Bare Feet, Iron Will ~ Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields

“Bare Feet, Iron Will,” by James G. Zumwalt is a very touching book and it reached right down through my brain, past my emotions and then deep into my heart. His book is one of my rare 1-day books; in less than 24-hour straight I started and finished reading the book. The book is superbly written. I am a Vietnam War Draftee, who chose to enlist in the Navy (20 Jun 1969) rather than be drafted into the Armed Forces (24 Jun 1969). Mr. Zumwalt (out of respect for him and not obligation) opened of the flood gates of my emotions. His book about the “other side” of the war proved not to be the other side, but in fact all sides. But, there was a big difference between both sides. Americans had to turn on their TV’s and watch the news cast and read the newspapers to learn what was going on in Viet Nam. However, as Mr. Zumwalt so eloquently points out, the Vietnamese didn’t have to turn on their TV’s; all they had to do was look outside their front windows, hear the bombs dropping and then exploding and many time knowing family and friends were vaporized. All the Vietnamese wanted was to be free and independent, which Mr. Zumwalt proves to the utmost any author can. Yes, I did shed tears as I read at the loss of 58,000+ American Troops. But, I shed even more tears at the loos of over 1-million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers, and the loss of more than 254,000 South Vietnamese servicemen, and the loss more than 2-million Vietnamese Civilians, and the Vietnamese that are still suffering from the effects of Agent Orange, and all those needlessly suffering from Napalm burnings. Then to realize Mr. Zumwalt was right in point out that Ho Chi Minh was our Allie during WWII in fighting the Japanese. All Ho Chi Minh wanted was freedom and independence and if he would have been given it in 1945 think of all the death, destruction, and needless losses that would have been avoid because he posthumously got what he wanted 30 years later. Thank you Mr. Zumwalt for your eye opening and accurate appraisal of the War in Viet Nam. I salute you Sir and compliment you. Job Well Done.

First ever view of the other side. Suffering. Great reading

It's an unusual and refreshingly sensible and noble thing for Zumwalt to aim to understand his former enemy's experience. He and his family are exemplars of US military tradition so he is the right person to do this. Researching and writing this book clearly made a profound impact on him and changed his perceptions of the American War (as the Vietnamese call it). It is a very clear insight into the historically forged and determined mindset of the Vietnamese fighters which also bravely identifies examples of US political hubris and poor assumptions that ultimately had a large part to play in the NVA victory. Western war films never portray the terrible and relentless conditions and hardship that the North Vietnamese people and fighters had to endure - for example their soldiers didn't have leave or R&R or fixed term rotations but could expect to be fighting for years. Excellent book whose content is highly credible as it is taken directly from Vietnamese military and civilian personal accounts.

Love this book! A Vietnam veteran myself, I nevertheless learned a lot. My own favorite story was about the "disappearing bridges" the North Vietnamese built along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Every time they built a real bridge American airpower would blow it up. So they designed bridges that consisted of cables that were built to span the river, Trucks were fitted with special wheels that would ride on the cables. Then the cables were simply lowered into the river after each use, and the bridge simply "disappeared".The sections on "will" of the NVA and Viet Cong soldiers were also interesting. Having led a prisoner-of-war interrogation unit myself, I saw "across the table" multiple examples of the extraordinary will the enemy soldiers displayed, for a variety of reasons. I'll be saying more in my own book on leadership, which begins with lessons I learned in the Vietnam War. I'll be including references to the Zumwalt book, with credits to the author, of course.Highly recommedned!

The sign of a good writer is one who can make the reader empathize with a story's main character. The author of this book has done this many times over as each chapter shares insights about a different character who has endured the hardships of battle and somehow survived. Oftentimes, as Americans, and as the author accurately states, we sometimes tend to lose sight of the fact that human suffering occurs on both sides of a battlefield. Too often we focus on our own suffering not even considering what may have happened on the enemy's side. This book brings that reality home. While few American families were touched by the loss of a loved one, such losses were endemic on the enemy's side. This point was driven home sadly by the Vietnamese mothers who, in some cases, lost all their children to the war effort. I think the author has done a remarkable job of helping to humanize an enemy about whom little has previously been written.The only question I have is why it took so long for someone to understand the universal suffering of the Vietnamese and provide us with such insights from their side.

as a combat vet during all of 1968 with the 4 Cavalry, 1st Inf. Div., like most vets we did not understand our enemy and what the war was really about and why we were there. In my opinion there were a lot of things that may have been over stated or the NVA officers glossed over. Interesting how quick they adapted to our mode of engagement. The thing to remember is that we never lost a major engagement with them. We took our hits but hit them harder. We have our MIA`s but they have a unbelievable amount of MIA`s........The book was well written and informed me of matters about the Trail that I knew nothing about........Thank you James G. Zumwalt for your service and the sacrifice in your family. JMK B troop 1/4 Cavalry. class of 68

I’ve read 100+ books on the war, this tells you why it was not winnable for America. You had no chance against a nation that just said we will be united. A bit like the yanks against the brits , you never learned from your own history. These people were unstoppable.........technology was never a match for the will of the people. Sacrifice be dammed

This is a must read for those with any interest in the war in Vietnam a great insight and account of the Vietnamese

Really good

Terrific view of the "American War" from the victor's perspective. Demonstrates how the other side's commitment to victory was so far beyond that of the USA. The tragedy for millions is that this war never need to have been fought.

Fantastic and really from the other side!!