Arnold W. Krause’s Young Men in Harm’s Way follows a young Californian from civilian life into the daily demands of infantry service in Vietnam. Drafted in 1967, Krause served with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, during 1968 and 1969, taking on increasing responsibility as his tour progressed. The book combines his personal story with a detailed record of his unit’s operations, drawing on military journals, letters, and fellow veterans’ recollections. That combination gives it the feel of someone talking you through his memories while spreading maps and photographs across the table.

What makes the account especially engaging is its attention to the practical business of getting through each day. Krause describes soaked fatigues, interrupted sleep, troublesome feet, meals assembled from C-rations, and the constant effort to stay alert. Radio procedures and helicopter movements become part of the rhythm of life, alongside jokes, care packages, and music drifting from a radio. His mother’s small artificial Christmas tree is a lovely detail, especially against the losses the company has just endured. These moments help you picture the young men behind the ranks and surnames, with their habits, friendships, and hopes of getting home.

The combat passages are most affecting when Krause connects an event to a person he knew. His account of David Schultz’s death during his first firefight stays with you because he returns to his own decisions and the consequences he’s spent years considering. December’s mounting casualties bring a different kind of strain, as familiar faces disappear and surviving soldiers have to keep working. His growing responsibility for other men makes each decision more consequential. You can feel how much leadership depends on experience, clear communication, and trust. His admissions about mistakes and gaps in memory make these sections especially compelling.

The book’s thoroughness also shapes its pacing. Long sequences of dates, unit movements, map coordinates, and weapons descriptions require concentration, and repeated explanations sometimes slow the narrative. Readers who enjoy following military operations closely will find plenty to work with, while others may feel most engaged when Krause returns to a conversation or a remembered scene. His strong political opinions and judgments about the war give the narration a distinctly personal stamp, although some sweeping claims would benefit from fuller support. The photographs, maps, glossary, and company roster strengthen the book’s value as a record of the people and places he wants remembered.

The closing material follows Krause’s return to civilian life, his search for old comrades, and the reunions that helped them reconnect. His later visit to Vietnam, including placing flowers for fallen friends, shows how those relationships stayed with him across decades. I’d recommend this book most strongly to Vietnam veterans, their families, and readers interested in the everyday workings of an infantry company, especially those with a connection to the 25th Infantry Division or the 12th Infantry Regiment. They’ll appreciate its patience with detail and its commitment to preserving individual names and experiences. Krause’s affection for the men he served beside is what makes the book worth spending time with.

Pages: 468 | ASIN : B0HCS4TR49