Recon By Fire: Fighting with the 1ST BN 5TH (MECH) Infantry in Vietnam

Recon By Fire tells the story of a young college student drafted during the critical phase and turmoil of the Vietnam War. In vivid detail and with a sense of humor familiar to so many veterans who served and survived, Mark Paloolian describes his experiences from the rigors of Basic and Advanced Infantry Training to the all important small track, APC exercises at Ft. Knox, KY, that proved so vital to his surviving the chaos of war.

The Vietnam chapters illustrate the day-to-day frustrations, emotions, and excitement associated with intense combat in a foreign land, thousands of miles from home and family. Finally, more than three decades later, Mark returns to Vietnam and describes a country forever changed—as were so many who fought and returned to tell their stories.