Eight Stars to Victory:
A History of the Veteran U.S. Ninth Infantry Division

By Joseph B. Mittelman   Columbus, Ohio: Herr, 1948

"If you are not interested in action, drama, humor, travel and pathos all rolled-up into one vivid tale, don't read another word! For this is to tell you about a new kind of book -- EIGHT STARS TO VICTORY. It is a story which relates the blazing career of a group of fighting Americans known as the Ninth Infantry Division. These are the soldiers whom correspondents labeled magnificent and Hitler's Nemesis; whose corps commander termed The Old Reliables.     EIGHT STARS TO VICTORY is the living saga of how eight battle stars were won -- from the shores of North Africa, in 1942, to the banks of the Elbe, in 1945. Its cast of characters is over 50,000 strong. Nearly 25,000 casualties were sustained to bring you this story -- 4,747 of these died. " -- Dust jacket comments

The book has numerous maps, photos, and coverage of each campaign that earned the division its eight battle stars.  

The best bet for finding a copy of Eight Stars To Victory is through an Internet search of rare and used book dealers. Expect to pay from $80 to $300. I got my copy through Advanced Book Exchange.  The last time I used their search engine I found 8 copies of the book available.  

I also found a copy at the Los Angeles Public Library. Check your public library too.

I see this book often on the www.ebay.com auction website. Search under Collectibles: Militaria and under Books: Nonfiction: Military. Past auctions have sold this book for $50 to $150.

ISBN: 0671560581

Evans was a young man who envied his father's WWII rite of passage and sought his own. He joined the Army as a medic and volunteered for Vietnam to seek his destiny. His 9th Infantry Division duty assignment was the 9th Medical Battalion but he had come to Vietnam to see combat. With persistence, Evans got himself attached to the 4th of the 39th Infantry as a platoon medic for most of his tour. Now it was time to learn how the reality of combat measured up to his boyhood imagination. Evans tells a vivid tale of his first hand experience with the aftermath of life and death conflict in a far off land.

Look for this Pocket Books publication in the military history section of better bookstores everywhere.

This book is also available online from Amazon.com.
Visit  Doc : Platoon + Medic for a synopsis and author's comments.

By Lt. Cdr. Thomas J. Cutler, USN

This is a very readable concise history of the US Navy involvement in Vietnam. The author weaves facts and figures with the human stories of the men and women who were fighting a different kind of war. You will see the beginnings of the Vietnam navy, the US advisor role, and active involvement with coastal and inland waterway operations. The stories of  naval personnel performing routine surveillance of coastal waters or engaged in the terror of close quarter combat on the muddy waters of the Mekong Delta paint a picture of the war in Vietnam that is often overlooked. A partnership of Navy and 9th Infantry Divisions units loosened the tight grip that the Viet Cong had on the strategically important Delta.

Look for this Pocket Books publication in the military history section of better bookstores everywhere.

This book is also available online from Amazon.com.
Visit  Brown Water, Black Berets for a synopsis and author's comments.

ISBN: 0671672800

Jungle in Black
By Steve Macguire

Jungle in Black is the memoir of Steve Macguire, a young Airborne Ranger who commanded a 9th Infantry Division battalion Recon Platoon (6th Battalion, 31st Infantry) in the Mekong Delta. It was there that an exploding Vietcong mine blinded him  for life. He lost sight-but not his courage. This is an honest first-person account that never wallows in self-pity as the author reasssembles his life in a country that has turned it's back on the war, and the Vietnam veteran. This book is available from  used book dealers,  Amazon.com., or from the author SMaguire@jwod.gov