Diary of an Airborne Ranger

A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone

By: Frank Johnson

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Perhaps the most accurate story of LRRPs at war!

When Frank Johnson arrived in Vietnam in 1969, he was 19, a young soldier untested in combat like thousands of others - but with two important differences: Johnson volunteered for the elite L Company Rangers of the 101st Airborne Division, a long range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) unit, and he kept a secret diary, a practice forbidden by the military to protect the security of LRRP operations.

Now, more than three decades later, those hastily written pages offer a rare look at the daily operations of one of the most courageous units that waged war in Vietnam. Johnson served in I Corps, in Northern Vietnam, where combat was furious and the events he recounts emerge, stark and compelling: walking point in the A Shau Valley, braving enemy fire to rescue a downed comrade, surviving days and nights of relentless tension that suddenly exploded in the blinding fury of an NVA attack.

Undimmed and unmuddied by the passing of years, Johnson's account is unique in the annals of Vietnam literature. Moreover, it is a timeless testimony to the sacrifice and heroism of the LRRPs who dared to risk it all.

©2000 Frank Johnson (P)2001 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Abridged

Another abridged book that skips so much. Audible needs to just stop allowing this nonsense.

decent

well written insight into the day to day ops of the LRRP's in Viet nam

Diary of an Airborne Ranger.

I was asigned to a Recon Team in Viet Nam. Some of this was a little hard to believe, and an awful lot of Killing. That was not what recon teams were for, and when the shit hit the fan they were extracted. Hard to believe, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Read it, and judge for yourself.

Best book on LRRP I’ve read

The accuracy and humor in this book is what makes it so great. Thanks Mr Johnson !

Very short with no substance

This book was written to complete a task but it brings very little to the table.

Awesome

It brought back lots of memories of my tours in Vietnam. I related to story.

Pass on it

The is just someone reading a diary. Too many days when nothing occured. Try something else.

Not very well done

This is just a reading of a choppy diary. Somewhat interesting but no real story. The ending is abrupt with no explanation of how the soldier’s tour ended. It stops when he has 30 days left in Vietnam.

It’s just diary entries

Wish the was the complete story of the author and not just his journal entries. You only get a small part of the story

Sorry but this ones pretty bad.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Narrator is good but the writing is really, really bad. Cant tell if its because it is so incredibly abridged. Only two hours of audio book here. The writing is about at seventh grade level. I like gritty military stuff but this is just bad. The main characters diary "entries" are often just a couple of sentences. Very little in the way of a cohesive storyline, lacks much action. There is a little bit of action and fun in here, so if you get it cheap and you don't mind the cheese factor you might enjoy it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Frank Johnson again?

Maybe.

What about Don Leslie’s performance did you like?

Great voice, nice pacing. He is a great narrator, but the material he was working with was not that great.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

More bored than engaged (apologies to the author!)