Things I'll Never Forget

Publisher's Summary

Things I’ll Never Forget is the story of a young high school graduate in 1965 who faces being drafted into the Army or volunteering for the Marine Corps. These are his memories of funny times, disgusting times and deadly times. The author kept a journal for an entire year; therefore many of the dates, times and places are accurate. The rest is based on memories that are forever tattooed on his brain. This is not a pro-war book, nor is it anti-war. It is the true story of what the Marine Corps was like in the late 1960’s, when the country had a draft and five hundred thousand Americans were serving one year tours in battle-torn South East Asia. If you served in Viet Nam you will want to compare your experience with the author’s. If you know someone who went to Viet Nam, you will want to listen for yourself what it was like. If you lost a loved one or friend in the war, you will want to listen to this and share it with others.

©2016, 2018 James M. Dixon (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Stirred up memories

At first I was hesitant to get this book, but now I'm really glad I did. My path to Viet Nam was quite similar in many ways. My boot camp was in Quantico, so I have a somewhat different perspective. Mr.Dixon's journey to "in country" was quite similar to what mine was, first Camp Pendleton, then by ship to Japan (Okinawa for me) with a stop in Honolulu for ship repairs, and then to Viet Nam. My time in Chu Lai was exactly 1 year prior, so comparing Mr. Dixon's memories to mine, detailed how much worse it got year after year. The first 2/3 of the book had me occasionally laughing at expressions and language used. Loved the stories as told from the enlisted man's side. As a junior officer, I can say the views from a 1st Lt artillery forward observer were not too different. The last 1/3 of the book became intense, memory wise. The epilogue is a perfect summation in so many ways to how this Viet Nam combat veteran feels now and felt back then. Thank you James Dixon for a job well done.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

One of the best...

books on the Vietnam War about life as a US Marine Corp grunt. Hopefully, our youth will want to read this and become a bit more smarter about that nasty conflict.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good, very good. <br />

As a Marine in the Nam, I also cannot let it go for the way we were treated by the privileged such as Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. I hope they are proud of themselves.This book brings out the horror of War and terrible way our soldiers were treated in country and when they came home.
This book is well worth the effort to listen to or read.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very real

This story is one of "this sucks, but here I am." There's not a lot of glory or extreme tales of valor, heroism, or all the other stuff people tend to write. The drudgery was real, and a good bit of it was drudgery. I know this doesn't seem like a glowing review but it really is meant to be. It felt, real. I liked it.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book

I truly enjoyed listening to this book. It's almost like sitting down with a family member as they tell their stories of Vietnam. Both of my parents were in Vietnam but never talked much about it. So this for me was the next best thing.

thank you

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

My life

What a Great story! Brought back many boot camp memories. The Corps hasn’t changed a bit.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent Read!

I joke to people when I tell them that I am a souvenir of the Vietnam War....however I am serious. I am of Vietnamese descent and if it were not for my father bringing my mother and I home from that war, I'd surely be squatting in a rice patty right now. Bravo to all of the combat veterans of the Vietnam War.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amazing Experience

Very well written and moving. You want to listen as long as possible while sometimes having to stop and think about what you just heard.

Must read

Exceptionally interestingly narrative that should be a "must read" for all of us who lived through those days and all generations that have followed.

Gripping

Wonderful! I'm thankful to Dixon for sharing his story. I felt like I was there, & now I have a better understanding of what my Vietnam vet friends went through that they won't talk about. A must read to truly realize the horrors of war & the heroism of our brave warriors.

This is a great Vietnam story and very honest

this book fills a bit like Full Metal Jacket at the beginning which is nice to hear another version of a similar Tale. The middle felt like there was a lot of stagging on and the reader is almost keen, too keen for the soldier to go to the grants. But when he is at the grants, it's a clear tale of be careful what you wish for. there is lots of action but the action can feel very sad at times.

Intriguing account

I really enjoyed the retelling of this Vietnam account. It is revealing and thoughtful in its retelling. I’ve used some of the anecdotes while teaching my students the Vietnam war in history. Well worth the listen.