"I WAS AMONG THE FIRST MEN IN, AND I WAS THE LAST MAN OUT."In Vietnam, at both the start and finish of the conflict, 2d Lt. James E. Parker Jr. saw the war as few men did. Now, with uncommon insight and raw honesty, he captures the stark realities of jungle combat, heavy casualties, and heroic sacrifice. From the tight confines of a VC-occupied Cu Chi tunnel to bloody firefights in areas that hardcore VC and NVA vets had controlled for decades, Parker relives the rain, the heat, the horror, the pain--and the anguish of kneeling beside a buddy whose blood turnd the soil black as he lays dying. Vietnam exacted a very high price. Parker pays tribute to the men who paid it.From the Paperback edition.