Once a Warrior King

He Was a young American soldier -- and the most powerful man in a remote rural District of Vietnam.

In the spring of 1969, First Lieutenant David Donovan arrived in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam to work as military advisor with village chiefs and local militia to win the war.

But as he was the highest-ranking person in the entire district, his life there was far more complex than anyone could have imagined.

This is Donovan's gripping account of combat missions and night ambushes in the swamps and jungles of the Delta...his heartrending tale of personal involvement with the culture and families in his charge...his humane introspection on his awesome responsibility as both warrior and king...his stark reflections on the changes he saw in himself and his country upon his return to the U.S.

David Donovan, born and raised in Georgia, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Shortly after college, he served in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Vietnam. In 1974 Donovan received his PhD and later became a full professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He is the author of?Once a Warrior King,?Murphy Station,?and?Counterinsurgency: What the United States Learned in Vietnam, Chose to Forget, and Needs to Know Today.