See The Dragon interested me from the start. Not only was it written by a man I've known my entire life, but I knew that he was in the same area as my father, only a year prior.


What I read cannot be put into words. The book came in the mail and I had it read 8 hours later, finishing the book by flashlight as the power went out. I simply could not put it down. If you want to read a book about the Viet Nam War from an expert, read this book written not by a college professor with his own political bias, or an investigative journalist with an agenda, but by a simple Soldier sharing his remarkable story.


I am currently on my 3rd tour to Iraq. Even though the Army has changed a great deal from that war to this one, Soldiers are still Soldiers, and a lot of the experiences Don wrote about I relate to. It reinforces that stirring deep inside as to why I wear the uniform. I think I'll start reading it again tonight.


CPT Patrick F. Feild


4th Infantry Division

What started as a letter to his daughters several years ago became Don Arndt’s first book. See the Dragon, One Wolfhounds Vietnam’s Story, is a straightforward account of an infantry unit on patrols through the jungles and over the water-filled rice paddies of Vietnam in 1966.

Arndt’s does not go into graphic detail or use foul language as he focuses not on the battles but the relationship developed by men trapped in combat in a foreign and distant land.

We follow him from a rural Missouri dairy farm as a young boy, whose life was filled with many duties, to the Viet Cong infested area known as the Iron Triangle half a world away.

Arndt’s book explains in simple and meaningful words the bond he formed with his buddies, the sad loss of some of them, and his need to find the survivors long after the war ended.

As a Vietnam Veteran myself, having served in the same areas and at the same time as the author, I can verify that the facts and descriptions contained in his book are historically accurate.

I highly recommend this book to anyone studying the Vietnam War or whose family or friends were part of the valorous unit known as the 25th Infantry Division “Wolfhounds.”



Tony Lazzarini

President

Military Writers Society of America

I read the book in two settings, and would recommend it to all citizens of the United States, particularly those who like me never served in a war. I was only 4 when Don was sent to fight, and I did not even have any family members of age who served in that war either, so I never learned firsthand about the Vietnam War. While the book takes you back to that war unlike anything I have ever heard or read, I still can't even begin to imagine how difficult and impossible it would have been to have actually lived it.
I have always felt this nation did the vetrans of that war a huge disservice both by asking them to do something and tying their hands behind their backs for political reasons, and then by treating them terribly when they returned. I now can understand why vetrans's of the Vietnam war sought out their brothers who served with them; they were the only ones who could relate.
I refer to the author by name as I count myself fortunate that our paths crossed many years later and that we are friends (even if he spells Allis Chalmers incorrectly).

Our lives are different in direction and duration. Don Arndt's "See the Dragon" is a memoir from a time that will always be remembered as a coming of age for a generation, Vietnam. Many were called. Few were chosen. Even fewer wrote about it. And, none came back unchanged. Heat, sweat, smell, sounds, fear, exhilaration, comradeship and faith were the Combat Infantryman's lot in Vietnam. If you were there, "See the Dragon" will take you back. If you weren't, it will take you there.

Guy B. Hinton
2/27 Infantry
Vietnam 1968-69

A book that any Vietnam Veteran can relate to. Written in a down to earth style that makes you feel you are there with the author reliving his experiences with him. Funny at times, serious at times. Very moving when you read of the many reunions with those he served with as well as their families. Not only would I would recommend it as great reading for any Vietnam Vet but also for anyone that wants to read about "what it was realy like."
John Babbitt