Atrocity

Book excerpt: During the final months of active U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, the Pentagon already has one foot out the door. While entire units are being pulled out, the soldiers left behind are forced to fight a war their country no longer supports. Morale is at an all time low among the troops, many of whom are reluctant draftees. Rampant drug abuse, dereliction of duty and "fragging" have become commonplace. Most soldiers are marking time, avoiding conflict in hope of living long enough to see home again. But one man isn't ready to give up the fight. Lieutenant Steven Colter has a thirst for NVA blood, and forms a Recon unit to quench that thirst. An elite tactical unit comprised of the battalion's best men, Recon beats the enemy at their own game, using guerilla warfare to produce impressive body counts. Recon does what it takes to win, ignoring the Geneva Convention when it gets in the way. But as the war winds down, the conflict on the battlefield and the conflict between right and wrong blur into one, building to a tragic climax with moral implications as relevant today as they were in 1971.