The Iron Triangle: A Novel of the Vietnam War

Book Synopsis: The Iron Triangle, tells the story of an ill-conceived mission that goes horribly wrong. It is a character-driven story concentrating on the soldiers of a single squad. It shows the unrelenting brutality of war and how teenage boys accepted the daily violence with stoic, grim humor. Barely out of high school, they confront their own mortality on a daily basis. It is set in the months after the Tet Offensive when combat increased dramatically, producing the highest casualty rate of the war. The anti-war movement was at its height, creating a feeling of abandonment in those left to fight in the jungle. These men did fight out of a sense of patriotism and, in fact, scoffed at the idea of anthems and the flag-waving patriots at home. They fought to protect their brothers in arms and would gladly endanger their own lives to ensure the safety of their friends. They lived and died in the isolation of a primeval jungle so dense that sunlight was a luxury. They fought for body count, a term and strategy developed by rear echelon officers, that dehumanized both the enemy and themselves. They fought to perpetuate the lies presented in daily briefings that measured the success of the war in ratios and statistics.