Phantom Warriors

[exlrrp]

I just got through reading the 2d book of two by Gary Linderer.
What these are are lrrp and Ranger war stories and about as varied a collection as you'll find.
I thought for decades that this was the untold story of the war--the lrrps--and now its coming out just how fantastic this experience really was
It's difficult to tell lrrp stories because they are kind of incredible. I havent told all my stories because I have troub le believing a few myself. Theyre hard to put into words, the easiest ones to tell are about other people, not your own.
I came across these books after the 2d one was written which was too bad because Lindererer says he's not writing another book. I have a few stories that might have been included on a 3d. I guess every lrrp has them--like the time the NVA peed on me, the time they dropped us on a platoon of NVA or the time a tiger found Team 4-6 in the middle of the night. The extraordinary was routine.
Linderer, a former lrrp, has written several books but these are the only 2 Ive read. Everything seems right about the stories with a few exceptions ( a 17 year old lrrp? an 18 year old E6?) I have emailed him about a few of these.
But in the main, the stories are good ol lrrp stories. There's the one about the major general that was trying to micromanage the lrrp patrol from a helicopter--they told him to fck off and he brought them up in front of a court martial--this became a legendary story among lrrps, its good to see it down in writing.
It talks matter of factly about some stuff that really happened--the philosophy on killing civilians for example (if they compromised the missson) It tells of the long exciting waits for extraction when the promised helicopters didn't come, when other promised support evaporates and all thats left is some one on one nation building untill your country thinks about you again.
But most of all I liked these books because they tell the story of the lrrps as they really were: not a bunch of lifer pros, like SOG but a bunch of hardcore E5s, E4s and E3s, a bunch of kids really, always outnumbered and miles away from help, taking the war to the enemy and shoving it down their throats.
It was the greatest thing I ever did in my life.
I recommend these books

James Worth

Happy just to be alive

[chilidog]

Are these the books you are talking about? Which is volume 2?

Chilidog


http://half.ebay.com/search/search.j...derer&x=9&y=14

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by chilidog Are these the books you are talking about? Which is volume 2?

Chilidog


http://half.ebay.com/search/search.j...derer&x=9&y=14

The first one--that says Phantom Warriors--is the first Volume. The 2d volume isn't shown here, it looks siimilar to the first volume but brown and slightly different picture. The actual title is Phantom Warriors Book Two. I guess the 2d volume must be brand new out. I got mine in Barnes and Nobles, Atlanta
James

[PHO127]

Yes, At age 20 and just beginning my second tour, first with SOG. At age 21 I was a SOG team 10, Had 10 or so long range missions under my belt. Was an old lifer when I completed tour 3, It was cut short by 3 months because of bullet wound in upper left thigh. At the grandfatherly age of 23+3months and now a Captain I was back for number 4.

[exlrrp]

Originally posted by PHO127 Yes, At age 20 and just beginning my second tour, first with SOG. At age 21 I was a SOG team 10, Had 10 or so long range missions under my belt. Was an old lifer when I completed tour 3, It was cut short by 3 months because of bullet wound in upper left thigh. At the grandfatherly age of 23+3months and now a Captain I was back for number 4.

Well, there were exceptions. Y' know Sid, your not exactly a usual person
I said that as I did because evrybody I knew that I might identlfy as SOG--and they were hard to distinguish (didn't wear name tags) was obviously an NCO in the SF who were generally a lot older than we were. we'd hang out with them and it seemed like we were kids.
I had only just turned 19 myself so a 21 year old would have l;ooked older
I can't account for SOG officers, I didn't know any.
Have a good one Sid!!

James