Title: Vietnam Ambush: Soldier in the Bush
Author: Daniel Seidenberg Jr.
Publisher: Kravitz and Sons, LLC
ISBN: 979-8896390268
Pages: 116
Genre: Biography & Memoirs
Reviewed by: Subhrajit Saha
Hollywood Book Reviews
Mostly fiction shows a glorified version of war where the whole thing seems fabricated. If you go through the original documentation of the war zones like we see in documentaries or read in newspapers then only you will get the chance to know the raw, intense and dark side of war. Fiction films like ‘Saving Private Ryan’, or ‘Schindler’s List’ directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg or novels like ‘Forrest Gump’ by author Winston Groom also provide a clear vision of the flip side of war. Daniel Seidenberg Jr’s memoir Vietnam Ambush: Soldier in the Bush also belongs to that legacy where war narration is a state of dilemma, dark psychological exploration of soldiers’ minds and so on. The write up deals with a few uncomfortable truths which are not usually portrayed in any mainstream war drama. It illustrates the fear, trauma and the uncontrollable urge of a few army men to leave the battlefield at any cost. The book depicts the devastating reality stating not everyone in the army color is passionate about their job, but they are doing that just because they had no other option. Seidenberg’s minute and unfiltered detailing regarding these issues makes his biography Vietnam Ambush a must read book.
The memoir illustrates a timeline of a long span where in the initial days we can see the narrator enjoying his life in his hometown and gets a glimpse of him enjoying a romantic equation with his girlfriend. But then the unavoidable situation arises where he must have to join the battlefield in Vietnam and that’s why he had to take a harsh decision regarding his personal life, which later impacts him during his army days. The more the story unfolds we get to know the unfiltered reality of the war zone like wet legs, extreme hot and humid weather, unbearable mosquito bites, life taking booby traps, and so on. Along with that, there are a few instances like some of the army would like to be hit by a bullet rather than living the life of a paralyzed person. There are instances like people who came into the battlefield due to some reason, but when they face the inevitable scenario they try to run away to save themselves. The narration teaches us how reality is much stranger than fabricated fiction.
In addition, the disturbing reality like wars in the various parts of the world like people starving for days or getting hit by deadly weapons or something more brutal than that will make you connect with the timeline of Vietnam Ambush. The protest, post-traumatic stress disorder, and hate towards the army personnel make the narration truer and more authentic to its core. Overall, regardless of its unrefined narration, the situation is still the same after fifty years of the Vietnam war. A large part of the world is in favor of war while the rest is opposing it, and that realization makes Daniel Seidenberg’s book a timeless read.