This book gives readers a thrilling inside look at the American advisory effort in Vietnam's paddies and mangroves during the early part of that war. The early chapters detail what it was like for an American Army team living in a rat infested thatch hut, reaching out to emaciated and down trodden Vietnamese people, and at the same time fighting a vicious and brutal enemy. In the second half of this book the reader can jump from the paddies to the top American command center where the author was challenged with the task of briefing daily the top four star commanding officers while thousands of American soldiers entered the country. Insightful indeed for this is a firsthand look into the successes and failures American armed forces experienced in that almost forgotten war.