From Classrooms to Claymores: A Teacher at War in Vietnam
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Product Description
"Vietnam was a fantasy life of gunfire, blood,
heat, and superhuman toil."
By late 1969, the end of the war was just over the horizon. But for Ches Schneider, a drafted schoolteacher turned infantry grunt in the deadly Central Highlands, it was just beginning. This story of a Missouri boy, told with grit and honesty, describes the stark transition from the normalcy of schooldays to the life-and-death drama endured daily in Vietnam's bloody jungles.
As a soldier in the 1st Infantry Division, Schneider went out on twelve-man search-and-destroy combat missions, never knowing whether the next moment would bring an ambush, a firefight, or eternal oblivion. Later, when the Big Red One rotated back to the U.S., he was transferred to the 1st Cav and fought it out with the NVA in the steamy jungles of Phuoc Long Province near the Cambodian border. As an ordinary man in extraordinary times, Schneider realistically captures the pain, loss, sacrifice, and courage of the men who fought for their lives even as the war wound down . . . .
heat, and superhuman toil."
By late 1969, the end of the war was just over the horizon. But for Ches Schneider, a drafted schoolteacher turned infantry grunt in the deadly Central Highlands, it was just beginning. This story of a Missouri boy, told with grit and honesty, describes the stark transition from the normalcy of schooldays to the life-and-death drama endured daily in Vietnam's bloody jungles.
As a soldier in the 1st Infantry Division, Schneider went out on twelve-man search-and-destroy combat missions, never knowing whether the next moment would bring an ambush, a firefight, or eternal oblivion. Later, when the Big Red One rotated back to the U.S., he was transferred to the 1st Cav and fought it out with the NVA in the steamy jungles of Phuoc Long Province near the Cambodian border. As an ordinary man in extraordinary times, Schneider realistically captures the pain, loss, sacrifice, and courage of the men who fought for their lives even as the war wound down . . . .
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Since FROM CLASSROOMS TO CLAYMORES is my first book, I 'm very excited to see it in print. I am pleased that Amazon.com will distribute it. There are several corrections that should be made to the Synopsis. When I was drafted at the age of 26, not 21, I was much older than most of the other men in my unit. (I was drafted 30 days before my 26th birthday. Had I made the age of 26, I would have been draft exempt and this book wouldn't have been written). Also, I served in the 1st Air Cavalry, not the 1st Air Vietnam. While I did behave myself most of the time and did get a Good Conduct Medal, I actually received the Air Medal for 25 plus combat assaults into enemy territory. I believe everyone who reads my story will enjoy it. Readers will find it different from the typical Vietnam type book. While I do tell a few shoot-em up stories (What war vet wouldn't?), about 50% of the book is humor and tales of daily survival in the jungle and on Fire Support bases.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Upon discovering that a drafted teacher had written this book, I had to read it. The average grunt didn't have the education that Ches Schneider had and he was the right person to explain a lot of their feelings and day to day life in Vietnam. I found the book to be easy reading and one that everyone should read, not just the X-Vet or person from that era. I'd even go as far as saying that this book could be used in a classroom setting to teach the student what it was like as a soldier in Vietnam. For some it was worse and for others it was much better. But, Ches Schneider puts everything into perspective with this well written account of his tour in Vietnam.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I purchased this book because Ches Schneider is a teacher--and so am I. More coincidentally, we are about the same age. Like Schneider, I spent 2 years in the army at about the same time he served. I was not sent to Vietnam, though I was on active duty when the war was hot. Schneider's perspective, that of a 26 year old married man who has a college degree and has taught for a year or two, is refreshingly unique. The vast majority of men who fought in Vietam were much younger, less educated and unattached. Most of the men Schneider serves with look up to him and with good reason; he shows maturity and good judgment in irrational situations. At the same time, he shows the basic human instinct for survival. He exploits the opportunity for rear echelon duty and finally ends up as an company clerk well away from the action. If the politicians and generals who made the major decisions about this war had sent more people like Ches Schneider over there, I believe the war would have ended earlier and there would have been no Mai Lai. There are better written books about the Vietnam War, but this one provides a fresh perspective. Well worth the time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very educating. He could gone to Canada but chose to stay.
You fought instead of hiding in Canada! It was an HONORABLE DECISION like any other Vietnam vet did. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 1999
A book for men and women alike
I heard Mr. Schneider speak at a Reading Across Disciplines workshop recently. He impressed me with his knowledge and experience in the field of education. Read more
Published on 20 July 1999
An action filled educational experience.
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the Vietnam War. The author educated me with his personal stories of his time in the War. Read more
Published on 18 Jun 1999
A truly enjoyable book which gave me interest in Vietnam
From CLASSROOMS to CLAYMORES was one of the most enjoyable books by far that i read all year. The author has a very curious sense of humor which never ceased to entertain me all... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 1999
Schneider deals with REMF life during Vietnam War.
Ches Schneider deals with the routines of REMF life for an Army enlisted man in Vietnam not only with the usual search-and-destroy combat mission orientation of most mass market... Read more
Published on 17 May 1999
A must read for Vietnam vets and others.
In CLASSROOMS TO CLAYMORES Ches Schneider captures the feelings of a grunt and the ambivalance of a GI in the Vietnam War. Read more
Published on 17 April 1999
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