Off the Record

Fred Stinson, who served as a Navy officer in charge of a boat unit assigned to a SEAL platoon in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, shares an engaging, revealing and often humorous account of his wartime service in this autobiographical memoir. His recollections are not what readers normally find in books about the Vietnam War. Rather, he focuses on behind-the-scenes events that have remained off the record until now. He also paints a vivid picture of the Vietnam landscape, which included nightly clouds of bats that emerged from the jungle after sunset and water buffalos regularly swimming across rivers. With only the top of their heads and their horns exposed, it was important to keep a sharp eye out for them when navigating waters in a high-speed boat. While he participated in numerous missions, one of the most critical ones revolved around Boat Support Unit One, which delivered the commandos of SEAL Team Two to operation areas and rescued them when things went awry. Off the Record exposes a view of the Vietnam War you will not find anywhere else.