A Coward's Hero: An Autobiographical Novel Based on True Events of a Marine in Vietnam, 1967

Vietnam"! To the young marines who fought victory meant one thing; survive your tour of duty and return home. Against this backdrop a vivid portrait is rendered of one young man's attempt to survive. Michael Elliot is a street-smart kid from New York who endures the rigors of being a marine in Vietnam. During his thirteen month tour of duty he transcends the title FNG ("fucking new guy") and arrives at the envied position of "short timer," while hoping desperately not to get killed a week before he rotates home. Enter the world that captures the day-to-day drudgery, frustration, confusion, boredom, ingenuity, friendship, homesickness, and fear that encompassed a tour of duty in Vietnam. The humor is often dark, ironic, and cynical, and at other times a hilarious satire of military life.