Having flunked out of college in the fall of 1965, the author enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was soon assigned to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, a place designed to manufacture the commodity a wartime army most quickly expends-rifle platoon leaders. In 1968, he found himself in Vietnam, part of the First Cavalry Division. From his memories and the battalion's radio log, the tedium, dread, fear and bewilderment of the everyday grunts are revealed. He found combat neither glorious nor great, reminding us of the humanity of the men who fought in Vietnam. The author's experiences at Kent State University in 1970 during the infamous shootings on that campus are also included.

Not your typical sociology primer, this straightforward yet challenging text begins with an accessible discussion of foundational theories, central concepts and areas of study. Drawing on anthropology, archaeology and history to illustrate key points, it offers a thorough examination of the field, covering such often neglected topics as the mass production of deviance (Stalin's lethal purges, for example) and the sociology of war. This multifaceted approach provides a broad overview of the discipline through a clear-eyed investigation of human society at its best and worst.