The Life of a Machine Gunner in Vietnam
Guns Up! written by Johnnie M. Clark is currently on the banned book reading list. However I feel like it should be brought back into publishing. The book portrays the warrior ethos in a young Marine wanting to serve his country in combat. The book gives you a look into the life of a Marines Machine Gunner in the Vietnam War with the life expectancy of seven to ten seconds.
The book replays real life event that happen while Private Clark was in Vietnam for the first time only eighteen years old. The book goes into detail, how bloody and miserable the conditions where for everyone during the war. “I could hear voices drifting in and out around me. The gray brain of the dead man slid lazily onto the ground, carried by a tiny river of dark-red blood. (Clark 162). They had to endure bravery and courage on an everyday bases. The courage to keep going on even after constantly being attacked knowing your life expectancy drops as soon as your machine gun opens up. Also being brave enough to continue to go on after seeing several of your friends die all around you and a daily bases. Shortly after Private Clark met his first senior machine gunner he died in the first firefight Private Clark was a part of. Contently having to be on the…show more content… In the book the author speaks about the booby traps that were emplaced by the Vietcong to kill and maim the American forces and how effective they were against morale and how it worked against the aggressive nature of Marines. The Author speaks about how at the end of every day they sat in 360 security or depending on the terrain and the enemy situation. at one point the author notes that they had took 6 casualties in one week without so much as even getting a glimpse of the enemy which was very disheartening to the