WESTERVILLE, Ohio, May 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- In the stifling jungles of Vietnam, millions of Americans battled bravely, and those who returned home often harbored lifelong mental and physical scars. In his powerful new book, Dragon Men (now available through AuthorHouse), Joseph D. Reass chronicles one man's living nightmare and the daily factors of fear, courage and camaraderie that interweaved on the front lines.
A fictionalized autobiography, Dragon Men details Reass' experiences serving as an infantry rifleman with the 9th Infantry Regiment, Manchus, part of the 25th Infantry Division. Through the story of David Reno, Reass creates an intense landscape of danger often unseen, but always anticipated. The green replacement soldier takes readers through his initiation "in country," reveals the ensuing horrors and allows a rare glimpse inside the hardened shell of a veteran grunt.
The story begins in August 1968, as David arrives at a patrol base in the jungle near the Cambodian border. Surprised at what he sees and the strange behaviors of the men who have rounded the curve from green to short timers, he adapts the best he can. As mentors fall victim to the enemy and close friendships are shattered by ambush fire, David begins to understand what causes the men to act the way they do. Soon, he is one of them.
As death and danger loom on a daily basis, so do unexpected pleasures and lighthearted moments. Pranks pulled at village barter points and down time in barracks ease the tension of combat for the soldiers and readers.
Packed with vivid detail, Dragon Men is not for the faint of heart as it plunges readers into the action and enlightens them on an important war that should never be forgotten.
Drafted when he was 19, Reass served during the height of the 1968 Tet Offensive. He arrived in Vietnam as a PFC, survived a year of combat with the famed Manchu Regiment and returned to the United States as a sergeant. After his tour of duty, he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Capital University in Ohio and a master's degree in political science from Ohio University. His 25 years with the Columbus Ohio Police Department included 13 years as a criminal investigator. He retired in 1997 and currently teaches in the Bachelor of Criminal Justice program at Ohio University. He is also the director of the Southern Ohio Police Training Institute. Dragon Men is his first book.
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