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Reflections of a Warrior: Six Years as a Green Beret in Vietnam
PFC Franklin Miller arrived in Vietnam in March 1966, and saw his first combat in a Reconnaissance Platoon. So began an odyssey that would make him into one of the most feared and respected men in the Special Forces elite, who made their own rules in the chaos of war. In the exclusive world of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observation Group, Miller ran missions deep into enemy territory to gather intelligence, snatch prisoners, and to kill. Leading small bands of battle-hardened Montagnard and Meo tribesmen, he was fierce and fearless -- fighting army policy to stay in combat for six tours. On a top-secret mission in 1970, Miller and a handful of men, all critically injured, held off the NVA in an incredible Alamo-like stand -- for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. When his time in Southeast Asia ended, he had also received the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal, and six Purple Hearts. This is his incredible story.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 30, 2018
Being of suspicious mind, I suspect that there is a bit of opportunism, perhaps even exploitation associated with the production of this book. Elwood Kureth, an officer, recognizes that he has a CMH winner in his unit, and ends up writing the man's story down. I guess one would have to know where the money went to be able to decide for sure. In any event, it's nice that Frank Miller's story was recorded for posterity.
Miller got in on the ground floor in the Vietnam conflict, way back in the sixties. He served for years in Vietnam, ending up in MACV-SOG. He saw a lot of action, and only the salient points of these actions are recorded in the book. When a man goes back stateside with six purple hearts, you know he has been in the shit. Kureth has written the book in the manner in which it was related to him by Miller, and the book has that easy comradely feel to it, like old soldiers sitting around relating exploits like the time you attacked a village when you thought you were hitting a single hooch. Or the time you lay in ambush over a VC food cache. Some tales had nothing to do with actual combat, and the incident where Miller carried a bamboo viper around with him for days thinking it was harmless added a touch of humour and a big dose of yuck to the yarn.
I suppose there's nothing wrong with an officer writing a story about his subordinate's exploits so long as no coercion is involved, and I have to admit that this is a page-turner. My moan is that it's too brief: with all Miller's time in Vietnam, Republic of, this book should have been twice as thick. Perhaps a more experienced interviewer would have coaxed a few more stories out of Miller.
I recommend this book as a great true account of the days when men knew what gender they were. I'll be reading it again.
Miller got in on the ground floor in the Vietnam conflict, way back in the sixties. He served for years in Vietnam, ending up in MACV-SOG. He saw a lot of action, and only the salient points of these actions are recorded in the book. When a man goes back stateside with six purple hearts, you know he has been in the shit. Kureth has written the book in the manner in which it was related to him by Miller, and the book has that easy comradely feel to it, like old soldiers sitting around relating exploits like the time you attacked a village when you thought you were hitting a single hooch. Or the time you lay in ambush over a VC food cache. Some tales had nothing to do with actual combat, and the incident where Miller carried a bamboo viper around with him for days thinking it was harmless added a touch of humour and a big dose of yuck to the yarn.
I suppose there's nothing wrong with an officer writing a story about his subordinate's exploits so long as no coercion is involved, and I have to admit that this is a page-turner. My moan is that it's too brief: with all Miller's time in Vietnam, Republic of, this book should have been twice as thick. Perhaps a more experienced interviewer would have coaxed a few more stories out of Miller.
I recommend this book as a great true account of the days when men knew what gender they were. I'll be reading it again.
March 29, 2023
This is a very readable and enjoyable book about the exploits of Medal of Honor recipient Frank Miller, who served a staggering six tours in Vietnam. It is written in an easygoing, roughly non-chronological style and follows Miller through his very successful tenor as a war-soldier to his quite uncomfortable years in the post-Nam, peacetime Army. It is one of those military memoirs which does not bog down in politics or technology but reads like a series of campfire tales told by a reasonable man. By "reasonable" I mean that Miller comes off as neither bloodthirsty and braggadocious nor bitter and agenda-ridden. He isn't interested in drawing wider conclusions about the war or the peace movement, or war or peace generally; he is just there to talk about what he saw and did in-country. And this is a lot. He started as an ordinary grunt, ended up in the Green Berets, and saw a great deal of combat in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, usually operating deep in enemy territory with very small units who depended on stealth, surprise and smart tactics more than firepower to survive. He had his share of scrapes with death and was shot through the chest once, nevertheless refusing to quit and even dragging other wounded to safety under heavy fire. This is a very lucky man with extraordinary skill for war, and he is aware of both factors and unburdened by much if any ego. He freely admits to being scared out of wits and making mistakes that should have killed him, or ideosyncratic traits such as being more frightened of being eaten by a tiger in the field than being killed by the VC (even the VC were afraid of the tigers, it seems!). He also talks about how difficult it was for a legendary Special Forces soldier used to doing whatever he wanted in the deeps of the jungle to come back to the States and be just another guy in green on a base somewhere. In short, this is an easy, breezy, often funny, frequently appalling book about a nasty war as seen through the eyes of a man who served for nearly its entire length -- a staggering feat in and of itself. I enjoyed it and class it as one of those books I will probably read again someday.
May 7, 2022
Reflections of a Warrior
Franklin D. Miller
****
Goodreads Review
by
Stormrider
Miller, Franklin D. with Elwood J.C. Kureth. 1991. Reflections of a Warrior. Presidio. NFD
Read:19 April - 23 April 2022
I never served with Frank, but I had heard of him. The Special Forces community is small and tight knit. He entered the United States Army four to six months ahead of me and our paths from Basic, AIT, Jump School, Special Forces Training Group and initial MOS training were exactly the same. He arrived in Viet Nam in 1966 and I arrived in 1967.
Frank noted that exhaustion was a primary enemy and I could not agree more. Every man has a weak point; lack of food, water, fear, exhaustion. Like Frank, my weakness was exhaustion. I could not function without sleep.
The quote by an unknown author on the leading flyleaf resonated deeply with me.
“God watches over his restless
and wayward children.
For they are the instrument
of his vengeance.”
As a member of Project Delta Recon, running missions similar to those Frank ran, in the same areas in I Corps in the Central Highlands, I certainly hoped we were on the right side - however that might be defined.
Early in the book in Part Two, My Birth subsection “Busted Cherry”, he tells of an incident in which he, with his team, entered an abandoned enemy way station that had some livestock and chickens left behind. He talks about destroying the animals and the necessity for it (13). Having dealt with a similar incident early in my career while flying with FAC as radio relay, I still remember, with great sadness, calling an airstrike in on a herd of water buffalo. Of all the violence I experienced in the furtherance of US foreign policy, that event caused me the greatest sadness.
With multiple combat tours running back-to-back, the psychological toll it takes on even the most grounded of operators will manifest itself in a variety of internal and external ways. He describes an extreme reaction that he had and felt was justified within the environment and activities he was engaged in.
"But if someone threatened you — holy shit — would that be a mistake. A threat would require instant reaction. You couldn’t take the chance that he was only joking. He might be serious when he said ‘I’m going to kill you,’ or gave you that look.
I’ve seen the look that goes with the words. When you’re in a battle zone and everyone’s got a gun, that look that means, I’m waiting my turn. I’m waiting for the opportunity to put a round in your head.
If I were in a battle area and you gave me that look, I’d shoot you on the spot. Immediately" (95).
While most of the special operations operators I worked with all evidenced a high degree of hyper-vigilance, we all, for the most part, were not afraid of deliberate friendly-fire incidents. Certainly not from fellow American Green Berets, nor from our indigenous troops. The rare occasions when I interacted with regular, line American troops, I could see why Frank felt the way he did.
The most disturbing event that Frank recounted in the book involved his indigenous girlfriend. Many of us had indigenous girlfriends that we shared a romantic relationship with and not just the occasional transactional relationship common between foreign troops and members of the host country. Frank relates how he awoke and watched her sleeping next to him and considered whether or not and how to kill her. He got up and spent the rest of the night in the jungle until he felt rational again. That is a case of hyper-vigilance that exceeds the ability of the individual to throw the switch to the off position. What struck me as the most disturbing element to the incident, was the internal debate Frank engaged in. I understand a reflexive violent reaction, the result of hyper-vigilance, when startled or awakened from sleep. But, the degree to which Frank had to deal with the psychological effects of living in a constant threat environment clearly showed a defensible case for clinical intervention. The signs of extreme stress are visible in two photographs taken in 1968 and 1969 and shown in the book. An example of the “thousand yard stare” on steroids.
His reviewing of the equipment, its method of carry and placement on our bodies, and the tactics we used brought back exciting memories and definitely contributed to surges of adrenaline that we were addicted to those decades ago. The authenticity of his experiences were spot on and had to be lived to be told. The difficulties of a prisoner snatch mission, dealing with the venomous snakes and insects in the jungle, brushes with tigers, elephants, and water buffalos all rang true with the voice of “been there, done that.”
Frank’s actions and the subsequent award of the Congressional Medal of Honor are in keeping with the highest traditions of America’s fighting forces. I wish I could have personally met him, shaken his hand, and rendered military courtesy to a man truly deserving of the term “Hero”.
Frank, like so many of those men and women sent off to foreign lands for reasons most of us do not truly understand but must believe in, physically return from war with demons and memories that citizens neither understand, nor do they want to understand the terrible experiences and the bad things good men and women are required to do that are done in the name of those that stay comfortable at home. Many of us, like Frank, came home, but we never really left.
High Lonesome, A.T.
05 May 2022
957 words
Franklin D. Miller
****
Goodreads Review
by
Stormrider
Miller, Franklin D. with Elwood J.C. Kureth. 1991. Reflections of a Warrior. Presidio. NFD
Read:19 April - 23 April 2022
I never served with Frank, but I had heard of him. The Special Forces community is small and tight knit. He entered the United States Army four to six months ahead of me and our paths from Basic, AIT, Jump School, Special Forces Training Group and initial MOS training were exactly the same. He arrived in Viet Nam in 1966 and I arrived in 1967.
Frank noted that exhaustion was a primary enemy and I could not agree more. Every man has a weak point; lack of food, water, fear, exhaustion. Like Frank, my weakness was exhaustion. I could not function without sleep.
The quote by an unknown author on the leading flyleaf resonated deeply with me.
“God watches over his restless
and wayward children.
For they are the instrument
of his vengeance.”
As a member of Project Delta Recon, running missions similar to those Frank ran, in the same areas in I Corps in the Central Highlands, I certainly hoped we were on the right side - however that might be defined.
Early in the book in Part Two, My Birth subsection “Busted Cherry”, he tells of an incident in which he, with his team, entered an abandoned enemy way station that had some livestock and chickens left behind. He talks about destroying the animals and the necessity for it (13). Having dealt with a similar incident early in my career while flying with FAC as radio relay, I still remember, with great sadness, calling an airstrike in on a herd of water buffalo. Of all the violence I experienced in the furtherance of US foreign policy, that event caused me the greatest sadness.
With multiple combat tours running back-to-back, the psychological toll it takes on even the most grounded of operators will manifest itself in a variety of internal and external ways. He describes an extreme reaction that he had and felt was justified within the environment and activities he was engaged in.
"But if someone threatened you — holy shit — would that be a mistake. A threat would require instant reaction. You couldn’t take the chance that he was only joking. He might be serious when he said ‘I’m going to kill you,’ or gave you that look.
I’ve seen the look that goes with the words. When you’re in a battle zone and everyone’s got a gun, that look that means, I’m waiting my turn. I’m waiting for the opportunity to put a round in your head.
If I were in a battle area and you gave me that look, I’d shoot you on the spot. Immediately" (95).
While most of the special operations operators I worked with all evidenced a high degree of hyper-vigilance, we all, for the most part, were not afraid of deliberate friendly-fire incidents. Certainly not from fellow American Green Berets, nor from our indigenous troops. The rare occasions when I interacted with regular, line American troops, I could see why Frank felt the way he did.
The most disturbing event that Frank recounted in the book involved his indigenous girlfriend. Many of us had indigenous girlfriends that we shared a romantic relationship with and not just the occasional transactional relationship common between foreign troops and members of the host country. Frank relates how he awoke and watched her sleeping next to him and considered whether or not and how to kill her. He got up and spent the rest of the night in the jungle until he felt rational again. That is a case of hyper-vigilance that exceeds the ability of the individual to throw the switch to the off position. What struck me as the most disturbing element to the incident, was the internal debate Frank engaged in. I understand a reflexive violent reaction, the result of hyper-vigilance, when startled or awakened from sleep. But, the degree to which Frank had to deal with the psychological effects of living in a constant threat environment clearly showed a defensible case for clinical intervention. The signs of extreme stress are visible in two photographs taken in 1968 and 1969 and shown in the book. An example of the “thousand yard stare” on steroids.
His reviewing of the equipment, its method of carry and placement on our bodies, and the tactics we used brought back exciting memories and definitely contributed to surges of adrenaline that we were addicted to those decades ago. The authenticity of his experiences were spot on and had to be lived to be told. The difficulties of a prisoner snatch mission, dealing with the venomous snakes and insects in the jungle, brushes with tigers, elephants, and water buffalos all rang true with the voice of “been there, done that.”
Frank’s actions and the subsequent award of the Congressional Medal of Honor are in keeping with the highest traditions of America’s fighting forces. I wish I could have personally met him, shaken his hand, and rendered military courtesy to a man truly deserving of the term “Hero”.
Frank, like so many of those men and women sent off to foreign lands for reasons most of us do not truly understand but must believe in, physically return from war with demons and memories that citizens neither understand, nor do they want to understand the terrible experiences and the bad things good men and women are required to do that are done in the name of those that stay comfortable at home. Many of us, like Frank, came home, but we never really left.
High Lonesome, A.T.
05 May 2022
957 words
May 18, 2018
The memories told have been hugely true and detailed to a great extent.
Years in Nam would be amazing experience enjoyed by any particular soldiers. There in Nam, you are free to get yourself explored uniquely weird things as Franklin told in this book.
As year gone by, the writer eventually becomes a Nam-culturally absorbed which traveled with him even back to the real world.
This book may probably be among the rarest ones proving physical engagement of China in Vietnam War. The disguise, specifically in this book, is exercised by a Chinese coating North Vietnamese uniform. I would be more excited in case the Chinese involvement was to be more detailedly depicted.
Years in Nam would be amazing experience enjoyed by any particular soldiers. There in Nam, you are free to get yourself explored uniquely weird things as Franklin told in this book.
As year gone by, the writer eventually becomes a Nam-culturally absorbed which traveled with him even back to the real world.
This book may probably be among the rarest ones proving physical engagement of China in Vietnam War. The disguise, specifically in this book, is exercised by a Chinese coating North Vietnamese uniform. I would be more excited in case the Chinese involvement was to be more detailedly depicted.
August 20, 2023
Honest Reflection On A Soldier's zLife
Not your typical stereotype of a special forces soldier. An average looking guy from what seems to be a typical middle American background. What made Frank Miller special was his bearing in combat. He was a combination of absolute fearlessness under stress, a complete adrenaline junkie, extremely good at his job, and a very large and necessary ego. He was perfect for the job he chose to do. This book is an excellent insight into such a man. Very interesting read. If I could have read the book in one sitting I would have.
Not your typical stereotype of a special forces soldier. An average looking guy from what seems to be a typical middle American background. What made Frank Miller special was his bearing in combat. He was a combination of absolute fearlessness under stress, a complete adrenaline junkie, extremely good at his job, and a very large and necessary ego. He was perfect for the job he chose to do. This book is an excellent insight into such a man. Very interesting read. If I could have read the book in one sitting I would have.
December 15, 2013
very good read, with a well told story.
August 2, 2018
Enjoyable insight into his time in Nam but the writing style lacked maturity in the narrative
April 17, 2020
This is my 5th book about MACV-SOG in Vietnam. Very simple read. The book is more of a conversation than super details. Six years in Vietnam. Crazy. MOH recipient.
September 22, 2011
Simply one of the best Vietnam War novels. Loved every chapter. Highly recommend it.
January 20, 2019
Read many like this, but none as good!
I am an avid reader of military history and biographies , and this is by far one of the best I've seen. The way it is written is very easy to understand and relate to. With no intentions of downgrading the amazing man and hero Frank Miller was, while reading this book it seems that he's just like any other person. Except he encountered many extraordinary situations and handled them exactly how everyone hopes they would be able to. I am truly grateful for great men such as this who allow us to live a great life of freedom and comfort.
I am an avid reader of military history and biographies , and this is by far one of the best I've seen. The way it is written is very easy to understand and relate to. With no intentions of downgrading the amazing man and hero Frank Miller was, while reading this book it seems that he's just like any other person. Except he encountered many extraordinary situations and handled them exactly how everyone hopes they would be able to. I am truly grateful for great men such as this who allow us to live a great life of freedom and comfort.
May 28, 2019
Despite there being little to no mention of army or special forces training this is the best book I personally have read so far written by a Vietnam veteran.
The book starts with Miller landing in Vietnam, from then on he writes mainly about his missions but also a little bit about what he did in his spare time which is just as interesting as the missions.
My only grievance, which I have seen other people write, the book was not long enough. Maybe he didn’t want to bore the reader but I could have very easily read deeper and deeper into his missions.
10/10 book
The book starts with Miller landing in Vietnam, from then on he writes mainly about his missions but also a little bit about what he did in his spare time which is just as interesting as the missions.
My only grievance, which I have seen other people write, the book was not long enough. Maybe he didn’t want to bore the reader but I could have very easily read deeper and deeper into his missions.
10/10 book
January 20, 2020
Real book about a real hero
Good book on Vietnam as there are way too few to choose from... this was a really good book about the men that served our country well and were treated poorly for doing so... He was truly a great soldier, just how or why he survived is nothing short of a miracle ...
Good book on Vietnam as there are way too few to choose from... this was a really good book about the men that served our country well and were treated poorly for doing so... He was truly a great soldier, just how or why he survived is nothing short of a miracle ...
September 12, 2022
A true American Hero.
Frank was truly lucky to have survived many almost death experiences.
His commitment to be the best is what drove Frank to do better.
His commitment to his troops for their training and well being paid huge dividends for each mission.
A motivated team will create much more than a complacent team.
Thank you Frank and Elwood for the information.
Frank was truly lucky to have survived many almost death experiences.
His commitment to be the best is what drove Frank to do better.
His commitment to his troops for their training and well being paid huge dividends for each mission.
A motivated team will create much more than a complacent team.
Thank you Frank and Elwood for the information.
January 24, 2026
Possibly the most interesting subject made as boring as possible - but hey the bloke is a soldier not a accomplished author/ writer. The whole story revolved around a mission that went wrong and developed into an eventual coordinated rescue -with the daily grind of Vietnam war in between, couldn't wait to finish it , but finished it I did.
January 18, 2018
A Rare Person and a Rare Book
A rare person and a rare book. I really felt at times like I was there watching Miller “in the woods”. Frank Miller was an amazing man and Mr Kureth combined with him to write an amazing book.
A rare person and a rare book. I really felt at times like I was there watching Miller “in the woods”. Frank Miller was an amazing man and Mr Kureth combined with him to write an amazing book.
May 15, 2022
Captivating and educational
Easy read. Amazing stories. Be prepared for the language of a "Nam warrior" (!#&%)
Interesting how he thrived in a crazy world of war. I enjoy the movie Rambo, and see some of the themes from that movie in this book.
Easy read. Amazing stories. Be prepared for the language of a "Nam warrior" (!#&%)
Interesting how he thrived in a crazy world of war. I enjoy the movie Rambo, and see some of the themes from that movie in this book.
May 18, 2022
Frank Miller: War Hero
This is a difficult book to review. Some of it read like it is self serving but through it all it is very compelling. I suspect Frank did just as he claimed he did. One hellofa warrior.
This is a difficult book to review. Some of it read like it is self serving but through it all it is very compelling. I suspect Frank did just as he claimed he did. One hellofa warrior.
May 25, 2022
Honest, raw, as we did what we did stories from a jungle warfare legend.
So captivating from the first paragraph. I haven’t burned through a book on Nam this quickly since The Things They Carried.
So captivating from the first paragraph. I haven’t burned through a book on Nam this quickly since The Things They Carried.
July 26, 2022
Thinking & doing to survive Vietnam
Frank guides you through the process to survive both thinking and doing in Vietnam.Wish book told more about his younger life to figure out why he was so different in some cases. Like a little down right odd!
Frank guides you through the process to survive both thinking and doing in Vietnam.Wish book told more about his younger life to figure out why he was so different in some cases. Like a little down right odd!
October 21, 2024
outstanding
I could not put this book down. A nonstop read. It took me about two days with “time outs” for showers and maybe reading. It must have been a huge adjustment coming back to the world!
I could not put this book down. A nonstop read. It took me about two days with “time outs” for showers and maybe reading. It must have been a huge adjustment coming back to the world!
June 22, 2017
Adventure Plus Integrity
It is a miracle this soldier survived as long as he did. Why hasn't his story been made into a movie?
It is a miracle this soldier survived as long as he did. Why hasn't his story been made into a movie?
January 31, 2019
Reflections of a Warrior
I loved this book! Now I understand why he spent 6 years in Vietnam, consecutively. Thank goodness we have heroes like him to protect our way of life.
I loved this book! Now I understand why he spent 6 years in Vietnam, consecutively. Thank goodness we have heroes like him to protect our way of life.
June 14, 2022
what a solider
Amazing story of a very humble solider doing a job he loved with every bone in his body. A must read.
Amazing story of a very humble solider doing a job he loved with every bone in his body. A must read.
September 12, 2023
Well done soldier
Riveting first hand account of a true patriot. Informative of the Vietnamese culture especially of the indigenous people. Loved it.
Riveting first hand account of a true patriot. Informative of the Vietnamese culture especially of the indigenous people. Loved it.
June 11, 2024
Well told, simply written, just a collection of stories from someone that has many a story to tell.
September 9, 2024
And brave men do...!
Well written..from the heart and soul....so many good men leave this earth before their time. If you want to meet a hero.then read this book. 05/11A
Well written..from the heart and soul....so many good men leave this earth before their time. If you want to meet a hero.then read this book. 05/11A
December 18, 2022
Excellent true story
My wife ordered this book for me.
I was in the Air Force in Vietnam from 12/66 to 12/67 in the Central Highlands. I’m in awe of his sacrifices and service. Many parts of the story brought back memories.
My wife ordered this book for me.
I was in the Air Force in Vietnam from 12/66 to 12/67 in the Central Highlands. I’m in awe of his sacrifices and service. Many parts of the story brought back memories.
Read
January 4, 2016 Read this book many years ago, great first person story about Vietnam and his experience. I recommend this book TO ALL, if for no other reason than a historical one...I have a saying that I tell to others "...just do what you're trained to do..." and this story captures how against all odds, by just "doing what (one) was trained to do" CSM Miller was able to defeat the odds and survive...one note that I will drop in is that in the CMH write up they don't mention his refusal to call a Prairie Fire in consideration for other teams that were operating in the field and him not wanting to draw resources away from others who may need them...while may sound a little silly in hindsight, it is a true testament to an individual, a TL, who at the time never lost sight of the "big picture" and how his actions/ requests could affect others in the field.
January 21, 2016
This book is mostly disconnected stories strung together with a difficult-to-follow timeline, if any at all. The stories are good, and very atypical of a green beret in Vietnam. This is a case where the title of the book really says it all. This is not a book you want to read if you are specifically interested in green berets in Vietnam, as it touches very lightly on the training, command, etc. It does, however, shed some light on the interactions between green berets and conventional forces.
July 31, 2015
Good book lots of action
This was a great book that gave you the feel that you where sitting in a bar bull $&@& with a combat veteran. I enjoyed the story the writing style was different from most book in this class but that only adds to the flavor
This was a great book that gave you the feel that you where sitting in a bar bull $&@& with a combat veteran. I enjoyed the story the writing style was different from most book in this class but that only adds to the flavor
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews