The Jungle Always Surprises: Memoir of a Company Commander in the Vietnam War

This memoir takes an unvarnished, first-hand look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of an infantryman's life in the Vietnam war zone. Depicting both the euphoria of success and the depression and remorse of failure, the real-life stories of Colonel George Maudin cover two tours in the Vietnam War, one with the 1st Cavalry Division in the central highlands and another with the 9th Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta. Some of his experiences are so bizarre that one can only laugh; others are tragic, told from a dark abyss with the dirty, wet, and cold infantryman; and some reveal the suffering of innocents at the hands of careless or over-zealous Americans.

This account of two distinct facets of a bloody war weaves a complex tapestry, containing both the dread and terror inherent to the war, as well as the inevitable light-heartedness and victorious moments that spring from the camaraderie of brothers in arms.