Reflecting History

In this episode, I sat down with Vietnam War veteran and now best selling author William V. Taylor to talk about his memoir “On Full Automatic: Surviving 13 Months In Vietnam.” During the discussion we talked about his enlistment and training process, the types and nature of combat during his time there, the role of the environment and how factors like heat and terrain affected him, his relationship to civilians in Vietnam, his changing view of the nature of the enemy as the war went on, the ways that big picture military strategy often clashed with the realities on the ground, the human element of war, the importance of letter writing for him, and ultimately his thoughts on one of the main questions he asks in his book: was it worth it? Bill Taylor, author of "On Full Automatic: Surviving 13 Months in Vietnam" served in the First Battalion, Third Marine Regiment in Vietnam for 13 months in 1967 and 1968. He has spoken for Veteran’s Organizations and to local schools about the Vietnam War. He currently belong