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 Vietnam related question
 
shadowghost1
100 posts
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Joined
2/4/2006
Vietnam related question
Posted: 15 Mar 06 9:07 PM

I haven't been able to get a hold of any of the Night Fighters books, but I'm looking for them.  I am a military history buff.  Just out of curiosity, I got a couple of questions for you.

Was CAP based out of Chu Lai?  If so, were you there at the same time Staff Seargent James Howard was there with First Platoon, Charlie Company, First Recon Battalion (1965-1966)?  (I'm just curious because I finished reading the book Hill 488 which is about the battle that S.Sgt. Howard earned the Congressional Medal of Honor during.)

Shadow
mclark
178 posts
5th
Joined
1/27/2006
Re: Vietnam related question
Posted: 16 Mar 06 1:15 AM
Shadow, I have managed to get Night Fighters I & II (and in the midst of reading II), and they are quite good.  The plots are excellent, and I am going to get all of them eventually.  Where did I get them?  Amazon of course!!  There's lots of used copies out there for sale by Amazon marketplace dealers, and the prices are great -- shipping will cost more than the book!  Here's a link to take you to the search results for the NF series:


Dan wrote a Vietnam novel also back around the same time NF was appearing: The Soldier's Prize.  This can also be obtained on Amazon if you want to read it.  Also a very good novel.
DavidS
988 posts
www.novelier.com
4th
Joined
1/23/2006
Re: Vietnam related question
Posted: 16 Mar 06 2:58 PM
Shadowghost1,

The original CAP units were in the area of Phu Bai. When the USMC extended the program to other areas, my CAP at Ky Hoa village was the first in the Chu Lai area. I had no contact with any of the Marine Recon (either Force or division) units, but I'm familiar with Jimmy Howard's story. That was one hell of a battle, and he richly deserved the MOH.

Mike,

Just out of curiosity, what condition were the Night Fighters books in? It's quite a few years since the last time I saw a copy of any of my VN novels in a used bookstore. I'd have a print-on-demand publisher make them available again, but I don't have the rights. I really should get the rights back from the publisher. There are two other VN novels that are out of print: There I Was; the War of Corporal Henry J Morris, USMC, and The Squad. As for The Night Fighters, I've been told, and have no reason to disagree, that the books get better as the series goes along. The Soldier's Prize is certainly worth reading.

David
mclark
178 posts
5th
Joined
1/27/2006
Re: Vietnam related question
Posted: 16 Mar 06 8:33 PM
The condition of near-twenty-year-old paperbacks is usually not very good, but these aren't bad at all.  The NF1 is somewhat worn around the edges, and has a black marking on the cover, a "60" I think, but is otherwise sound.  The image on the Night Fighters page is a scanned-in image of that cover, photoshopped a bit to make it look less worn and to remove the mark.  The NF2 has a little shop-wear, but is in very good shape.  Of course, the paper is yellowed due to age in both books (to be expected).

David, I think you should try putting them back on the market, either as ebooks (I've bought an ebook from http://www.fictionwise.com, and it wasn't too traumatic), or as you say, print-on-demand.  I can't say that I would like to make a habit of ebooks, myself, since it's hard to cart around a computer everywhere...  I think Amazon is offering electronic versions of the Starfist books, though.  Can you tell if there's much demand for that format?
shadowghost1
100 posts
5th
Joined
2/4/2006
Re: Vietnam related question
Posted: 19 Mar 06 4:01 PM
Thanks for answering my questions, David.  I'll be getting the Night Fighters books from Amazon.
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