Review (PDF)

Fate UnKnown: Reflections Of A Combat Tour

Many of you have seen movie versions of war, but have you ever asked yourself what it was really like to be a fighting soldier in the Vietnam War? In Fate Unknown, the author, a member of the famed 101st Airborne Division takes the readers to the battlefield, with boots on the ground, as he candidly shares many of his personal experiences of his 1966 tour. He also reveals insightful accounts from fellow soldiers of different ranks, as they saw and lived through it. Situations and battles come into sharp focus through the eyes and ears of those whose lives were changed forever by their tour in Vietnam. This is a compelling, insightful and nonfictional account of a combat tour.So lace up your jungle boots and live the battle as experienced by an airborne infantry unit during the Vietnam War. You will gain a true understanding of combat and probably change your outlook of war.

File Size: 4481 KB

Print Length: 420 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publisher: Labuela Enterprises,LLC; 1 edition (February 14, 2014)

Publication Date: February 14, 2014

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B00IGNXNBG

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #14,409 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Vietnam War #9 in Books > History > Military > United States > Vietnam War #59 in Books > History > Asia

Fate Unknown was an exceptional read for me. Having been a platoon leader in C Company, 2nd Battalion (Abn), 327th Infantry which was a sister battalion to 1/327 I could strongly relate to dates, places, events and some of the names in the book. Like the author, I went over on the Eltinge. It does an excellent job of conveying what it was like to be in combat in the rice paddies and jungles of Vietnam as an infantry soldier....physically, psychologically and emotionally.

Real life language, real life troubles on the battlefield. Great job, Sgt Mitchell! Both in doing your job and then writing about it. What courage you guys had, well okay, what a great job you did in putting the fear aside, conquering it, and persevering. Was the WWII soldier really the Greatest Generation? Galen Mitchell and his fellow Vietnam troopers may have been...they did the job and then put up with a non-appreciative public back home, a situation which almost 50 years later is beginning to change, thank God. Although newly married, I volunteered for Vietnam and with the luck of the draw, spent a year in Thailand. What a travesty to come back to the Land of the Big PX and have to change into civilian clothes to reunite with our families! If someone had spit on me, I might still be in prison. When the first Desert Storm soldiers returned in the early 1990s, there were celebrations and I took my young daughter to one so she might see how it was...but the truth is, I went for myself as well as I'd never experienced such a thing. Real fighting men like Sgt Mitchell would have won the war on the ground, but for the candy-assed politicians who were calling the shots. Welcome home, gentlemen, with a grateful nod of respect and admiration to your sky troopers who didn't get back, and thank you!

This book could have only been written by someone that was a Trooper with the 101st Airborne in Viet Nam. For those of you that would like to know what being an Infantryman in combat is like READ THIS BOOK! This book should be made into a movie .The author keeps your interest in the actual true life fighting, and at times you see the actual battles played out as if YOU were there!You can almost feel the Anger, Frustations and the exhaustion af these soldiers. You feel the oppressive heat, the unrelenting rain and the coldness of the Jungle.Truly an amazing book about the war in Viet-Nam.Comment |

Thank you Galen G. Mitchell, for writing this wonderful saga of a grunt in Nam. I was in the lottery, and fortunately had high numbers and didn’t serve. However, had I gone, I I”m not sure I could of made it.This book incapsulates everything a solder faces in Vietnam. It is extremely well written, without a lot of bravado. You get to see how truly F ----ed up the Army is. When reading this book, I felt like I was walking right next to 1st Sergeant Mitchell. He bring out so many observations of the people, the forest and it’s insects, and of course the NVA,, who were a brave a clever lot.I am SO glad he calls out Major Hackworth and shows the reader the lives cost by this egocentric, narcissistic man. “It’s all about me, Hackworth.”He pissed off so many people in military circles, he basically hid in Australia for 18 years, primarily avoiding a court marshall.If want find out more about Hack, this is a good article from slate magazine.cut and past. slate.com/articles/briefing/articles/1996/11/newsweeks_major_embarrassment.htmlBut I digress. This a fine book to read in giving what it was really like to be on the ground for 30 days at a time.. fighting much more than V.C and NVA. Mitchell does go into a little detail on how futile he sees the way the war was being fought. He’s in it for his guys, not our flag, or comically to ‘save’ the poor South Vietnamese people. I so enjoyed this book Galen. Hey you’re going to be 72 in August. Happy Birthday in advance. DavidP.S. I was watching a documentary on the battle of Dok To (?) and they said in WW II the average combat time spent for a soldier was 11 days of actual fighting. In Nam, it was 240. No wonder so many had PTSD and alcohol and drug problems. What a complete waste of resources (brave men) and the many who made millions off the war.....

This is a good book to read that gives the reader a sense of understanding a specific airborne unit and the sacrifices of the men in that unit. The author also goes into a little detail on how futile he sees the way the war was being fought.

I served with Abu Co 1st 327th in Vietnam, December 1966-67. This book couldn't be any more truthful about what the men of the 101st went through during this war. I had the privilege of meeting Galen at the 50th reunion. He is a true American hero.

Very interesting story that exemplifies what combat soldiers were up against in Vietnam around the first part of the war. Mitchell not only informs us of his personal struggles, but includes those of many he served along side. The inclusion of his opinion on some events allows you to know just how confusing and conflicting many events unfolded. This book is definitely one you want to add to your reading list on Vietnam. Thank you Mr. Mitchell for your many years of service.

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