Praying For Slack Book Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2005 | Title | Praying For Slack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Robert E. Peavey | Publisher | Zenith Press |
| Published | 2004 | ISBN | 0-7603-2050-0 |
| Format | 304 pages, hardbound | MSRP (USD) | $24.95 |
Review
Zenith Press continues to turn out some great material at very affordable prices! In this title, they bring us Robert Peavey who tells us the story of being a Marine Corps tank commander in Vietnam. The title, 'Praying For Slack' was the crews' wish of not having to deal with too much 'stuff' and was appropriately the name of their M48A3 Patton tank. Despite the name, these Marines would see some of the hottest tank battles in that war.
Corporal Robert Peavey and his crew were assigned to the First and Third Marine Divisions at different times and were able to experience the lunacy of fighting a war led by Washington bureaucrats.
The coverage of this title is presented as follows:.
- How It All Began
- Crossing The Pond
- The Debut
- Welcome to Eye Corps
- First Rites
- Time
- Allen Brook
- Angles Flying Too Close to the Ground
- Friendly Fire
- Not So Tough
- Movin' North
- The Night the War Was Lost
- Life's Certain Flavor
- The Steel Ghost
- Apricots
- With the Doggies on the DMZ
- Tiger!
- Twenty-nine and a Wake-up
- "Too Sort for This Shit"
Many folks don't realize that the Marines fought the war with tanks as well as with helicopters. The author states that the book was originally conceived as a series of short stories that told how it was to get into the hot stuff near a fire base or patrolling along the DMZ during one of LBJ's famous cease fires.
The author provides a well-written description of the action from one of the best views in Vietnam, saddled up in the commander's seat of the Patton tank. With the roaring successes that tankers have experienced in the years since Vietnam, this is an excellent glimpse of life in the 'trenches' before Washington returned operational control of the battlefield to its military commanders.
This is a great read for treadheads and military historians alike. If you're wanting to get into your Tamiya M48A3 project, settle down and enjoy this great title, you'll be ready to tackle that project with renewed energy! This title is highly recommended!
My sincere thanks to Motorbooks International for this review sample!