Robert Lee Hodges, Jr. joins the marines in keeping with his family history of serving in the military. It was said that if there were no Vietnam, he'd have to invent it.
We learn about Hodges doing well in Marine officer training and shipped to Vietnam. Once there he's stationed "in country" and we meet the rest of his unit.
James Webb does a nice job in describing the hell that was Vietnam and still give us a feel for the men who fought and died there.
Snake, named for his tattoo has a low level job. One day he sees the Marine motto, "Death Before Dishonor" and has it tattooed and then joins the Marines. His fearlessness and leadership of the unit in a main part of the story.
Will Goodrich was the college man. While many friends were running to Canada or going to grad school to escape the draft, Will leaves Harvard and joins up. It is from his point of view that we see many of the battle scenes and the death and injury that surrounds the unit and what it can do to a person.
These men and others are surrounded by enemies. Is the farmer in the nearby village, really a farmer or VC? It's impossible to tell.
Sgt Austin joins the unit and wants to bring it the spit and polish that works in the states but is rediculous in front line action.
During one battle, one of his men has had enough and flips a grenade near enough to injure the sgt. and remove him from the unit, but not kill him.
It is difficult to comprehend the death and inhumanity that surrounds these men who are really just out of high school in many cases. Webb does it well. The novel has been compared to "All Quiet on the Western Front" and like that novel, does well in telling the horrors of war. ( )

Very well written book. Interesting characters, and exciting action. ( )

Excellent book. If you really want to get the feel of the horrors of war read this one. it'll stay with you long after you finnish. ( )

3414. Fields of Fire A Novel, by James Webb (read Mar 5, 2001) Obviously this book was read due to my reading of The Nightingale's Song. The book's writing was discussed at some length therein, and was written before Webb became Secretary of the Navy. While it is fiction it is so based on Webb's experience in Vietnam that it conveys to me a high degree of authenticity. Some might think this a right wing tract, but it is more thought-provoking than such, and Webb is not your run-of-the-mill hawk by any means. I found this an extremely powerful and unforgettable book. In the area of Vietnam fiction, this book would appear to rank high. ( )

PFC Goodrich struggles to win the respect of mean as hell Marines like Snake. Later Webb was Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Navy so the world-view ain’t John Le Carre. A helluva novel, with no literary pretentions at all.