The 6th C.C.

As a medical laboratory technician, Doug Feay’s Vietnam experience was different from that of a typical infantry soldier, but not any less harrowing. This memoir is a descriptive firsthand account of military service during the Vietnam war. The recurring theme of the narrative focuses on the twisted “logic” of the military bureaucracy and how best to cope with it. The book is a chronologically arranged series of stories divided into two parts: time served in country at the 6th Convalescent Center Cam Rahn Bay, and time served in San Francisco at the Letterman Army Hospital morgue. A helpful introduction provides historical context regarding drug use by GIs in Vietnam and the inconsistent response by the military to rehabilitate addicted soldiers. While the cover synopsis and title of the book focus on the takeover of the 6th C.C. drug compound by junkie GIs, the second half of the book deserves mention, as it is highly entertaining. Think of the TV show M.A.S.H. set in a morgue rather than a surgical unit.

As with many self-published books, the text could use a bit of proofreading and polishing. But this is a minor distraction from an engaging and entertaining read.