Into No Man's Land, the Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, United States Marine Corps, Khe Sanh, Vietnam — Ellen Emerson White

Determined to do his duty for his country, Patrick Seamus Flaherty joins the Marines right after graduation to fight in the Vietnam War. But Southeast Asia is a far cry from Patrick's hometown of Boston, and as soon as he arrives, he realizes that he's made a terrible mistake.

Confronted with oppressive heat, dense jungles, and an enemy that is everywhere, Patrick is overwhelmed by life on the battlefield. With the help of his comrades, Patrick slowly starts to find a way to deal with the harsh realities he faces. But under constant assault by the North Vietnamese, Patrick isn't sure he'll ever make it home again, and as the months drag on, he and his unit question whether they're actually making a difference.

Writing in the journal his father gave him before shipping out, Patrick brings Khe Sanh to vivid life through the smells, tastes, sounds, horrors, loneliness, and the friendships that are so much of the chaos called war.