright and boisterous. There is also the drinking and the daring and reckless driving in the new red Corvette leading to nearly fatal consequences. What is the phrase? Work hard, play hard. There are the doubts and certainties about becoming a warrior in a time when yet another war was in its beginning stages. But mixed in with these highlights, were many uninteresting days for young men in a male dominated society. These four years made me think of what it must be like to live in a college frat house.
I decided to read this book because of its connection with Vietnam. While I am not so knowledgeable about military history, I did live through that era and was one of the many young men subjected to the draft. Like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, I was not drafted. I did sing the song “Alice’s Restaurant” along with Arlo Guthrie. I was touched by that war in ways that contributed to who I became as an adult. So reading the book was in some ways a flashback to places, West Point and Vietnam, that would have been extremely strange to me in 1966 and still have a surreal quality in my mind.
Our young protagonists are prepared by four years at West Point, steeped in duty, honor, and country.
Nearly every great captain, the cadets were told, had been tested in combat early in his career. Lee and Grant in Mexico, Pershing and Marshall in the Philippines, Patton and MacArthur in World War I. The clear implication, of course, was that the men of ’66 should be grateful for the chance to be annealed in combat and prove themselves as young warriors. But those had been textbook wars and textbook heroes. A cadet could not smell JP4 and burning feces in the classroom. This was real. After years of preparing for this moment, George felt ready. More than ready, in fact: he felt invincible.
The second quarter of the book covers the time spent in Vietnam. Our West Point graduates came to Vietnam as lieutenants, full of ideals and ignorance. Seventeen hundred lieutenants died in Vietnam; three generals.
The lieutenants were hardly more benighted than the most senior echelons of the United States government and the American Army. What Lieutenant George Crocker did not know on arriving at Bien Hoa he could not have been expected to know; what the president, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs, and the Army’s top generals did not know would cost 58,000 American lives and lose the war.
West Point was the calm. Vietnam was the storm. Lt. Crocker suddenly found that he was a target and The Long Gray Line no longer had any dull moments.
Matt moved slowly among the dead as Charlie Company began zipping them into body bags. Never had he imagined having to witness such carnage. The battlefield bespoke something primordial, something as timeless as warfare; the stench, the droning flies, the grotesque attitude of corpses already ripening in the jungle heat. The mutilated bodies lying singly or in small groups, were reminiscent of Custer’s last stand. But the tableau also suggested a heartbreaking naïveté, like the Kindermort, the Massacre of the Innocents in 1914, when untrained German schoolboys had been slaughtered at Ypres.
The narrative is gruesome and graphic.
Hallow-eyed with fatigue, a medic stumbled over and tugged the poncho from the wounded soldier. In the moonlight, Lindseth was horrified to see that there was nothing below the soldier’s waist; both legs had been severed at the hip. The sight seared itself into Lindseth’s memory, as the medic injected another syringe of morphine. A few hours later, the soldier died.
Tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, tons of bombs and napalm are delivered in an attempt to annihilate an invisible enemy. Machine guns and grenades obliterate the dense jungle. Men are horribly maimed and die instantly or slowly. At some point the enemy “melts away” into the jungle.
As so often happened now in Vietnam, Americans had fought and died valiantly for a meaningless terrain feature that was seized only to be immediately relinquished. The battle was a Pyrrhic victory once defined by Churchill as “bought so dear as to be almost indistinguishable from defeat.”
Death in war is really not ever simple.
When Fran awoke, she knew it was true. Buck was gone forever. … The family did not know – and would not know for twenty years – that Buck had been killed by an American bomb.
And what about the young lieutenants from West Point?
The scene was sobering, but Tom was not inclined to ask himself any hard questions about the cost of the war. The doctors told him it would take two months to recuperate, yet already he was eager to get back with the Screaming Eagles. He was a West Pointer; a West Pointers place was at the front, even in a conflict where there was no front.
Never having had any second thoughts about the war, Tom wasn’t about to entertain them now. He was apolitical. Wasn’t that the way professional soldiers were supposed to be? Isn’t that what West Point taught, a rigorous neutrality? Humphrey, Nixon, LBJ – Tom could not see a nickel’s worth of difference between any of them. He wasn’t even registered to vote. Issues of war and peace were properly decided by the democratically elected government; for a lieutenant to second-guess that government showed arrogant bad faith.
And then there were the civilians stateside. That would be me.
People at home had no idea what the war was like, and most simply didn’t care to know.
That was not true for many of us. We watched it on the television news every night and saw daily photos in the newspapers. At the high school reunions we heard about the members of our class who had served and died.
I have not yet succeeded in putting Vietnam behind me. For me it is the big “What if?” What if I had been drafted in 1969? What if I had been ordered to Vietnam? What if I had gone to Canada instead?
The second half of the book deals with the lives of our Lieutenants after the war whether they stayed in or resigned from the Army. They were still young – most in their mid-twenties – b ut the war had aged some of them beyond their years. The U.S. Army was a different place by the end of the war. Drug use and abuse was common and relations between blacks and whites were tense. The all volunteer Army was a different animal from the draft. Discipline was erratic.
The resignation rate was high and the satisfaction of West Pointers low. Some were glad to get out and some were sad to get out. The Army had more officers than necessary after the war due in part to promotions in the field. The book contains stories about what some of the men did after the war, some that made the news. We also learn about the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C., to become one of the most moving and popular national memorials after a very mixed initial reception. I’ve got to tell you, as someone who has stood and touched The Wall, a shiver in my spine and a lump in my throat combined with tears in my eyes as I read the portion of the story of The Wall where the idea of the statue was combined with the polished black granite.
One of Jan Scrugg’s favorite lines was from F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.” Here were written the names of more than 58.000 heroes, which made for a tragedy of epic magnitude. Somehow, though, the memorial moved beyond death and grief to a celebration of the mysteries of life. It’s supposed to heal, Bill thought, and it does.
Relishing the battles led by our West Point class of ’66, the October 1983 invasion of Grenada is revisited. One disastrous encounter of the four day operation on this very small Caribbean island was when a Navy fighter jet mistakenly strafed an Army operations center wounding sixteen and killing one. In another operation where Blackhawk helicopters bringing Rangers into what turned out to be a mostly deserted facility crashed together killing four Rangers. Nine thousand medals for valor and achievement were awarded, far more than the total number of troops on Grenada.
The United States Army, its self-esteem battered in Southeast Asia, needed to win a war, any war.
I had such great expectations for this book. I thought that it could never be as good as I expected it to be. The Vietnam segments were grisly as I have come to expect. The struggles of the West Point graduates of 1966 to maintain their allegiance to the cause for which many died were powerfully presented by the author. How they individually and collectively confronted their commitment to “duty, honor, and country” illuminates the gentle boys who went to war.
It all boils down to this: I wasn’t too interested in what they did before the war but I was interested in what they did during and after their war experience. The writing throughout the book was very good. The “before” chapters could have been condensed, I thought. I found the “during” and “after” chapters fascinating and often did not want to stop reading.
My obsession with Vietnam runs deep as if it is a missing or unknown part of my life. The Long Gray Line fed that obsession and made me glad that I still have some significant Vietnam books on my shelf to read: Fire in the Lake, July July, Vietnam A History, In Retrospect The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, A Rumor of War, The Killing Zone , In Country , Last Men Out , The Cat from Hue. Most of these are rated as four star books by GR encouraging me to look forward to reading them.
Because I found the first segment of the book, the period at West Point before the war, less than the excellence achieved by the rest of the book, I give The Long Gray Line four stars. Although I was not captivated by the first section of the book, I thought the rest of the book was five star quality.
The Long Gray Line has some stunning stand-alone stories that come together as a unified whole. The men who are tracked through the book are part of what brings it all together. West Point is clearly a major unifying factor. While it is not always at the front of your mind, you know that it is part of who these men were and who they have become.
I was and am a strong “anti” person: anti-military and anti-war. (A more positive way to put it would be to say I am a pacifist. But I kind of like the anti label.) I would not consider myself an ally of West Point. But that antipathy (that anti again!) did not prevent me from enjoying and learning from The Long Gray Line. I was horrified by some of it and touched by others.
The book does have a good set of notes and a bibliography at the end that give some insight into how the material for this non-fiction book was gathered and written.
June 2, 2022
From West Point to Vietnam
This book has sat on my bookshelf, unread, for a very long time. But once I picked it up, I found it very difficult to put it down. The West Point Class of 1966 entered the academy in 1962. Mr Atkinson’s book follows the lives of several members of the Class of 1966. Many of those who graduated became platoon commanders in Vietnam, those who survived had to return to a world in which their service was seen as deeply divisive. The world, as Mr Atkinson points out, had changed. General Douglas Macarthur may have inspired them, but the war they found themselves embroiled in had entirely different rules of engagement.
I read about the journeys of these young men, from their first days at West Point through their training and Army service, their aspirations and hopes, their relationships and family stories. I watched as idealism was overtaken by the reality of a different world for all and by tragedy for some.
While Mr Atkinson’s book charts the lives of individuals, it also covers the history of West Point as an institution. The role of the US military has changed since World War II and continues to evolve.
This book ends with the creation of (and accompanying conflict surrounding) the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This book has sat on my bookshelf, unread, for a very long time. But once I picked it up, I found it very difficult to put it down. The West Point Class of 1966 entered the academy in 1962. Mr Atkinson’s book follows the lives of several members of the Class of 1966. Many of those who graduated became platoon commanders in Vietnam, those who survived had to return to a world in which their service was seen as deeply divisive. The world, as Mr Atkinson points out, had changed. General Douglas Macarthur may have inspired them, but the war they found themselves embroiled in had entirely different rules of engagement.
I read about the journeys of these young men, from their first days at West Point through their training and Army service, their aspirations and hopes, their relationships and family stories. I watched as idealism was overtaken by the reality of a different world for all and by tragedy for some.
While Mr Atkinson’s book charts the lives of individuals, it also covers the history of West Point as an institution. The role of the US military has changed since World War II and continues to evolve.
This book ends with the creation of (and accompanying conflict surrounding) the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
December 7, 2024
Rick Atkinson has won three Pulitzer Prizes. Two were for journalism at the Washington Post and one for his book Army at Dawn, which is a history of the American forces deployed in the first months of WW2 in Africa and Italy.
It is this book however “The Long Gray Line” that is his greatest work. It was his first book. I will go even one step further and state that it is one of the best history books I’ve ever read. Atkinson spent nine years writing this book. He moonlighted while working at the Post.
The level of detail is astonishing but this a trademark of Atkinson. But it is his numerous and highly personalized stories of many of the 1966 Army Cadets that is at the root of the book. There are so many doubts, insecurities and sacrifices that the veterans shared in their interviews with Atkinson. We follow their progress through West Point and on to Vietnam and beyond.
It is unlike most history books I’ve read because there are so many threads. The stories both tug at your heart and enlighten as great history books should. For many of the young officers that survived Vietnam, their careers would continue for decades longer both in the Army and in civilian life. The book culminates with the building of the Vietnam Wall and its assorted controversies. The efforts were driven by four veterans, two of which were 1966 cadets featured in the book.
5 stars. This was a re-read and one of my favorite books. I can strongly recommend, especially if you like history.
It is this book however “The Long Gray Line” that is his greatest work. It was his first book. I will go even one step further and state that it is one of the best history books I’ve ever read. Atkinson spent nine years writing this book. He moonlighted while working at the Post.
The level of detail is astonishing but this a trademark of Atkinson. But it is his numerous and highly personalized stories of many of the 1966 Army Cadets that is at the root of the book. There are so many doubts, insecurities and sacrifices that the veterans shared in their interviews with Atkinson. We follow their progress through West Point and on to Vietnam and beyond.
It is unlike most history books I’ve read because there are so many threads. The stories both tug at your heart and enlighten as great history books should. For many of the young officers that survived Vietnam, their careers would continue for decades longer both in the Army and in civilian life. The book culminates with the building of the Vietnam Wall and its assorted controversies. The efforts were driven by four veterans, two of which were 1966 cadets featured in the book.
5 stars. This was a re-read and one of my favorite books. I can strongly recommend, especially if you like history.
June 15, 2022
Atkinson is one of my favorite modern historians. This work does nothing to detract from that, indeed, it only adds to it. Originally written in the late 80s, it primarily tracks the West Point class of 1966. That class lost more men in combat deaths than any other West Point class ever.
Simply put, this is brilliant writing. Maybe not technically, though it has no obvious flaws in that department. But in human interest, in the arc of life, this is the best kind of history and biography. Atkinson shows us the ferment of the 60s, the culture of West Point, the growth of a soldier, growing up, Vietnam, drugs, the oh-so-personal conflicting struggles for honor, the decline of the Army in the 70s, leadership (good and bad), wound care (physical and emotional), the story of the Wall, and the rise of the Army in the 80s.
Some books are published, and drop like a stone in a lake, leaving no trace. Some books catch fire, and burn out in a few years. Some books become classics, continuing to speak to succeeding generations for decades. This is one of the latter.
Read it. It will help you understand America.
Simply put, this is brilliant writing. Maybe not technically, though it has no obvious flaws in that department. But in human interest, in the arc of life, this is the best kind of history and biography. Atkinson shows us the ferment of the 60s, the culture of West Point, the growth of a soldier, growing up, Vietnam, drugs, the oh-so-personal conflicting struggles for honor, the decline of the Army in the 70s, leadership (good and bad), wound care (physical and emotional), the story of the Wall, and the rise of the Army in the 80s.
Some books are published, and drop like a stone in a lake, leaving no trace. Some books catch fire, and burn out in a few years. Some books become classics, continuing to speak to succeeding generations for decades. This is one of the latter.
Read it. It will help you understand America.
May 12, 2021
An excellent first book by Rick Atkinson, describing the West Point class of 1966. Many of the graduates of that academy class went off to serve among US forces in Vietnam. Thirty of their class were killed--the most of any West Point class in the Vietnam era.
The book is a spinoff of a series of articles that Atkinson originally wrote for The Kansas City Times in 1982. That series won him a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.
Atkinson provides in-depth portrayals of a range of characters from that West Point class, what happened to them after graduation, and after their exit from the army. Some stories are quite moving and poignant, others are tragedies, and still others are victories over hardship. I halfway expected a fairly sad and dark book, mourning the West Point graduates lost to the war. To Atkinson's credit, his scope is broader, humane, more objective. He shares triumphs and struggles, mistakes made, and prices paid. Also to his credit, he doesn't sugarcoat very much, nor is he needlessly critical. Even the final section of the book, set in the 80s, isn't maudlin or falsely positive, but appropriately bittersweet.
One minor criticism: of the accounts from Vietnam, Atkinson began to fall into a predictable pattern--many of the stories of hostile engagements are accounts of soldiers who won medals for valor. At times I felt as though I were reading the descriptions straight off the award citations. I got into a rhythm of anticipating the climaxes--which awards were won and who won them. I think the stories could have been handled a little more smoothly.
To me, probably the highlight of the book is Atkinson's descriptions of academy life during the mid 1960s. It's richly detailed and engaging, sharing a good deal of history of the academy, contrasts between that era with previous eras, and how the characters fared there, academically and socially. It's also worth noting that Atkinson doesn't fall into the trap of trying to compare that era with the ephemeral 'present day.' He provides a pretty immersive view of what it's like to be a cadet, and I could tell he truly cared about the institution, the cadets and military staff, and the history. Because of that, I imagine this must be a very popular book at West Point.
Years ago, I read another book about the Vietnam war that was spun off from a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of newspaper articles. That book was Tiger Force, based on articles from the Toledo Blade in the early 2000s. Tiger Force suffered because the book felt stretched--the authors had some trouble expanding their series into a full-length book, and the book as a result felt like a really long newspaper article. Atkinson has no such problem here. His material and sources were deep enough that the book never feels thin or wanting, and that's probably a key reason why Atkinson was able to leverage that experience into his later, more magisterial works. The Long Gray Line strikes the right chord.
The book is a spinoff of a series of articles that Atkinson originally wrote for The Kansas City Times in 1982. That series won him a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.
Atkinson provides in-depth portrayals of a range of characters from that West Point class, what happened to them after graduation, and after their exit from the army. Some stories are quite moving and poignant, others are tragedies, and still others are victories over hardship. I halfway expected a fairly sad and dark book, mourning the West Point graduates lost to the war. To Atkinson's credit, his scope is broader, humane, more objective. He shares triumphs and struggles, mistakes made, and prices paid. Also to his credit, he doesn't sugarcoat very much, nor is he needlessly critical. Even the final section of the book, set in the 80s, isn't maudlin or falsely positive, but appropriately bittersweet.
One minor criticism: of the accounts from Vietnam, Atkinson began to fall into a predictable pattern--many of the stories of hostile engagements are accounts of soldiers who won medals for valor. At times I felt as though I were reading the descriptions straight off the award citations. I got into a rhythm of anticipating the climaxes--which awards were won and who won them. I think the stories could have been handled a little more smoothly.
To me, probably the highlight of the book is Atkinson's descriptions of academy life during the mid 1960s. It's richly detailed and engaging, sharing a good deal of history of the academy, contrasts between that era with previous eras, and how the characters fared there, academically and socially. It's also worth noting that Atkinson doesn't fall into the trap of trying to compare that era with the ephemeral 'present day.' He provides a pretty immersive view of what it's like to be a cadet, and I could tell he truly cared about the institution, the cadets and military staff, and the history. Because of that, I imagine this must be a very popular book at West Point.
Years ago, I read another book about the Vietnam war that was spun off from a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of newspaper articles. That book was Tiger Force, based on articles from the Toledo Blade in the early 2000s. Tiger Force suffered because the book felt stretched--the authors had some trouble expanding their series into a full-length book, and the book as a result felt like a really long newspaper article. Atkinson has no such problem here. His material and sources were deep enough that the book never feels thin or wanting, and that's probably a key reason why Atkinson was able to leverage that experience into his later, more magisterial works. The Long Gray Line strikes the right chord.
May 26, 2014
Three and a Half Stars
I was born in 1968. My father was born in 1944 and had already been to Vietnam before I was even conceived. Growing up I didn't give too much thought to my parent's generation. The so-called "Baby Boomers".
However I was in awe of the WW II generation. My grandfathers and great-uncles fought in that war. That was the "Good War". My parent's generation fought and lost in South Vietnam and gave us the seventies and Jimmy Carter. I was young and simplistic in many ways. But I suppose most kids feel that way about their parents generation growing up.
However by the time I was in my early twenties I had begun to feel differently about my parents and their time. I was a young man in the U.S. Army in the late eighties and there were still many Vietnam veterans serving in both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. I had gotten to know some of those men and women and I was also growing up. I had come to realize that blaming my parent's generation for the previous forty-five years was absurd and simple-minded.
Rick Atkinson's The Long Gray Line came along at the right time. For not only was I a young and enthusiastic soldier in 1990, but I was wanting to know more about what my parents and their peers had experienced in their youth.
The book begins in 1962 when the Class of 1966 reports in August for "Beast Barracks". Beast Barracks is basically an abbreviated and intense introduction to West Point and Army life for the young plebes. It's to teach them the military basics that they will need in order to survive their first year at West Point.
There is background information on the officers that Atkinson profiles and the book follows the individual officers up to the late 1980's. The book ends in 1987.
Basically Atkinson examines the changes that the U.S. Army and the United States experienced over a very traumatic twenty-five year period. The book is (more or less) an biographical account with fairly extensive background (political, military, social, economical) information so that the reader can put the individual experiences in context. While the book isn't a barn burner it is an interesting read and provides a very Human aspect to the time period. It also serves to give the Army a Human face. This book also helped me to appreciate my parents generation a little more and that is never a bad thing in my opinion. So in it's own small way this book made a difference.
Mr. Atkinson is a journalist and the book reads like a journalistic piece - which it essentially is. It's well written and has a nice comfortable informality about it. It's a good read and I recommend it.
I was born in 1968. My father was born in 1944 and had already been to Vietnam before I was even conceived. Growing up I didn't give too much thought to my parent's generation. The so-called "Baby Boomers".
However I was in awe of the WW II generation. My grandfathers and great-uncles fought in that war. That was the "Good War". My parent's generation fought and lost in South Vietnam and gave us the seventies and Jimmy Carter. I was young and simplistic in many ways. But I suppose most kids feel that way about their parents generation growing up.
However by the time I was in my early twenties I had begun to feel differently about my parents and their time. I was a young man in the U.S. Army in the late eighties and there were still many Vietnam veterans serving in both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. I had gotten to know some of those men and women and I was also growing up. I had come to realize that blaming my parent's generation for the previous forty-five years was absurd and simple-minded.
Rick Atkinson's The Long Gray Line came along at the right time. For not only was I a young and enthusiastic soldier in 1990, but I was wanting to know more about what my parents and their peers had experienced in their youth.
The book begins in 1962 when the Class of 1966 reports in August for "Beast Barracks". Beast Barracks is basically an abbreviated and intense introduction to West Point and Army life for the young plebes. It's to teach them the military basics that they will need in order to survive their first year at West Point.
There is background information on the officers that Atkinson profiles and the book follows the individual officers up to the late 1980's. The book ends in 1987.
Basically Atkinson examines the changes that the U.S. Army and the United States experienced over a very traumatic twenty-five year period. The book is (more or less) an biographical account with fairly extensive background (political, military, social, economical) information so that the reader can put the individual experiences in context. While the book isn't a barn burner it is an interesting read and provides a very Human aspect to the time period. It also serves to give the Army a Human face. This book also helped me to appreciate my parents generation a little more and that is never a bad thing in my opinion. So in it's own small way this book made a difference.
Mr. Atkinson is a journalist and the book reads like a journalistic piece - which it essentially is. It's well written and has a nice comfortable informality about it. It's a good read and I recommend it.
September 17, 2012
Possibly one of the best books I've read. The book details several members of West Point's graduating class of 1966. One that suffered one of the highest casualty rates of all classes to serve in Vietnam. Mr. Atkinson does a wonderful job setting the mood that we've all experienced in our lives "freshly graduated...world at our doorstep" atmosphere. He then takes that wide eyed worldview and bathes it in fire of real life. The harsh reality of the world slowly beats away the wide-eyed feeling we have to start off the book, as each member experiences their own trials and tribulations in dealing with West Point and all points after. There is heartbreaking sadness as you see real characters get cut down in the prime of their lives.
Really is a wonderful read and certainly one that ANYONE that likes true life military reading should read. It's one of the few books that gave me trouble maintaining composure as you read through real life sadness and loss.
Really is a wonderful read and certainly one that ANYONE that likes true life military reading should read. It's one of the few books that gave me trouble maintaining composure as you read through real life sadness and loss.
July 27, 2016
I was intrigued when I heard about this book and was encouraged by my brother to read it. So, I had put it in my "to read" category for the time being. What had started me in REALLY reading this was when I took a history class and the instructor mentioned that he had graduated West Point, class of 1966, and had served in Vietnam as an officer. To me, getting myself immersed in this time period had become more vivid, as I had genuinely felt one step removed from the cadets and soldiers that Atkinson wrote about. I can only imagine of this particular time period in American history; a time where boys (and girls) had to grow up out of necessity and had to become men (and women) during a time in our nation of uncertainty. There was something that was definitely relatable to me about this book, and that was that no matter the circumstances in the world, there is a need for citizens of our country to stand up, to defend and to honor the service and sacrifice of those before us. This book was a great example of that.
September 20, 2022
This is truely an epic and thoroughly researched book about the class of 1966 at West Point, the US military academy,its training,its activities during Vietnam and afterwards.The story is probably well known in outline (brutal training,bravery,death and disillusionment) but is made especially poignant in showing the individual impact of Vietnam on the officers.It is very detailed and probably had more impact when first published but now is important for the historical detail.Unbearably sad in parts.Well worth a read but it will take a take a long time.
May 26, 2020
An impressive amount of research and time went into this work. However, I found that the author lacked control of the subject matter and tended to ramble on with really extraneous information. It is not a history per se, since it is full of the author's opinions about the military and the American government. But it is still worth your effort if you have any association with that period of American life. I grew up in the 60's, and lost friends in the VN war, which made the narrative about the realities of combat in VN all the more compelling.
January 31, 2024
Love Rick Atkinson’s works —
Exceptionally researched, interesting characters, militarily insightful.
So author: check
Timeframe: 1966 birth year, check
Topic: Vietnam - not my favorite topic… death, despair, social unrest, communist aggression again leading to millions slaughtered, along with the sons of democracy paying a heavy price. Just an emotionally difficult read.
5 stars if you can stomach Vietnam
4 stars for the masses
Exceptionally researched, interesting characters, militarily insightful.
So author: check
Timeframe: 1966 birth year, check
Topic: Vietnam - not my favorite topic… death, despair, social unrest, communist aggression again leading to millions slaughtered, along with the sons of democracy paying a heavy price. Just an emotionally difficult read.
5 stars if you can stomach Vietnam
4 stars for the masses
January 23, 2011
Pulitzer prize winning author Rick Atkinson has achieved something remarkable with this book. It is an epic portrayal of a generation's experiences via the prism of the US Military Academy at West Point and their lives beyond the wide-eyed days at 'Beast Barracks' in 1962.
Following the Class of '66, and focusing on half a dozen cadets in particular (though the engrossing cast is actually of dozens), Atkinson takes the reader on an emotional journey from the first days of induction, through their 4 years at the Academy and into service with the Army, surfacing in the chaos and tragedy of the Vietnam War, and beyond to the 1970s and 1980s. This isn't just any military history lesson though. He skilfully rotates the narrative from one player to the next, filling in their family stories, their relationships, inner thoughts and fears, and hopes and dreams. The parallel story of America's own adjustment from the era of John Kennedy and "what you can do for your country" to the days of Reagan's White House and the trauma of Vietnam in between is fascinating too.
The Class of '66 suffered terribly with casualties in the Vietnam mire and some of our protagonists have never returned. I felt something of each loss as I felt I had gained an element of familiarity and understanding with each and every young man and his loved ones, thanks to the excellent writing. This moving book portrays beautifully what happened to this generation, and the personal battles each faced away from the field of combat. It reads like a thriller and I couldn't really put it down without wanting to push on and know what was going to happen to them all.
An extremely powerful and affecting book, written with love and great craftsmanship. You will not regret reading The Long Gray Line.
Following the Class of '66, and focusing on half a dozen cadets in particular (though the engrossing cast is actually of dozens), Atkinson takes the reader on an emotional journey from the first days of induction, through their 4 years at the Academy and into service with the Army, surfacing in the chaos and tragedy of the Vietnam War, and beyond to the 1970s and 1980s. This isn't just any military history lesson though. He skilfully rotates the narrative from one player to the next, filling in their family stories, their relationships, inner thoughts and fears, and hopes and dreams. The parallel story of America's own adjustment from the era of John Kennedy and "what you can do for your country" to the days of Reagan's White House and the trauma of Vietnam in between is fascinating too.
The Class of '66 suffered terribly with casualties in the Vietnam mire and some of our protagonists have never returned. I felt something of each loss as I felt I had gained an element of familiarity and understanding with each and every young man and his loved ones, thanks to the excellent writing. This moving book portrays beautifully what happened to this generation, and the personal battles each faced away from the field of combat. It reads like a thriller and I couldn't really put it down without wanting to push on and know what was going to happen to them all.
An extremely powerful and affecting book, written with love and great craftsmanship. You will not regret reading The Long Gray Line.
Want to read
March 7, 2012The Vietnam chapters look amazing...but West Point itself is a slough of boredom. I haven't read a single American military bio or memoir in which it's interesting, not even in a sadistic Young Törless kinda way (it's strict! there's no booze! Or women! Except MacArthur's mom, who lived nearby to keep him out of "trouble"!). All I recall Grant saying is that he hated it. Not even James Salter, whose blurb for The Long Gray Line partly convinced me to add the book, writes well about West Point; in Burning the Days, his years there are an arduous trial, for Salter and reader alike, before fighter jets, coterie fame, and La Belle France.
October 25, 2025
Fascinating narrative of the events and experiences of a handful of West Point cadets (Class of 1966), instructors, and a chaplain from 1962 through 1979. The author succeeds in the unprecedented achievement of humanizing these young officers who experienced combat in Vietnam and showing how it affected those who survived in different ways. Some of their classmates who did not fight in the war (although they served honorably in other positions in the Army) had their own shadows to reflect upon.
Most interesting to me was that the fighting in the Vietnam War was one thing, but the battles surrounding the development of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. were also very fierce and took a toll on those most responsible for getting it built.
I thought the narrative would occasionally drift away from the primary theme of these few, these happy few, this band of brothers, but it would inevitably return to one or more cadets from the Class of ’66 who were central to the events being described.
Finally, this book’s greatest strength is that it remains apolitical and does not endeavor to explain the “why” of the war in Vietnam, but instead focuses on the “what” — what happened, and how these young men, the ones who survived, navigated an unclear future.
This book has my strongest possible recommendation.
Most interesting to me was that the fighting in the Vietnam War was one thing, but the battles surrounding the development of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. were also very fierce and took a toll on those most responsible for getting it built.
I thought the narrative would occasionally drift away from the primary theme of these few, these happy few, this band of brothers, but it would inevitably return to one or more cadets from the Class of ’66 who were central to the events being described.
Finally, this book’s greatest strength is that it remains apolitical and does not endeavor to explain the “why” of the war in Vietnam, but instead focuses on the “what” — what happened, and how these young men, the ones who survived, navigated an unclear future.
This book has my strongest possible recommendation.
March 21, 2019
One of the best books I've ever read. Tough at times, but very "readable," and most certainly very well written. And I don't generally get into the military stuff, so that's saying something. Highly recommend.
April 17, 2015
The book is about a group of men who share an era with me and I was drawn to the book to see what paths they followed. Otherwise, the story is not for everyone. I observed a long time ago that professional soldiers, just like everyone else, had to confront the same life issues as everyone else, e.g. divorce, marriage, child-raising, career, and losing friends to war. The folks in this story are no different. The graduates of this “school for soldiers” are varied in personality, capability, and other ways. Remember, the Vietnam War is in progress in 1966. They had several choices upon graduation. Some chose “non-combat” assignments. Others went into infantry and artillery and a few went on to graduate school. Not all those that went into combat survived nor came out in one piece. Since one of West Point’s goals is to fashion combat leaders, it was interesting to learn how little the graduates knew about “leadership in combat” and the type of post-graduate training required. The option to attend top-of-line graduate schools was offered in exchange for extending their 4 year military service obligation to 6 years. Not all made a career of the service. The Army's "up or out" policy insured that many or most would not make it to retirement. As I recall only one ascended to general. More than one, after exiting Army service, graduated from law school. One particularly interesting vignette concerned the design and creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Parts of the story are particularly heated.
I admit to ambivalence with regard to the United States Military Academy at West Point as I could never reconcile “Duty, Honor and Country” with the hazing, as described in the book, that confronted newly arrived candidates. Furthermore, it always bothered me that those receiving the hazing were expected to continue the tradition. I guess you had to be there. Surviving West Point certainly created a brotherhood. In one sense, West Point is portrayed as an “Ark of the Covenant” or keeper of values and traditions to serve as an example for ROTC and OCS programs. During the Vietnam era there were thousands more 2nd Lieutenants created by OCS and ROTC programs than West Point. For certain, I would never have made it through West Point; but I am glad that there are those who wish to accept the challenge to attend. In thinking back about the book I am reminded of the closing lyrics to Jimmy Buffet’s “He Went to Paris”--- “some of it's magic, some of it's tragic. But I had a good life all the way.”
I admit to ambivalence with regard to the United States Military Academy at West Point as I could never reconcile “Duty, Honor and Country” with the hazing, as described in the book, that confronted newly arrived candidates. Furthermore, it always bothered me that those receiving the hazing were expected to continue the tradition. I guess you had to be there. Surviving West Point certainly created a brotherhood. In one sense, West Point is portrayed as an “Ark of the Covenant” or keeper of values and traditions to serve as an example for ROTC and OCS programs. During the Vietnam era there were thousands more 2nd Lieutenants created by OCS and ROTC programs than West Point. For certain, I would never have made it through West Point; but I am glad that there are those who wish to accept the challenge to attend. In thinking back about the book I am reminded of the closing lyrics to Jimmy Buffet’s “He Went to Paris”--- “some of it's magic, some of it's tragic. But I had a good life all the way.”
March 7, 2011
Atkinson does a wonderful job weaving a compelling narrative of West Point graduates from the class of 1966. He follows them through West Point, Ranger training, Vietnam, and their struggle to integrate into the world after their tours, or their continued military service and how their carreers move forward. At turns funny, tragic, and thought provoking, this was a wonderful back to back read with Craig Mullaney's "Unforgiving Minute" (he was a West Point graduate from 2000 I believe). Surprisingly, not all West Pointers were "gung ho" for military service when faced with Vietnam. Some had their own moral quandries about the conflict.
The most interesting parts to me were the various battles they fought in Vietnam, the struggle to complete the Vietnam War Memorial, the crisis in the DMZ in Korea,historical context of American involvment in guerilla warfare, and the retention rates of the military of West Point graduates in general and specifc to the class of 1966.
Highly recommended to those with an interst in the Vietnam conflict.
The most interesting parts to me were the various battles they fought in Vietnam, the struggle to complete the Vietnam War Memorial, the crisis in the DMZ in Korea,historical context of American involvment in guerilla warfare, and the retention rates of the military of West Point graduates in general and specifc to the class of 1966.
Highly recommended to those with an interst in the Vietnam conflict.
December 12, 2020
This book seems like a bit of a hen's tooth to my mind. A fascinating, readable, very comprehensive yet also incredibly detailed dive into a part of history I really knew very little about going in.
Gives all sorts of facts, figures and juicy details whilst still keeping them, well, juicy. A dry tome of events and statistics, this ain't.
Somehow the author covered his subject in painstaking detail without making it any less of an enjoyable narrative. The subject itself may sound kind of niche, but through that subject the book takes a good look at a dazzlingly wide array of subjects - and of course, I've come away with an understanding of West Point (and the American military as a whole) that is 100% improved on the next-to-nothing I knew before.
Gives all sorts of facts, figures and juicy details whilst still keeping them, well, juicy. A dry tome of events and statistics, this ain't.
Somehow the author covered his subject in painstaking detail without making it any less of an enjoyable narrative. The subject itself may sound kind of niche, but through that subject the book takes a good look at a dazzlingly wide array of subjects - and of course, I've come away with an understanding of West Point (and the American military as a whole) that is 100% improved on the next-to-nothing I knew before.
January 24, 2014
I've read Atkinson's WWII "Liberation Trilogy" and was looking for more of his work. This book particularly appealed to me since these guys were at West Point at the same time I was in college, but their experience couldn't have been more different. It was also a good learning experience about the Vietnam War, which most of us have never looked back at.
The book was a bit more detailed than necessary about the lives of those it profiles, but I really ended up wanting to keep going to find out how their lives ended up. It was also a reminder to me of life in general in the 1960s and how so much has changed since then.
The book was a bit more detailed than necessary about the lives of those it profiles, but I really ended up wanting to keep going to find out how their lives ended up. It was also a reminder to me of life in general in the 1960s and how so much has changed since then.
February 13, 2020
Rick Atkinson has written a history of the West Point class of 1966, the class that suffered more combat deaths than any other in the history of the US Military Academy. He has interviewed dozens of class members and their family members and has come up with a wide-ranging narrative that includes such non-military figures such as Roy Cohn and Elizabeth Taylor. I found the narrative engrossing as it reads almost like a Dickensian novel with characters appearing and reappearing throughout the book. I had to keep reminding myself that these were real people and I found myself googling some of them to find out what happened to them after the book (which was written in 1989) ends.
March 5, 2011
A good book about a pivotal time in our history. The Long Gray Line has served our country since 1802. I was going to title my latest WIP the same, but surprisingly a lot of people don't know what it is. So my trilogy coming next month is Duty; Honor; Country. Which actually wasn't the motto at West Point until 1898, but it captures the essence.
June 9, 2019
An in-depth look at the West Point class of 1966. There is some brief coverage of their four years at WP but this is largely an examination of their experiences in Vietnam and how that changed their view of the Army and life in general.
August 19, 2016
Interesting look at the class of 1966 from West Point Military Academy and life in the 60's.
What does it mean to be an American and Patriotic?
Are all wars Just and should we fight regardless of our views?
What does it mean to be an American and Patriotic?
Are all wars Just and should we fight regardless of our views?
September 29, 2018
Atkinson is one of the best military historians alive today!
Having read his award winning trilogy of the Second World War, I just stumbled on to this older book on the West Point Class of ‘66. A worthwhile read.
Having read his award winning trilogy of the Second World War, I just stumbled on to this older book on the West Point Class of ‘66. A worthwhile read.
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