Catch Pathfinder: First In, Last Out: A Memoir Of Vietnam Authored By Richard R. Burns Visible In Textbook

of my Vietnam War reading, An excellent account of a little known group that performed a vital function, Good stuff. Heros All

I was an ASkyhawks and OBirddog pilot in the Marine Corps.
I found this book to be the best Ive ever read about Vietnam, The Pathfinders did a fantastic job while being attacked and under mortars raining down, I didnt want this book to end it was so exciting, Burns is an excellent author, I hope he writes more books,.stars. Excellent. Well written, even paced, and easily understandable even by anyone not familiar with the army or Vietnam, Incredible to read about the extremely dangerous situations Burns got himself into, performed so well in and survived.
Historically significant because, as the cover says it's "the only Vietnam account from a soldier in this elite unit.
" What a journey and experience from just one man, Glad to read. Insightful read into this very specialized, highly trained role in the war Well written gripping account

A very honest book, from the perspective of a young man who not only survived but thrived during his year in Vietnam.
A pleasure to read!
I was hoping for more, it was an interesting memoir, but not nearly as good as I had hoped.
Device mans first time a crossed the ocean and his thoughts

I really enjoyed this book.
i can remember leaving America and the feelings I had, This book brought back many of those feelings and my thoughts once or twice, Burns reminds his readers that everything he's describing happened when he wasyears old.
he really doesn't delve to deeply into his feelings or his politics, he doesn't discuss the draft, his tone is fairly consistently chipper.
details throughout the book hint at the frustration many felt towards inept commanding officers, the constant physical discomfort not just the heat and mosquitoes and fire ants spaces are too small, shelters flood and collapse overnight, and the agony of watching helplessly while others suffer.


the writing is simple and direct, I think this might be a good place for someone to start, if they are interested in the Vietnam War and don't want to be overwhelmed with academic analyses or tons of technical terms with footnotes and so on.
I enjoyed learning about Pathfinders and appreciate having a better idea about what personal meaning names and events might hold for someone for example, the Tet Offensive.
This is a book that my oldest son who is a Pathfinder in the Army told me about and I enjoyed reading more about what he does in his job although this book is about the true experience of a man during the Vietnam era.
I just didn't have enough time to finish reading so I may go back to it later, Exceptional book. Reads easily and in a nailbiter fashion, Superb storytelling made all the more enthralling by the fact that true events are being recounted, Also an excellent look into a portion and view of Vietnam history that is not often brought to light by the current historical interpretation.
Richard Burns had a unique war, as befits as unique MOS, The Pathfinders have a storied history they were the first units to jump into Normandy, setting guidance equipment for the main waves of paratroopers to arrive later.
Burns was a Pathfinder in thes, and as well as paratroop techniques, he was trained in the management of a helicopter landing zone, the delicate dance of landing and extracting troops as quickly and safely as possible under fire, in bad weather, or any other circumstances.


Burn's memoir is a chronological account of his time as a Pathfinder, from training stateside through his first deployment.
There are plenty of interesting pieces, from him refusing an order from a Colonel to execute an extraction from an unsafe firezone, a unit dog named Torch, helping build firebase Bastogne near the A Shau valley, and training at the Recondo school, where graduation involved a deep patrol against the active enemy.
As a special unit, the Pathfinders wen't a lot of places and did a lot of things, and Burns volunteered for more duties, including Recondo school and a couple of runs as a Huey door gunner.


Burns is clear, journeymanlike writer, Better than many, while not quite in the top tier of truly great memoirists, But this is still a good book, and well worth a read, Ive known a thing or two about US Army Pathfinders for years, but I wanted more information, I looked it up and found one book about their operations in Vietnam, I was saddened to hear after buying it that the author had died of cancer he never saw it in print, but the introduction was written by Gary Linderer, the author of several books Ive enjoyed.
I was pleased to learn that this book fits into the larger “st Airborne Division in Vietnam” unofficial series.



SUMMARY
Richard Burns was scared the first time he jumped out of an airplane, but he learned to love it before volunteering for Pathfinders.
These elite soldiers are combat air controllers who are trained to arrive first at a landing zone, direct incoming helicopters, and make sure every chopper gets away before leaving.
He was soon sent to Vietnam inwhere he served with thest Airborne Division when it first deployed to that warzone.



OVERALL:out of
I really enjoyed reading this one, The author had his own, unique perspective on the Vietnam War, and I thought the Pathfinder operations were fascinating.
He was a gifted writer and its unfortunate that he passed on before seeing his work in print, but I think its also a badge of veracity Burns had nothing to prove when he wrote this, and he could simply tell things the way he saw them.


I would particularly recommend this to those who have read other books written by members of thest Airborne Division during this period of the war “Eyes of the Eagle” and “Eyes Behind the Lines” by Gary Linderer, “Recondo” by Larry Chambers, “LRRP Team Leader” by John Buford, and “Wings of the Eagle” by W.
T. Grant.


RATINGS BY CATEGORY
CHARACTERS:out of
As a nonfiction book, the Characters category represents how well the author conveys and describes people.


Burns tends to only mention people when they come up in the narrative, Only three or four of the dozen soldiers he is sent to Vietnam are named at first, but he

describes most of them throughout the course of his book.


Ron Reynolds, who is also mentioned a few times in Gary Linderers books and “Recondo” by Larry Chambers, is probably the most developed character, and its usually an interesting story when hes in it Reynolds was unfortunately killed in.
Other characters may only appear once or twice, but the author does a good job of describing them in only a few sentences.



PACE:out of
I thought the pace on this book really worked, Each chapter is usually dedicated to a single major event or period of the authors tour, including his time spent at a new firebase, a week or two spent with South Vietnamese Airborne soldiers he only has good things to say about them, and the time he assisted a Special Forces team that was in Laos.
It keeps things moving even though the book is of average length,


STORY:out of
I loved this story, and not just because the Pathfinders live daring, adventurefilled lives.
In fact, a lot of what they do is just directing air traffic, which doesnt sound exciting at all.
What really sets this book apart is the authors perspective on the environment around him,

For instance, Burns doesnt tell us every time hes wearing tiger stripe camouflage or standard issue jungle fatigues, and he doesnt tell us what he did on his RampR soldiers typically had a choice of Australia or Hawaii for two weeks of their tour, but he does an amazing job of conveying the isolation and loneliness of the jungle.
He describes how South Vietnamese soldiers bathe in the field using rain when possible, and how the US Army went about establishing a new base in the middle of jungles and mountains.


Theres some real excitement here, and some of the “horrors of war” that other books dont get into.
Burns sees plenty of people die, including a helicopters crew chief who is literally cooked before the authors eyes.
It is terrible, but Im glad he had the bravery and ability to write about it,


DIALOGUE:out of
Any dialogue in a book like this is going to be an approximation based on the authors memories, but it works in this book.
No one ever launches in unrealistic speeches, and no character is used to lecture the reader, Burns does a particularly good job with the characters he butted heads with,


STYLE/TECHNICAL:out of
I think Burns had a good, competent writing style, He describes his environment well, and I was never confused about what was going on or where things were.
I think he could have been more descriptive at times, The first and only book, That I know of and just read about a member of the Pathfinders of thest Airborne in Vietnam.
The author, Richard Burns served in the Pathfinder unit in Vietnam, The Pathfinder's job as the author described it in excellent detail was to guide helicopters, disembark troops, and directed medevacs to retrieve the wounded, as well as organizing extractions.
The Pathfinder also parachuted into hot landing zones risking their lives while under enemy fire, Richard Burns earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and numerous other decorations for his bravery, A highly recommended read!!!! REads like a diary for the entire time he was in country, very good!!! This book is an insider look at Airborne operations during the Vietnam war Pathfinders were the groundair controllers for helicopter operations as well as air support.

Very interesting story. I enjoyed it. Enthralling account of a tour in Vietnamglosses over the historical and political context of the conflict and instead focuses on the writers personal thoughts and perspectives.
Really good stuff. Great Story

A humble account of a Team we dont read about often, the Pathfinders.
Thanks for your story and for doing what needed to be done in a time when that wasnt the popular choice.
December: Richard Burns had just arrived in Vietnam as part of the fourteenmanst Pathfinder Detachment, Within just one month, during a holiday called Tet, the Communists would launch the largest single attack of the warand he would be right in the thick of it.


In Vietnam, Richard Burns operated in liveordie situations, risking his life so that other men could keep theirs.
As a Pathfinderall too often alone in the middle of a hot LZhe guided in helicopters disembarking troops, directed medevacs to retrieve the wounded, and organized extractions.
As well as parachuting into areas and supervising the clearing of landing zones, Pathfinders acted as airtraffic controllers, keeping call signs, frequencies, and aircraft locations in their heads as they orchestrated takeoffs and landings, often under heavy enemy fire.


From Bien Hoa to Song Be to the deadly A Shau Valley, Burns recounts the battles that won him the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and numerous other decorations.
This is the first and only book by a Pathfinder in Vietnam, . . or anywhere else.


From the Paperback edition, .