Dear Mom: A Sniper's Vietnam Paperback – August 31, 1991

Highly Recommended. My Navy war duty was three years on Oahu. and then safe in the armored air conditioned computer room of a thousand foot long Aircraft Carrier offshore of Vietnam. I had one day in Danang on my way home. I wear my Navy Vietnam hat hoping to meet folks like Joe Ward, so I can thank them for helping to get me home safe. His Diary is full of detailed stories we need to hear about why all wars are awful, full of ways to lasting harm without reason; why America still needs warriors who fight to save each other, and other folks struggling to get them home. Welcome Home, Marine!

Reading this book was a pleasure. I have read around 75 books on the Vietnam war. The first was a great book about a surgeon doing his patriotic duty for his country. This book by Joseph Ward was every bit as good. Nice to place my 1st. and last in the top two of them all. Thank you Mr. Ward. It is better than 5 star. Well written, a pleasure to read. Hoops his life as a civilian did not disappoint.

A generally good read but less Dear Mom and more about the War would have had 5 Stars. Often the letters were out of sync with the story and certainly less interesting.

I found this to be a great non-fictional account of a Marine sniper in the Vietnam War. Reading this book lead me to read several other books about Marine snipers in Vietnam, such as Marine Sniper, Dead Center, and 13 Cent Killers... all good books in their own right. However I felt Dear Mom was the best of them.

Some of the narrative events described in Joe's book did not match the Command Chronology of the 5th Marines. However, I would say 80% of what Joe Ward describes is authentic, especially the special hunter killer team episode in Laos. While I don't recall Joe Ward specifically, at least two of my amtrac platoon members recall him from our time supporting the 5th Marine Regiment. Having been in An Hoa and up at Phu Loc 6 (i.e., Liberty Bridge), during the same period of time he describes, he was indeed a brave Marine. That said, there was no "doper den" at An Hoa where one could go get a joint and smoke it without getting busted. Joe's reference to smoking a joint with a Marine Captain at An Hoa is an example of Joe's imagination getting carried away. Dan Guenther, Captain of Marines, Vietnam 1968-1970

I was captivated by the truth and detail shared by Corporal Ward. The things we experienced in Vietnam are hard to comprehend however JT through his letters to his mother did a masterful job of capturing the tragedy of the times. If you served in Vietnam this is a book worth reading.

Interesting book, as written by a marine, in country during the Vietnam war. His story as he writes letters to his mother contains intimate details about his experiences and his mental state in relation to the dangers of being a marine sniper. I recommend this book..

This is one of the most perfectly written narratives of personal experience in Viet Nam I have come across. Joe Ward hits this nail right on the head. I was impressed with the sophisticated structure and depth of this book. It's far more accomplished than it will get credit for. Ward is clearly a thoughtful and complex person with fine observation and analysis abilities. He succeeds in weaving a tapestry of personal narrative together with the greater web of the Viet Nam conflict seamlessly without missing a beat. I hope Webb entered politics or education in light of these skills. Where other books simplify, idealize, and caricature the issues, Webb brings the realities of history and culture clash to the battle ground and weaves them into the mud of the hill beneath the firebase and the surrounding villages. He also uses letters home to sign post, foreshadow, plant his events within a slow unfolding of understanding, not unlike the manner in which events actually occur. If the Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh is one of the masterpieces of the Viet Nam war literary garden, Dear Mom by Joe Ward is firmly planted there as well. This book presents a rich overview of the infinite range of experiences one might have had during the war. It's highly recommended for its literary structures, its historic observations, and its meaningful personal story.