> Another '60s Science Fiction curiosity is Robert Heinlein's _Glory Road_,
> serialized in _Fantasy & Science Fiction_ in 1963, I think. The book
> features a protagonist who does a stint with the army in Southeast Asia.
> (If memory serves right, Laos is mentioned and not Vietnam--but still.)
Yes, _Glory Road_ *is* an interesting book, particularly in light of
Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_, which clearly glorifies war and portrays
it as a rite of passage for young men. The _Glory Road_ protagonist, as
I recall (I haven't read the book in 15 years), combines hard-core combat
vet status with a hard-boiled detective (almost noir) style, a precursor
in many ways to Gus Hasford's and Charles Durden's combination of the same
traits in, respectively, _A Gypsy Good Time_, and _The Fifth Law of
Hawkins_.
Kali Tal
Sixties Project & Viet Nam Generaiton, Inc.