BlueGhost Reveille

These are the recollections of a draftee assigned to an infantry platoon in an air cavalry troop. BlueGhost Reveille follows me as a twentyâ€"twoâ€"yearâ€"old as I became a squad leader and then Platoon Sergeant during the war in Vietnam.

The pieces of this book are as factual as fiftyâ€"yearâ€"old memories will allow. There is no intentional fiction in this work. The stories are about everyday life during this year in a combat unit. Some pieces are mundane, some are humorous, and the parts about going to serious war will get your heart up in your throat.

I was not a Seal, Ranger or Green Beret. I was a draftee who turned down OCS because that would have meant extending my service by a year. I was chosen to go to NCO school which made me an instant NCO or a "shake & bake" sergeant.

Reluctant warrior may have described many of us draftees at the time but when you know you are going to war, you better get serious. I did.

Friends and family who have read this manuscript say it feels like I am sitting there telling them these stories.

I hope it feels that way for you.

-- John W. Harris