Eye of the Tiger

Memoir of a United States Marine, Third Force Recon Company, Vietnam

By: John Edmund Delezen

Narrated by: David Marantz

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

“We live together under the thick canopy, each searching for the other; the same leeches and mosquitoes that feed on our blood feed on his blood.” 

John Edmund Delezen felt a kinship with the people he was instructed to kill in Vietnam; they were all at the mercy of the land. His memoir begins when he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam in March of 1967. He volunteered for the Third Force Recon Company, whose job it was to locate and infiltrate enemy lines undetected and map their locations and learn details of their status. The duty was often painful both physically and mentally. He was stricken with malaria in November of 1967, wounded by a grenade in February of 1968, and hit by a bullet later that summer. He remained in Vietnam until December, 1968. 

Delezen writes of Vietnam as a man humbled by a mysterious country and horrified by acts of brutality. The land was his enemy as much as the Vietnamese soldiers. He vividly describes the three-canopy jungle with birds and monkeys overhead that could be heard but not seen, venomous snakes hiding in trees and relentless bugs that fed on men. He recalls stumbling onto a pit of rotting Vietnamese bodies left behind by American forces, and days when fierce hunger made a bag of plasma seem like an enticing meal. He writes of his fallen comrades and the images of war that still pervade his dreams.

©2015 John Edmund Delezen (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

a bit flowery for combat stories

This book was okay but the author seemed to be unable to determine if he was a poet, a historian. or a combat storyteller. Plainer language and less grasping for literary prose would have been more preferable for the subject matter.

With feeling

The author really makes you feel like you’re with him. Excellent feeling, very vivid descriptions. The reader can almost “feel” what the recon men had to endure.

Among Marines!

This is a very accurate depiction of " the boonies " in Vietnam. A very visceral account of Marines making their way through a mission and finding a way to complete it. Nothing glamorous or appealing about the task at hand. It certainly doesn't push the reader in any type of fervor making you wish you were there in the jungle. I don't know what else to say accept it's well worth a read or listen.

Inspiring

A war story. A good one. From the guy on the ground. Nothing less, nothing more. Recommended.

Not engaging, no mention, no backstory

an honorable man worthy of our gratitude but the writing style plus monotone reader was difficult to get through. I prefer Ed Kugler's book to this one.

good book

was a bit different then I expected but still good would recommend it good read

A great story of the boots on the ground!

I found this book in the "Included" section with no fee or credit required.
I have had bad experiences with the free books. But this one was a pleasant exception!
Having studied the Vietnam conflict, I was drawn into the story immediately.
The narrator did a wonderful job telling the story!

Pedantic and without form

The writing is pedantic, repetitive and without form. Nothing can relate to the authors experience because there are no descriptions other than a stream of consciousness.

A Great Listen

Delezen does an excellent job putting the listener into his muddy, water logged boots. Informative and enjoyable. Well done sir.

a must read

I read it while in Vietnam. We need more heroes likeV these guys. you can smell the jungle, the fear while being humbled by their courage

Semper Fi

I love first person " I was there accounts*
The Vietnam war has been categorised as an American error. This is a mistake and detracts from what was going on at the time.
Delezens story echoes the banter I heard in truck stops, guys who just sat behind a steering wheel concentrating on the road ahead. It is a good mental exercise!
Semper Fi is the motto of the United States Marine Corps.

Narrator is very dull

was OK, wasn’t the best Vietnam told story. Would like to have a bit more in-depth on the missions story drifted off in the middle with irrelevant chapters. Not the best.

Great story - Simple & Poetic

Sadly this audiobook is completely let down by the narration, that sounds about as emotionally involved as someone reading an instruction manual to clean out a blocked sink. The story itself is very simple, almost poetic. It's far from my favourite "Nam war story" but nor is it the worst. Sprinkled with just enough horror to remind me, that war is shocking and disgusting, always brutal and never fair.

Honest account of horrendous hardship

Initially the style of narration and prose felt weird. The narration was a bit jarring and it is written in short burst sentences almost like it was being transmitted by radio.
It grew on me and I would suggest it was written like a piece of poetry, like an epic war poem from Greece.
It did engage me because it was an incredibly honest account of the authors experiences without an gung ho embellishments. He is entirely honest about the terror he felt and the experiences he recounts were both horrific and enchanting. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants to understand the life of the soldier, completely unconcerned with the wider politics of the time. Well worth a listen.

Lyrical and gritty. Well worth a listen.

From the start, I was taken aback by how poetic and lyrical Mr Delezen's writing is. Of the many books I have read about war, I feel this is one of the most in insightful and thoughtful.

It gives an unexpected mix of historical context and straight to the point description of jungle fire fights. I finally understood why an old friend of our family would talk incessantly about fresh water. He talks about fear and discomfort and empathy for the "opposing" soldiers.

The narration is clear and conveys the emotion of the text well.

Without further ado, I can only say I recommend this wholeheartedly.

Cool book

Not a book I would have purchased, however as a free title i gave it a go. The book is an insight into the world of the reconnaissance soldier in the Vietnam War. Not a long listen but a riveting account that is narrated well and holds the interest of the listener

Great 'nam account

loved it, story moved at a nice pace and was a very honest, descriptive account. it didn't try hard to pull me in yet it did. splendid

Eye of the Tiger - marine recon unit Vietnam war

A completely honest view point , gritty, reflective and well worth the time to listen to.

Horror and heros

Takes you directly to the hell of the Vietnam conflict.
An absorbing, sobering view on war.

A Harrowing No Frills Account

This isn't Hollywood. This is real life. Seasoned with historical research, this Vietnam war memoir is a bloody, muddy, frightened and frightening account of the tour of duty of a marine and his comrades.
I can't imagine surviving the deprivations they endured, but it's a story which needs telling to those of us lucky enough never to go to war.