A tense blood-sweating novella about Costa a young army recruit who survives the war in Vietnam but not without trauma, a severe wound and nightmarish memories. You can smell the sweat, hear the flies and mosquitoes and feel the palpable fear of the villagers. A very dramatic portrayal. ( )

A soldier's nightmare.

A short story that's long on description about a war that was fought in one of the most brutal climates and jungles, against one of the toughest enemies of all time. I can only imagine what these soldiers witnessed and survived. As the story unfolds, I can sense the fear, smell the stench of death, and visualize a jungle of horrors that these young men faced in Vietnam. Good bless our veterans and those soldiers that sacrifice their lives so that mine may be safe and free from such atrocities. ( )

I admit, I initially picked this book to read thinking it would serve as an "easy" read in-between all the non-fiction on my reading list. I'm a bit of a war fanatic in the sense that I appreciate reading war materials, come from a military family that has served in several wars, and have worked with veterans. Still, I've never been in a war. So when I come across something like Mark Rubinstein's "The Foot Soldier," where he is able to take the reader inside of a war, inside of a humid jungle full of mosquitoes and predators and booby traps and probably most of all fear, I'm beyond captivated. Though it was a short read--less than an hour--I felt the pain of young Costa every step of the way, especially to the heart-breaking decision at the end. There are choices we have to make in our lives that are so mind-blowing, we can't even comprehend them at that second. I think no one knows the meaning of that sentence better than the men serving in our forces, the ones who make hard choices every single day. So--was this the best book about war I've ever read? No. Was the ending the best it could have been? Not really. But did it grip me emotionally? Absolutely. I nearly choked trying to hold back tears while reading certain passages. My body tensed up subconsciously as I read with a fast pace about Costa's journey serving "point." I'm done with the book and my nerves are frayed, my thoughts are scattered, and I'm anything but calm. That's what makes a good story. ( )

Short story...short tour...a compelling and riveting story! Author, Mark Rubinstein manages to capture the realism and fear experienced by many young soldiers, newly arrived to fight in the Vietnam War. As infantry soldiers, they are required to hump through jungles to find an elusive enemy, mindful that they may be hiding behind every bush and turn of a trail - and watching their every move. Tension is high...fear is paramount! Not only do these young men contend with this constant fear of ambush, each soldier also struggles under the weight of his supplies, high humidity, dense jungle, leaches, and thirst - all combining to sap their strength and will.

Then add a new, incompetent lieutenant, who has just graduated from OCS, leading this group. He is gung-ho, exaggerates body counts and is anxious for any excuse to burn down villages and kill every Vietnamese they encounter. His direct orders are morally wrong, but refusal to comply has severe consequences. What is one to do?

While reading through the 60 pages of this novella, I get visions of scenes from the movies "Platoon", when Charlie Sheen collapses on his first patrol, and later when Sgt. Barnes accuses villagers of supporting VC - those soldiers witnessing this interrogation are split in their support of the sergeants actions. The other movie, "We Were Soldiers once...", when after landing on the LZ, the one Lt. giving chase to a lone enemy soldier - the platoon is compelled to chase after him - and follow him right into an ambush.

The author nails it in this short story, leaving thoughts about the story well after closing the book! Highly recommended to all! Great job Mr. Rubinstein!

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel ( )