A Rumor of War

Philip Caputo

What does war do to the young men who fight it, as seen from inside one Marine platoon in Vietnam?

At a glance

You will understand how a young man can be readier for death than for life, having gone from school straight into war
You will learn why Vietnam felt so aimless to the men fighting it, with no front, no rear and no pattern to patrols
You will see how combat changes ordinary young men, both through the things they do in war and the things war does to them