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Platoon: Bravo Company is an autobiographical novel about Cpt Robert Hemphill's five months, (1 Oct 1967 - 18 Feb 1968) as Commander of Bravo Company, 3/22 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War.
The events of Cpt Hemphill's service in Bravo take place from October 1967, to February 1968 in the Corps 3 area, partly near the Cambodian border, during the Vietnam War. In this time, Hemphill commands Bravo during the most frantic time of Vietnam, the Tet Offensive, and garners much respect for the once struggling company, proving their worth during many successful missions and defensive operations, most notably of which being the New Year's defense of Fire Support Base Burt. However, Hemphill's problems don't end with NVA and VC aggressors, as there are also a few situations involving conflict with superiors or friendly fire, that even caused death. Yet, the Company carries on through this, developing into one of the more accomplished companies of their battalion with Cpt Hemphill's brilliant leadership.
I decided to give this book four stars for its great perspective of the Vietnam War, with specific details of weapons, tactics, and events that happen in the story. It also has a nice flow that doesn't stray too far into the psychology or drama of war, but favors a direct approach that keeps the reader in the action. While the writing features a wealth of dialogue straight from the action (or as close as it can be), along with frequent use of military code and slang, the writing has spelling errors once in a while that hinder the reading, and some of the radio chatter can be redundant. But these minor faults do not keep Platoon: Bravo Company from being a compelling, well authored story. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Vietnam War history, as well military history. It is also a good story for action fans. I wouldn't recommend it to children younger than their teenage years, due its content and specific nature. It also wouldn't be too compelling to those who want a war story filled with drama and deep thought, as it doesn't divulge in these areas as much as some other stories do. All in all, Platoon: Bravo Company is a great writing on the Vietnam War from someone who served in some of is toughest conflicts, and it is a great read for generally everyone.
