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Sand in the Wind
Fictional account of a United States Marine Corps rifle squad for thirteen months during 1967-1968 detailing the day-to-day trials of the Infantry grunt in the field. The author, Robert Roth, served a tour in South Vietnam as a Marine lieutenant.
498 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1973
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152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 29, 2011
Long out of print, I wouldn't have known about this one if a 70's-era Marine hadn't recommended it to me. A Vietnam Vet suggested that "Sand" probably had a short shelf-life because the author doesn't shy away from reinforcing some negative stereotypes that were popularly held about Americans fighting the war. My take on the book, is that Roth was attempting to work out his experience and exorcise a couple of demons. I don't believe everything he wrote- there is one scene in particular that stretches credulity- but then again, he was there and I wasn't. Much of the novel is about the grinding work of patrolling the dreaded "Arizona" territory of Vietnam. Some reviewers have complained that there is very little "action". If you're looking for that, seek out an old Mack Bolan novel, this novel portrays the war in the "long stretches of boredom punctuated by sheer moments of terror" vein. What Roth does that other Vietnam authors don't, is that he weaves in some Vietnam-specific "sea stories" into the novel, punctuating a horrific experience with humor. All in all, this is one of the most thoughtful novels I've read by someone who'd actually fought in Vietnam. I'd put it in my top two or three. You won't find the lyricism of "Cacciato", the sentimentality of "Things they Carried" or "Paco's Story", the ultra comic-book macho-ness of "Short Timers" (keep in mind Hasford was a military journo and Roth was an 0311) or the heroin-fogged pseudo-reality of "Dispatches". "Sand" is a pretty straight-forward, lucid book. The Marines aren't caricatures (ok, some of them are caricatures), but very human, very complicated people. Read the reviews on Amazon for some very interesting insights about the author.
October 25, 2008
i read this book when i was in 8th grade. i loved it then and it's even better now that i read it 20 years later.
if you like films like "full metal jacket", "platoon" or "hamburgerhill", you will dig this. a fictional account of a 19 year old's year in vietnam. those mentioned films all seem to draw from this novel, with some very blatant rip offs even.
anyway. it's out of print but worth it if you find it in a used book shop.
if you like films like "full metal jacket", "platoon" or "hamburgerhill", you will dig this. a fictional account of a 19 year old's year in vietnam. those mentioned films all seem to draw from this novel, with some very blatant rip offs even.
anyway. it's out of print but worth it if you find it in a used book shop.
October 12, 2011
No punches pulled in this story. It places you in the boots of the characters, and refuses to let you go. No romancing of the tide of war here. An in your face story of the realities of combat. Very much enjoyed it.
December 10, 2013
This gritty war novel will roil your soul with its alternately bleak and darkly humorous realism. Heavily suffused with badass man-musk, opium-laced thai stick and Euro-style existentialism. Apparently this was Roth's first and last stab at literary fiction and it's safe to say he carries it off.
Want to read
July 2, 2007This book has come to me highly recommended. According to the book jacket:
"A veteran of combat himself, Robet Roth leads the reader through thirteen months in the life of a Marine squad in Vietnam in 1967-1968....Sand in the Wind focuses on two intelligent young men, civilians turned fighting men, who have enlisted for reasons satisfactory to themselves. Lieutenant David Kramer and Corporal Mark Chalice....Sand in the Wind gives an unforgettable voice to the men who fought and suffered in the Vietnam War."
"A veteran of combat himself, Robet Roth leads the reader through thirteen months in the life of a Marine squad in Vietnam in 1967-1968....Sand in the Wind focuses on two intelligent young men, civilians turned fighting men, who have enlisted for reasons satisfactory to themselves. Lieutenant David Kramer and Corporal Mark Chalice....Sand in the Wind gives an unforgettable voice to the men who fought and suffered in the Vietnam War."
December 30, 2018
My dad, a former Marine, read this book in the mid seventies, but characteristically, he never commented on whether he approved of it.
It's one of the earliest novels set during the Vietnam war, and I think it's quite underrated. Its depiction of Marine boot camp was especially vivid and harrowing when I first read it. I wondered if this was what my father went through at Parris Island in the 50s. I can only assume this brought back specific memories.
The battle descriptions are intense and realistic, and the scenes off the battlefield are well handled, too. I have to assume some of the material in this book showed up later in movies such as The Boys in Company C and Full Metal Jacket.
I'm not sure what happened to Roth after this book was published, but I don't think he was heard from again, and I think it's a shame this novel is not more well known.
It's one of the earliest novels set during the Vietnam war, and I think it's quite underrated. Its depiction of Marine boot camp was especially vivid and harrowing when I first read it. I wondered if this was what my father went through at Parris Island in the 50s. I can only assume this brought back specific memories.
The battle descriptions are intense and realistic, and the scenes off the battlefield are well handled, too. I have to assume some of the material in this book showed up later in movies such as The Boys in Company C and Full Metal Jacket.
I'm not sure what happened to Roth after this book was published, but I don't think he was heard from again, and I think it's a shame this novel is not more well known.
June 27, 2015
Very good! Abt a group of soldiers, Marines, in the Viet Bam war. I've read book after book abt WWI & WWII, as well as the Civil War & Revolutionary War, but this is only #3-4 I've read abt Viet Nam. Just aren't as many abt it written. This book is expertly written, making the characters feel as if they are real ppl, whom u know intimately. U can feel their pain when a friend gets shot & dies, as well as able to feel & understand there anger at the senseless massacre that's going on around them by both sides. Very touching & compelling. The author is actually a Viet Bam Veteran himself, so u know that's how he's so adept & knowledgeable abt what the war in Viet Nam was really like. Highly recommend it. Terrific book!
April 6, 2014
Sand in the Wind rates right up there with the best of the Vietnam war novels, books like Fields of Fire and The 13th Valley. The viewpoint shifts around, but it's mostly through the eyes of a Marine platoon's new lieutenant and a new enlisted man who arrive at the same time. Riveting descriptions and marvelous dialogue, with a sequence involving a "phantom" that is tailing the platoon in the bush that reads almost like a ghost story.
August 31, 2016
Thanks to all the Goodreads reviewers out there who recommended this book. I was hesitant to pick it up based on it being a novel, but I really enjoyed the book and the picture the author painted of life in Vietnam for this battalion of Marines. Well written with an excellent cast of characters.
December 17, 2015
Inside my copy I wrote:"For even this shall come to pass." What I had written on back of my helmet while in VN. In my early months of 1968 few had heard of An Hoa. This book spoke of my experience in 65-66.
January 26, 2017
Sand In The Wind
This book was the
best book on the Vietnam war I have ever read! True to life in the wording and action - it held my attention throughout!
This book was the
best book on the Vietnam war I have ever read! True to life in the wording and action - it held my attention throughout!
December 13, 2023
Another Vietnam war novel? Yes, I'm guilty as charged. Growing up, I watched a lot of war movies. Vietnam was one of the most exotic and interesting settings for some of my favorites like "Apocalypse Now", "Platoon" and "Captain Milkshake". By and large, this was the turning point of American greatness (at least in perception, if not in fact). Moreover, some progressive elements of society were fast gaining size and momentum. The on-screen indulgence in psychoactive substances is a big part of what makes those movies so mesmerizing. And then there's the more military aspect of this war: forced conscription for the boys of the U.S.A., a suffocating jungle, and the last major war that took place without computers and other advanced technology, which makes "humanity" more involved than nowadays. Big portable back-borne radios were the only communication line for patrols.
Anyway, my appetite was not yet fulfilled by the great books Dispatches and Dog Soldiers. If anything, they only increased it :) most of the Vietnam books I've read since were quite forgettable (The LBJ Brigade, One Very Hot Day. I probably read another one or two, but don't recall).
So, what makes this novel so great?
It's quite long, 500 big pages. I read it daily before falling asleep. There was something about showing up each day, and holding on, holding out, just like the soldiers. You never know when a burst of violence will occur. As the days kept passing, more and more of the colorful and cool veterans got replaced by fearful and boring grunts, while the characters we survived with morphed into veterans themselves. And there's about 5 different characters that are 'followed by the camera', some only for a few pages, which keeps things fresh.
Then there's the vibrant depiction of Da Nang, which I always wondered about since I heard Ned from South Park say in his nasal voice: "I was stationed in Da Nang." That's also one of the key locations where the soldiers get some time off surviving in the jungle, and have the time and space to think back about some of the things they experienced and witnessed.
The only major letdown of the novel is the resolution of the "phantom blooker" plot thread: supposedly, an American G.I. has defected to the Vietnamese with his grenade launcher. Some people say they have seen him, clearly and American, firing grenades in the night. He causes dozens of casualties of months time. Ultimately, they find him somewhere buried in a hill, and one of the regular blookers, Chalice (the protagonist) kills him with the same grenades. This is a huge anticlimax to me, as there is no conversation, no understanding, only killing him and that's it. Not even books of this "phantom blooker" that he read, or a dogtag, just nothing. Too bad, it could have been legendary, because the buildup to this was extravagant.
To end this review, I will show you some passages I thought exemplify why this book is a bar above most war novels.
These guys actually read interesting books! Such information stays with you in other scenes.
Receiving letters from home, a special moment for the guys.
Obligatory existential thought.
Chalice realizing he's no longer a grunt now.
Something I did not know I would like beforehand and that was completely missing from other war novels: accurate and clear descriptions of marching and formations.
How the retiring of a comrade can have a big impact.
Delirious combat.
One higher placed man, a colonel maybe, ponders the turning point I described above.
Anyway, my appetite was not yet fulfilled by the great books Dispatches and Dog Soldiers. If anything, they only increased it :) most of the Vietnam books I've read since were quite forgettable (The LBJ Brigade, One Very Hot Day. I probably read another one or two, but don't recall).
So, what makes this novel so great?
It's quite long, 500 big pages. I read it daily before falling asleep. There was something about showing up each day, and holding on, holding out, just like the soldiers. You never know when a burst of violence will occur. As the days kept passing, more and more of the colorful and cool veterans got replaced by fearful and boring grunts, while the characters we survived with morphed into veterans themselves. And there's about 5 different characters that are 'followed by the camera', some only for a few pages, which keeps things fresh.
Then there's the vibrant depiction of Da Nang, which I always wondered about since I heard Ned from South Park say in his nasal voice: "I was stationed in Da Nang." That's also one of the key locations where the soldiers get some time off surviving in the jungle, and have the time and space to think back about some of the things they experienced and witnessed.
The only major letdown of the novel is the resolution of the "phantom blooker" plot thread: supposedly, an American G.I. has defected to the Vietnamese with his grenade launcher. Some people say they have seen him, clearly and American, firing grenades in the night. He causes dozens of casualties of months time. Ultimately, they find him somewhere buried in a hill, and one of the regular blookers, Chalice (the protagonist) kills him with the same grenades. This is a huge anticlimax to me, as there is no conversation, no understanding, only killing him and that's it. Not even books of this "phantom blooker" that he read, or a dogtag, just nothing. Too bad, it could have been legendary, because the buildup to this was extravagant.
To end this review, I will show you some passages I thought exemplify why this book is a bar above most war novels.
These guys actually read interesting books! Such information stays with you in other scenes.
Receiving letters from home, a special moment for the guys.
Obligatory existential thought.
Chalice realizing he's no longer a grunt now.
Something I did not know I would like beforehand and that was completely missing from other war novels: accurate and clear descriptions of marching and formations.
How the retiring of a comrade can have a big impact.
Delirious combat.
One higher placed man, a colonel maybe, ponders the turning point I described above.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
This book places Marines in 2/5 (An Hoa) from July 1967/8. I was there from Feb 67-Jan 68.
There was a hill, (Hill 953) An Hoa was on the north side, and my unit (1/5) in Que Son, was on the south side. Both units were part of the 5th Marine Regiment.
I read this book in the mid 1970s and loved it. I have finally reread it again (2024). On the 1973/4 reading, I identified with the physical descriptions in the book, the attitude of the characters toward each other, and the sometimes inexplicable events that took place regarding our experiences in this area (I Corps).
Upon rereading this book after 53 years—a lot has gone by. I joined the 1stMarDiv Assoc in 1993—met with the guys I’d not seen 26 years (at the time) and slowly became aware of things I’d long since forgotten; units, operations, individuals, etc. In 2021 I published my own book _Marines of Que Son: A Tale_. It's an adventure/romance. You may read six chapters free if you go to my site:
http://www.marinesofqueson.com/
Click on _Preview the Book_, and read six chapters—at no cost. You can compare the books.
Roth’s book for me (now 2024) seems a bit depressing, dark, and anti-war. I cannot say this is not what he experienced, but I did not.
For me it was the opposite. I thought, at 18/19 years old, that I was in the best battalion, company, platoon, squad—down to the fire team—in the world. I literally adored my CO and Platoon Cmdr. Both have since passed away, as has my battalion Cmdr., as have a lot of my friends from those days.
Roth’s book is the best I’ve read (having been there as a 5th Marine in1967)—but I did note that he used exaggeration (my opinion) to enhance the story—writers do this. I doubt the cannibalism scene is for real. However, it represents well the irreverence Marines held toward the lives of our enemy. I did experience hunger in our unit. We did find ourselves volunteering for patrols in order to go out and scrounge up food. And it did not seem necessary—probably it was a matter of not ordering supplies in a timely fashion. Some breakdown in S-4 or something.
The Phantom Blooker never existed—in my unit he was the Phantom Blooper (the M-79 was called a Blooper), there is no mention of Salt & Pepper (they never existed either). They were rumors like the Phantom Blooper—two turncoats, one white one black sometimes seen with enemy patrols.
I have never heard of Marine Squads being referred to as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie—rather it has always been 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Squads. I retired from the Marines in 1981—never heard of Squads A, B, C, etc.
There really were Marines who cut off ears of dead enemy, no mentioned in _Sand in the Wind_. But, the irreverence ranks in there with the cannibalism scenes—the irreverence—the idea that the enemy were sub-human. It’s easier to kill something not human than say a father, a husband, a son, a fellow human being, a nice guy, a good dude, etc.
I was wounded on Dec 31st, 1967. I spent several days in a Da Nang hospital before bidding VN a fond farewell on Jan 3rd, 1968. How Vietnam was, after I left, as per one unit from another—I do not really know. I missed out on the battle for Hue City, (Roth seems to have been there?)—but many of my buddy’s came to the hospital I was in—St. Alban’s in Jamaica Plains, NY—a few weeks later and told me stories.
As for Khe Sanh being a diversion (re: Sand in the Wind), it didn’t work if that were the case. Giap is said to have called it that, with the added attempt at making it another Dien Bien Phu—he is claimed to have said so, after the fact.
The only diversion I can think of is B-52s being diverted to Khe Sanh to kill the enemy surrounding 5,000 Marines at that base. The NVA that surrounded the base were annihilated—numbers, body counts really suck in VN, but estimates were up around 40,000 dead NVA. What was left of those NVA fled to the A-Shau (A Sau) valley. Marines chased them down. So I was told, maybe read over the years—don’t remember—you can Google and hope for some accuracy. A buddy of mine who was there after Têt ’68 said the whole countryside was devoid of the enemy—they really had their butts kicked.
I reread my own book all the time, and have begun to reread Roth’s book, over and over—this is to aid in my sequel to be entitled _Heaven’s Uncle_, a murder mystery that takes place in 1975 at Camp Pendleton during the refugee crisis.
Roth’s book is a window into the day to day life of a Marine Grunt. My book is that with the added multifaceted story to include romance, adventure, hidden treasure, and a powerful ARVN General ... Oh yes there is a pretty girl in it but more upbeat than Tuyên in Sand in the Wind.
I like to think that Kramer stays in, makes captain, and is placed in charge of the San Onofre refugee center (1975) where—miracle upon miracle—Tuyen (Tuyên: meaning: thread, line, ray ) shows up and they live happily ever after.
Well, San Onofre Refugee Center is where I met my wife—she is in my story.
R. B. MacNichol
There was a hill, (Hill 953) An Hoa was on the north side, and my unit (1/5) in Que Son, was on the south side. Both units were part of the 5th Marine Regiment.
I read this book in the mid 1970s and loved it. I have finally reread it again (2024). On the 1973/4 reading, I identified with the physical descriptions in the book, the attitude of the characters toward each other, and the sometimes inexplicable events that took place regarding our experiences in this area (I Corps).
Upon rereading this book after 53 years—a lot has gone by. I joined the 1stMarDiv Assoc in 1993—met with the guys I’d not seen 26 years (at the time) and slowly became aware of things I’d long since forgotten; units, operations, individuals, etc. In 2021 I published my own book _Marines of Que Son: A Tale_. It's an adventure/romance. You may read six chapters free if you go to my site:
http://www.marinesofqueson.com/
Click on _Preview the Book_, and read six chapters—at no cost. You can compare the books.
Roth’s book for me (now 2024) seems a bit depressing, dark, and anti-war. I cannot say this is not what he experienced, but I did not.
For me it was the opposite. I thought, at 18/19 years old, that I was in the best battalion, company, platoon, squad—down to the fire team—in the world. I literally adored my CO and Platoon Cmdr. Both have since passed away, as has my battalion Cmdr., as have a lot of my friends from those days.
Roth’s book is the best I’ve read (having been there as a 5th Marine in1967)—but I did note that he used exaggeration (my opinion) to enhance the story—writers do this. I doubt the cannibalism scene is for real. However, it represents well the irreverence Marines held toward the lives of our enemy. I did experience hunger in our unit. We did find ourselves volunteering for patrols in order to go out and scrounge up food. And it did not seem necessary—probably it was a matter of not ordering supplies in a timely fashion. Some breakdown in S-4 or something.
The Phantom Blooker never existed—in my unit he was the Phantom Blooper (the M-79 was called a Blooper), there is no mention of Salt & Pepper (they never existed either). They were rumors like the Phantom Blooper—two turncoats, one white one black sometimes seen with enemy patrols.
I have never heard of Marine Squads being referred to as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie—rather it has always been 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Squads. I retired from the Marines in 1981—never heard of Squads A, B, C, etc.
There really were Marines who cut off ears of dead enemy, no mentioned in _Sand in the Wind_. But, the irreverence ranks in there with the cannibalism scenes—the irreverence—the idea that the enemy were sub-human. It’s easier to kill something not human than say a father, a husband, a son, a fellow human being, a nice guy, a good dude, etc.
I was wounded on Dec 31st, 1967. I spent several days in a Da Nang hospital before bidding VN a fond farewell on Jan 3rd, 1968. How Vietnam was, after I left, as per one unit from another—I do not really know. I missed out on the battle for Hue City, (Roth seems to have been there?)—but many of my buddy’s came to the hospital I was in—St. Alban’s in Jamaica Plains, NY—a few weeks later and told me stories.
As for Khe Sanh being a diversion (re: Sand in the Wind), it didn’t work if that were the case. Giap is said to have called it that, with the added attempt at making it another Dien Bien Phu—he is claimed to have said so, after the fact.
The only diversion I can think of is B-52s being diverted to Khe Sanh to kill the enemy surrounding 5,000 Marines at that base. The NVA that surrounded the base were annihilated—numbers, body counts really suck in VN, but estimates were up around 40,000 dead NVA. What was left of those NVA fled to the A-Shau (A Sau) valley. Marines chased them down. So I was told, maybe read over the years—don’t remember—you can Google and hope for some accuracy. A buddy of mine who was there after Têt ’68 said the whole countryside was devoid of the enemy—they really had their butts kicked.
I reread my own book all the time, and have begun to reread Roth’s book, over and over—this is to aid in my sequel to be entitled _Heaven’s Uncle_, a murder mystery that takes place in 1975 at Camp Pendleton during the refugee crisis.
Roth’s book is a window into the day to day life of a Marine Grunt. My book is that with the added multifaceted story to include romance, adventure, hidden treasure, and a powerful ARVN General ... Oh yes there is a pretty girl in it but more upbeat than Tuyên in Sand in the Wind.
I like to think that Kramer stays in, makes captain, and is placed in charge of the San Onofre refugee center (1975) where—miracle upon miracle—Tuyen (Tuyên: meaning: thread, line, ray ) shows up and they live happily ever after.
Well, San Onofre Refugee Center is where I met my wife—she is in my story.
R. B. MacNichol
February 29, 2020
As a young Marine serving in BLT 2/4 Echo in '76-'77, a LCPL gave me this book to read and it hit home hard, our Company Gunny was GYSGT Poolaw, a former CO of Golf Company 2/5 '69, reverted from Capt. to GySgt in '75 due to the draw down of the Vietnam war. The rumor going around back then as Poolaw was Capt. Trippet in the book. I wish I knew if he was but weather he was or not, as a 13 yr Marine Veteran, Sand in the Wind is the best book of Marines in Vietnam that I have ever read, real, gripping, comes to life. Poolaw and I served together in 2/5 Echo after rotating stateside '77-'80. If you served overseas FAREAST 60's - 70's, this is the book for you!
May 25, 2024
I've read a lot of Marine Corps books, a lot of War books, and a lot of books about the sixties. This book is an excellent example of all three archetypes while not being stereotypically so.
It's not "The Things We Carried" or Stanley Karnow but it is a hell of a well written book. I will have to read more by Robert Roth.
It's not "The Things We Carried" or Stanley Karnow but it is a hell of a well written book. I will have to read more by Robert Roth.
December 19, 2018
Gritty. Tough book about Viet Nam
Very well written. The feelings you get reading this book are so real. His description of boot camp brought back memories. This book will give you more respect Viet Nam vets. Please give this book a try.
Very well written. The feelings you get reading this book are so real. His description of boot camp brought back memories. This book will give you more respect Viet Nam vets. Please give this book a try.
July 6, 2021
It's an M-79 Grenade Launcher referred to as a blooper not a damn blooker.
April 14, 2022
3.5. Inconsistent
February 8, 2018
Boring Depressing
One of the worst I have had the pleasure to read. It is long convoluted and uninteresting to the point that even skimming was too much effort. Not worth the time and effort.
One of the worst I have had the pleasure to read. It is long convoluted and uninteresting to the point that even skimming was too much effort. Not worth the time and effort.
July 19, 2016
This is a really thoughtful look @ the war in SE Asia from the perspective of the 0311 Marine Infantryman before & during Tet. It's story is searing & the ending haunting. One of the best novels about SE Asia I've read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews