John Herren is a self-described Army brat who grew up in Japan, Korea, all over the American South, and Washington, DC. After graduating and receiving his commission from West Point in 1958, he went to Fort Benning for officer’s basic training, airborne, and Ranger school. He then went to Germany as a platoon leader, an XO, and then division staff. He and his company sailed for Vietnam in 1965 after extensive training on helicopter air assault. He provides a vivid description of the battle at LZ X-ray in the Ia Drang Valley. He speaks of the tremendous strength and leadership capabilities of his non-commissioned officers, the excellence of his battalion commander, the rashness and aggression of his 2nd Platoon leader, and his close and lasting friendships. He recalls the circumstances for which he was awarded a Silver Star, fondly remembers R&R in Bangkok and later with his wife in Hawaii, and his work with ROTC at Georgetown University after his first tour, and his adjustment to working at the Pentagon after his second tour. Herren made a career of the Army, and then devoted himself to caring for wounded warriors through a mentoring program he helped set up at Walter Reed.