With so many variables in geography, mission, and duty, the Vietnam War eludes one single image or description. Only through individual stories of participants can one piece together the reality of the Vietnam experience. This engaging memoir chronicles one such participant’s time as a member of the Marines 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. Steve Johnson was a fresh-faced 17-year-old when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1964. He recounts his training, deployment to Vietnam in 1967, harrowing reconnaissance missions, and interactions with exotic plant and animal life, monsoon rains, and the enemy. Throughout, he maintains his optimism and humor in the face of death, his resilience and courage in the face of sheer terror. With plentiful details involving tactics, geography, equipment, and his fellow soldiers, Johnson’s account reveals an important facet of the total Vietnam experience.