Bill Fleming’s first day with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam was a memorable one. The deceptive, crooked path that led him to today began a few months back.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, 19-year old Fleming was a professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox. His successful first year in the minor leagues was waylaid when he received his draft notice. Through a series of misadventures, he ended up enlisting for four years in an elite unit called the ASA or Army Security Agency; the army’s equivalent to the NSA or the National Security Agency.

Once in the army, Fleming learned that the recruiter had manipulated him with a host of untruths. Then, to his dismay, he learned that the army had lost his orders, and he was placed in an infantry unit.

Once in Vietnam, Platoon Sergeant Levine questioned Fleming and dragged out of him the sad story of how he had enlisted for four years and ended up in an infantry unit. He became the butt of the platoon’s jokes and underwent vicious ribbing by the other platoon members.

That day, the platoon was ordered back to their base camp: L.Z. English. Before leaving, they endured a mortar attack and then a ground probe. Fleming’s foxhole mate was critically wounded. Fleming did everything he could to save the man, but his wounds were too severe, and he died in Fleming’s arms. Repulsed by the ordeal, Fleming was left wondering if he could endure a whole year of this.

Twelve-year old Van Phan Duc and his two friends - 12-year-old Hoi Anh Vanh and Dan Tri Quang -lived happily in their village until the day a N.V.A. invaded and forced them to join their struggle and fight the invading Americans.

They were then assigned to a Viet Cong unit where they met Sergeant Chi, the man who would train them to be soldiers for the revolution and lead them into battle. Three American soldiers had been captured. Chi ordered the three boys to participate in brutally torturing the Americans. Dan embraced the torture and it turned him into a brutal fighting machine, much to Chi’s satisfaction.