At the Mercy of Chance

At the Mercy of Chance: A Pensive Warrior's Fieldnotes From West Pointto Kon Tum is a true account of a youngman's journey from a humble yet fulfillingnurture in Illinois through graduation fromWest Point and combat in Vietnam. It'sabout the myriad ways the reality of activeduty tests the relevance of the soaringmotto: Duty Honor Country. It is a clear-eyed accounting of individual selflessnessof service to the nation side-by-side withthe bewildering ambiguity of "e;boots on theground"e; strategy, and provides an answerto the question of how much a soldier istruly asked to give in war.