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Guns Up!
"Guns up!" was the battle cry that sent machine gunners racing forward with their M60s to mow down the enemy, hoping that this wasn't the day they would meet their deaths. Marine Johnnie Clark heard that the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam was seven to ten seconds after a firefight began. Johnnie was only eighteen when he got there, at the height of the bloody Tet Offensive at Hue, and he quickly realized the grim statistic held a chilling truth.
The Marines who fought and bled and died were ordinary men, many still teenagers, but the selfless bravery they showed day after day in a nightmarish jungle war made them true heroes. This new edition of Guns Up!, filled with photographs and updated information about those harrowing battles, also contains the real names of these extraordinary warriors and details of their lives after the war. The book's continuing success is a tribute to the raw courage and sacrifice of the United States Marines.
The Marines who fought and bled and died were ordinary men, many still teenagers, but the selfless bravery they showed day after day in a nightmarish jungle war made them true heroes. This new edition of Guns Up!, filled with photographs and updated information about those harrowing battles, also contains the real names of these extraordinary warriors and details of their lives after the war. The book's continuing success is a tribute to the raw courage and sacrifice of the United States Marines.
376 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
136 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Johnnie M. Clark
11 books22 followersLibrarian Note: Also writes as Johnnie Clark
Johnnie Clark was wounded 3 times with famous 5th Marine Regiment as a machine gunner. He was awarded the Silver Star, 3 Purple Hearts, The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry among other decorations. GUNS UP! was his first book, a non-fiction classic now in a 34th printing. It has been required reading in many high schools and colleges as well as the Commandant's list for suggested reading for all Marines. His second novel SEMPER FIDELIS also made the Commandant's list. Johnnie has two children Shawn and Bonnie. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife, Nancy and dog Gunner. He owns and operates Johnnie Clark Tae Kwon Do and Judo School, A Christian Do Jang. He is an 8th Dan Grandmaster. He is a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Johnnie Clark was wounded 3 times with famous 5th Marine Regiment as a machine gunner. He was awarded the Silver Star, 3 Purple Hearts, The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry among other decorations. GUNS UP! was his first book, a non-fiction classic now in a 34th printing. It has been required reading in many high schools and colleges as well as the Commandant's list for suggested reading for all Marines. His second novel SEMPER FIDELIS also made the Commandant's list. Johnnie has two children Shawn and Bonnie. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife, Nancy and dog Gunner. He owns and operates Johnnie Clark Tae Kwon Do and Judo School, A Christian Do Jang. He is an 8th Dan Grandmaster. He is a member of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this book.
The Corps and Vietnam from a 1st person point of view.
My unit in Germany had the best kept and firing M60's in our Battalion. I was real proud of this due to that of the use of gun jeeps in my unit.
Also I liked how Chan kept quoting scripture to the author and in the end, He quoted Chan's words back to him.
Outstanding book.
I would read more of Clark's work.
The Corps and Vietnam from a 1st person point of view.
My unit in Germany had the best kept and firing M60's in our Battalion. I was real proud of this due to that of the use of gun jeeps in my unit.
Also I liked how Chan kept quoting scripture to the author and in the end, He quoted Chan's words back to him.
Outstanding book.
I would read more of Clark's work.
January 25, 2018
A different perspective of the Vietnam War. Told from the view of a PFC 0331 grunt. Just the down and dirty of day to day life and death actions taken by the individual Marine. Many of the books on this topic are written by officers who see the war through a wider lens. This was a more down and dirty, do what your'e told without know why. The friendships made and lost.
I enjoyed every aspect of this book. I was especially pleasantly surprised to see that I had actually served under one of the characters while attending boot camp at Parris Island.
I enjoyed every aspect of this book. I was especially pleasantly surprised to see that I had actually served under one of the characters while attending boot camp at Parris Island.
January 17, 2016
Outstanding novel about being a lowly machinegunner in Vietnam
January 15, 2024
Detailed, in depth, haunting…there’s a reason all Marines envy the 0331s. GUNS UP!!!
December 3, 2025
This was the only war memoir I read this year, and it was the first I have read about the Vietnam War. Clark did an excellent job of depicting the chaos and nonsensicalness of war to the grunt on the ground. His experience of injury, loss, and redemption is a must-read. Although it is a war memoir, it is not as graphic as others, making it a good introduction to the genre.
October 6, 2013
Recommended as "one of the top Vietnam War memoirs" (I think actually by a UK newspaper, possibly by a UK war writer), GUNS UP! is a sort of full-blooded, full-throated war memoir that follows a Marine ranker and his best friend, Andrew Chan, a Chinese-American, who are both machine gun operators and summoned by the call "Guns up!" when their platoon makes contact.
It's an odd feeling, dealing with war classics. You know on the one hand that posterity has declared this to be a memoir classic, but the enormity of 60,000 US dead and 3 million Vietnamese just seems so tragic. Would PH and Thailand have gone red had the US not fought in Nam? So declare some military writers. But I'm not sure.
Well, putting aside politics, this is a full-blooded war memoir. Filled with combat, filled with the buddy relationship, and packed with period detail. Oh and Chan is a devout Christian, so there's plenty of biblical quotation too.
It's an odd feeling, dealing with war classics. You know on the one hand that posterity has declared this to be a memoir classic, but the enormity of 60,000 US dead and 3 million Vietnamese just seems so tragic. Would PH and Thailand have gone red had the US not fought in Nam? So declare some military writers. But I'm not sure.
Well, putting aside politics, this is a full-blooded war memoir. Filled with combat, filled with the buddy relationship, and packed with period detail. Oh and Chan is a devout Christian, so there's plenty of biblical quotation too.
August 30, 2017
Life as a Combat Veteran...... well described.
This book is one of the best in describing the existence and survival of a combat veteran in Vietnam. I was a RTO roaming the hills around Dak To, Kontum during the Tet Offinsive, and even though I was Army, life in the bush was the same. I was also wounded and received the Purple Heart.......but unlike some of my "brothers who gave all" I was able to return home.
Mr Clark's account of the miserable life, and the constant fear in attempting to survive, is true to form. It was pure Hell!! Guns Up!... is a must read, especially for the cowards who ran to Canada, protested, and treated the returning soldiers like trash.
Thanks you "brother" for telling your story.
Sgt. Charles (Ed) Arter.......RTO... 62AlphaCharlie
This book is one of the best in describing the existence and survival of a combat veteran in Vietnam. I was a RTO roaming the hills around Dak To, Kontum during the Tet Offinsive, and even though I was Army, life in the bush was the same. I was also wounded and received the Purple Heart.......but unlike some of my "brothers who gave all" I was able to return home.
Mr Clark's account of the miserable life, and the constant fear in attempting to survive, is true to form. It was pure Hell!! Guns Up!... is a must read, especially for the cowards who ran to Canada, protested, and treated the returning soldiers like trash.
Thanks you "brother" for telling your story.
Sgt. Charles (Ed) Arter.......RTO... 62AlphaCharlie
December 17, 2012
I could not believe how tough this must have been. How hard to accept the fact that your life was in the hands of politicians and 'pogues' who were not themselves in danger.
I can understand that a lot of people disagreed with the Vietnam war, but not with the fact that the returning vets had such a hard time.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you don't think you have courage.
I can understand that a lot of people disagreed with the Vietnam war, but not with the fact that the returning vets had such a hard time.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you don't think you have courage.
August 13, 2017
Absolutely great read.
I was sorry when the book ended. I wanted to read more. I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to learn more about that horrible war.
It is very sad how the news media twisted the facts, and many people believed their lies. They haven't changed.
I was sorry when the book ended. I wanted to read more. I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to learn more about that horrible war.
It is very sad how the news media twisted the facts, and many people believed their lies. They haven't changed.
September 5, 2017
Semper Fi uh rah!!!!
I'm also a Marine vet. who was there during this time period,and I just want to say that the descriptions and recollections in this book are the real deal. He has captured the crazy mixed up way that it messed up who you thought you were as a person,and also how you knew then,and know now that some part of you is buried there in that far off land.
I'm also a Marine vet. who was there during this time period,and I just want to say that the descriptions and recollections in this book are the real deal. He has captured the crazy mixed up way that it messed up who you thought you were as a person,and also how you knew then,and know now that some part of you is buried there in that far off land.
July 24, 2024
Staying clear of pointing fingers at CIA (and its Project MKUltra) that introduced the psychedelic drug to the United States in the 1950s, Lysergic acid diethylamide, simply LSD or acid, became the centerpiece of the 60s hippie counterculture movement that undulated from its epicenter, Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. Not to be outdone, the US Army Chemical Warfare Laboratories also had their fingers in the experiment pie, most likely a lot longer than October 1968, when possession of LSD was made illegal in the US. While the Vietnam War raged thousands of miles from CONUS during that time, service men and women in Indochina were dropping acid of a different kind. Namely, Sulfondichloramidobenzoic acid, or Halazone as it's commercially known, dropped in tablet form into (untreated) water to make it safe for consumption. Heavily used by the US Marine Corps in Vietnam, the branch that's eternally damned to make more with less, Pantocide (the less sexy name) was even used by grunts for mixing Halazone KoolAid. Don't drink the media and revisionist KoolAid, read it from the source; GUNS UP! is a 365 day and a wake-up journey through hell, taking a USMC Machine Gunner through its brutality, never knowing if he'd see another sunrise, but loudly proclaiming that there was nothing like the taste of Halazone to start the day. Hunker down, Semper Fi, and GUNS UP!
Those observing America's first TV-War from the safe distance of about eight thousand miles behind their sets in 1968 could conceivably presume that Vietnam looked pretty from the air; a giant green quilt with each square a different shade of green. GUNS UP! says that for those on the ground, in the bush, it was a different slice of hell. The weather most of the time ranged between horrible and awful, making the thick canopied jungle, leech infested paddies, mud, fields of elephant grass, and small rolling hills dangerous at every step. It was a place where your weapon was your life, and yet, life and death were about a hair apart in this arm pit of the world. GUNS UP! takes the reader back into 1968, I Corps tactical zone, home of the USMC, patrolling during 100+ degree heat and setting up ambushes at night. Life in the An Hoa valley, trying to intercept the flow of the Ho Chi Minh trail into other areas of the war-torn country. For the author of GUNS UP!, it was the typical USMC story; a lad who joined up under eighteen, young, dumb, and chewing gum. Great at sports and in full fear-mode that the war in Vietnam would be over before he could get some. West Virginian by birth, meaning he's got guts, character, and down-home honesty, which the author presumes are absolutely the best attributes to have when heading into the world to stop the flow of communist aggression and stop the dominoes from falling.
Arriving via Da Nang at Phu Bai, home of the storied 5th Marine Regiment, the one with the highest kill ratio in Vietnam at the time, Johnnie new-in-country finally gets his gun and his war. Designated with Military Occupational Specialty 0331 (Machine Gunner), it's the squad work horse of the Vietnam War. The belt fed M60. GUNS UP! chronicles a lot of emotion, the daily grind, and the long year serving in war, marching all day and fear of death at night, resulting in utter weariness all the time. Rightfully so, as these Marines endure along with the reader a never-ending hump through jungle, fields, hills, and ravines, as if betrothed to Columbus, sailing and sailing for the end of the earth. Thus is life for the grunt, GUNS UP! opines, and between World War II, Korea, Vietnam--every war stinks. But you've never seen stink like this, as Vietnam is worse than all of them according to the author. As such, GUNS UP! argues that Vietnam had its own unique way of ripping, rotting, and eating away at your body and soul. For when the order is to shoot anything that moves, it can't be worse than the chaos of battle with the hordes of North Vietnamese. Those with more time in have the perfect solution: GUNS UP! and keep the M60 bursts short.
Published in 1984, GUNS UP! sounds about like every Vietnam War movie cliche that's out there, but this book was there first, and is chock-full of hilarious axioms and USMC specific-isms. Detailing 'Back Alley' (the USMC's favorite card game), Boot vs Salt, skate duty, Slack City, saddle up, dog patch, and pogues, GUNS UP! maintains that the Marine Corps wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for punk Corporals, that volunteering is the ultimate Corps sin, Pound Cake was the best Nam era C-Ration, and that nothing is average in war. Possibly the inspiration for the book ONE SOLDIER that found life in '86, GUNS UP! is a terrifying and authentic look at jungle combat during a 365 day tour of duty during the Vietnam War. The fear, the anguish, hope, dreams, and the chaos of war, but nothing grinds more than the 23lb pig plus ammo. Without the current military fetishism, the bleary eyed conjured patriotism, misguided political finger pointing, and distorted modern bloodlust, GUNS UP! is a relatable and moving portrait of one young man among many, doing his part in the name of God, Corps, and Country. Punch your ticket, follow along, and experience a TOUR OF DUTY in a time when that still meant a full year in the hell that is war.
February 10, 2011
Enjoyable, if shallow, memoir of the Vietnam War through the eyes of a Marine
October 29, 2019
Der Vietnamkrieg aus der Sicht eines Maschinengewehrschützen.
Überraschend gut geschrieben.
Für einen knallharten Marine redet Clark auch sehr offen über seine extremen Angstzustände und scheut sich auch nicht unappetitliche Details und weniger ehrenhaftes Verhalten aus dem Feld zu beschreiben.
Insgesamt hat es mir richtig gut gefallen. Ich hätte auch eigentlich eine bessere Wertung gegeben nur fand ich leider den ganzen Bibel-liebenden Teil unerträglich.
Ich find es ja schon schlimm genug, wenn man unreflektiert die Bibel wie die ultimative Wahrheit abfeiert.
Aber das von Soldaten zu hören, die Männer und Frauen erschießen und dann sagen Gott hat es so gewollt. Naja.
Schade ist außerdem, dass der Autor alle Schimpfwörter entfernen musste, weil die Verlage es sonst nicht publizieren wollten.
In Amiland sind scheinbar brennende Menschen und abgetrennte Gliedmaßen kein Problem aber wehe es steht irgendwo "Motherfucker". Traurig.
Wenn man diese Teile ausklammert bleibt aber definitiv eines der besseren Vietnamkriegsbücher.
Man muss das Weltbild des Autors nicht teilen, um mit "Guns up!" einen sehr guten Eindruck vom Kriegsalltag eines Fußsoldaten zu bekommen.
Überraschend gut geschrieben.
Für einen knallharten Marine redet Clark auch sehr offen über seine extremen Angstzustände und scheut sich auch nicht unappetitliche Details und weniger ehrenhaftes Verhalten aus dem Feld zu beschreiben.
Insgesamt hat es mir richtig gut gefallen. Ich hätte auch eigentlich eine bessere Wertung gegeben nur fand ich leider den ganzen Bibel-liebenden Teil unerträglich.
Ich find es ja schon schlimm genug, wenn man unreflektiert die Bibel wie die ultimative Wahrheit abfeiert.
Aber das von Soldaten zu hören, die Männer und Frauen erschießen und dann sagen Gott hat es so gewollt. Naja.
Schade ist außerdem, dass der Autor alle Schimpfwörter entfernen musste, weil die Verlage es sonst nicht publizieren wollten.
In Amiland sind scheinbar brennende Menschen und abgetrennte Gliedmaßen kein Problem aber wehe es steht irgendwo "Motherfucker". Traurig.
Wenn man diese Teile ausklammert bleibt aber definitiv eines der besseren Vietnamkriegsbücher.
Man muss das Weltbild des Autors nicht teilen, um mit "Guns up!" einen sehr guten Eindruck vom Kriegsalltag eines Fußsoldaten zu bekommen.
October 19, 2024
amazing read!
This book reads like a fictional story. I am reminded of Nelson DeMille’s book ‘Up Country.’ De Mille was also a Vietnam Vet. He used a fictional story to take the reader into Vietnam. This book is a step above and beyond. It’s unbelievable that more soldiers were not killed and that all of them did not come back broken mentally and physically. An 18 year old should not experience the horribleness of war. This book not only brilliantly describes the country but the soldier. I you do not get chocked up reading this book you are not human. Next time I encounter a vet of any war I will shake their hand, give them a hug and say thank you. Amazing book. Amazing author.
This book reads like a fictional story. I am reminded of Nelson DeMille’s book ‘Up Country.’ De Mille was also a Vietnam Vet. He used a fictional story to take the reader into Vietnam. This book is a step above and beyond. It’s unbelievable that more soldiers were not killed and that all of them did not come back broken mentally and physically. An 18 year old should not experience the horribleness of war. This book not only brilliantly describes the country but the soldier. I you do not get chocked up reading this book you are not human. Next time I encounter a vet of any war I will shake their hand, give them a hug and say thank you. Amazing book. Amazing author.
February 23, 2018
This book was totally engaging and very satisfying. It succeeds on several levels. The account is from a 'grunts' perspective so you get the undiluted reality of what bush warfare is all about. The action is intense but there is also a good mix of dark humor to keep the story from becoming completely grim. Clark is both honest and humble and his Vietnam journey is also a journey of spiritual awakening and faith.
October 28, 2020
I am a sucker for true account (or based on true account) war books with The Forgotten Soldier (5 stars) being the Gold Standard. This book holds up in that category. The story is based on the author's experiences as a 19 year old, M60 machine gunner in Vietnam. Unbelievable accounts of warfare and near death experiences with in depth descriptions of what every day life was like as a "grunt" in the jungles of Vietnam. Incredible heroism and valor. Great book.
March 28, 2024
I stayed at an Airbnb in St. Petersburg which was next to the authors house. Mr. Clark let us borrow his kayak and other water toys to use for our party. This amazing gentleman not only let us borrow his equipment but also gave us a copy of his book. I read this cover to cover in a week. This book was both inspiring and horrific, told from the first hand account of Mr. Clark and his fellow soldiers and the experience they went through.
January 31, 2025
In the greatest nation in the world, respect is truly deserved for those who fought to keep our country, our people, and our ideals free. Vietnam was a messy and challenging time for the United States, but every man, woman, and child should seek out information on the war to understand just what it was all about. Any knowledge and insight into Vietnam, or any war we’ve been apart of, is time well invested.
June 16, 2017
Read this in high school--just pulled it off the shelf while on a dreary road-trip vacation with my family, which was pure, stifling hell. This book was my relief. Pure tonic. I loved it. It was my first exposure to the American Vietnam war, and that relationship has lasted a lifetime. I'm giving it five stars for all of that.
August 12, 2025
Vietnam war recalled by marine
The author has written a fantastic book based on his experiences in Vietnam and he certainly experienced combat, up close and violent. Without a doubt, by naming his units, his fallen brothers, and all who survived this living hell, he has immortalized them by writing this book. I highly recommend this book and to all mentioned, I wish you peace.
The author has written a fantastic book based on his experiences in Vietnam and he certainly experienced combat, up close and violent. Without a doubt, by naming his units, his fallen brothers, and all who survived this living hell, he has immortalized them by writing this book. I highly recommend this book and to all mentioned, I wish you peace.
August 11, 2017
Aa great read
This book projects how brave the young men were that served in Vietnam. The men that served in the bush lived a very rough life. The people that rejected them when they came home should ashamed of themselves. They are truly heroes.
This book projects how brave the young men were that served in Vietnam. The men that served in the bush lived a very rough life. The people that rejected them when they came home should ashamed of themselves. They are truly heroes.
August 16, 2017
War is Hell
Extremely held my interest. I was there (Vietnam) but as a Seabee. I didn't experience the adrenaline rushes of close combat and glad I didn't. War is sad but if you survive, you have friends for life. The author definitely put you next to him during the fire fights.
Extremely held my interest. I was there (Vietnam) but as a Seabee. I didn't experience the adrenaline rushes of close combat and glad I didn't. War is sad but if you survive, you have friends for life. The author definitely put you next to him during the fire fights.
April 6, 2020
I was wishing I learned more about the Vietnam War, but the book is mostly about one man's journey as a machine gunner. There is still a lot that I learned about being specifically a marine in this war. Very dense!
May 17, 2022
This is a moving memoir about the author's remarkable experience as a young Marine in the Viet Nam war. I will think often and for a long time, about many of the passages in it, and their messages about courage, duty, friendship, and faith.
November 25, 2024
A first hand account of combat in Vietnam written by John Clark. He joined the Marines at 17yr old and went to Vietnam as a gunner on the M60. Extremely detailed accounts of combat and personal friendships in extremely trying and dangerous circumstances.
February 21, 2025
An excellent first hand account of a young US Marine in Vietnam. Awarded a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts for his single tour, Clark has the experience required to tell an authentic story and he has done so very well. Highly recommended.
December 17, 2025
Powerful book of heroes
Well written and a fast read. It's so important that books like this are written so readers like me learn about the warrior's\hero's who served this great country. Never let them get lost in history.
Well written and a fast read. It's so important that books like this are written so readers like me learn about the warrior's\hero's who served this great country. Never let them get lost in history.
August 6, 2017
Excellent war story, could,t put this book down
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2018
Man labai patiko ši knyga!!
July 9, 2019
Written by a Marine that lived the nightmare
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews