Kill Me If You Can, You SOB

Bob Miller’s new book, Kill Me If You Can, You SOB is based on a diary he kept while serving his tour of duty in Vietnam from 1968-1969. The book is a great way to appreciate what it’s like to participate in a war. Miller’s writing style is very understated, which is pretty funny considering that the guy’s normal verbal style is to shoot from the hip. Yet, the understated approach really gets the job done.

Consider this section from his description of R & R. Up until now, he’s been telling you about all the stuff that goes on for a soldier on a daily basis flying in a UH-1 Iroquois (“Huey”) helicopter. So how does the same soldier describe his R & R?

My home for this week, Diary, is like a motor lodge in the States. The swimming pool, patio restaurant, and concession shops on the first floor all make this a great place. When I opened the door to my room, I was thrilled to see wall to wall carpet! The bathroom was bigger than my barrack’s space. I turned on the hot water faucet and got hot water! Looking around my room more carefully, I noticed there was a radio, a double bed with vibrator built in, and an impressive view of the pool and flower garden. There’s a lot to see and do here, but first a hot bath!

Well, Diary, after my bath yesterday I laid down for a few minutes; I woke up five hours later so I just went back to sleep.

It’s not exactly gripping melodrama, but when you read it, it just makes sense. After days and weeks of endlessly dealing with danger, fear, and blood, the last think you’d want is wild parties and tourist travelogues.

Of course, if you want all the salty dialogue that takes place in the field, you’ve got the rest of the book for that. You can learn more about Kill Me If You Can, You SOB at the website.