Rick Atkinson's The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966 is an outstanding history of the West Point Class of 1966 through their school years and service years.

Atkinson's weaves together a narrative of numerous classmates, their spouses, and other noteworthy individuals, including General William Westmoreland, Douglas MacArthur, and Revrend Jim Ford who served as the Chaplain of West Point for the class of 66 and many years afterwards. The story parallels what the blurb of the book describes as a fault line in U.S. history for the class of servicemen, who served in the Vietnam War and the Post War Military World. Those who retired from the military and others who served through the late 1980s.

Among those highlighted by Atkinson are Tom Carhart, George Crocker, and Jack Wheeler. I've had this in my bookshelf for years and just read it and was overwhelmed by the story of these young men who served during a turbulent time and was during which the military took a downturn in the mind of those who served and the American public.

A fascinating book. ( )

A very personal story of a small group of West Point cadets from the class of 1966, following them from their very first day at West Point, through the Vietnam war. This is a story strictly from the point of view of the soldiers, there is no overall strategy, stories of large battles or much about the political situation. Obviously told from personal recollections (it was written in 1989), this is an excellent soldiers-level history. Very readable and compelling. ( )

This book seems like a bit of a hen's tooth to my mind. A fascinating, readable, very comprehensive yet also incredibly detailed dive into a part of history I really knew very little about going in.

Gives all sorts of facts, figures and juicy details whilst still keeping them, well, juicy. A dry tome of events and statistics, this ain't.
Somehow the author covered his subject in painstaking detail without making it any less of an enjoyable narrative. The subject itself may sound kind of niche, but through that subject the book takes a good look at a dazzlingly wide array of subjects - and of course, I've come away with an understanding of West Point (and the American military as a whole) that is 100% improved on the next-to-nothing I knew before. ( )

very powerful book. Really well done. Good character arc/sketches. Gave insight into what the world looked like in 1966. Taking the characters through the Vietnam wall was really well done. Author did significant work to bring this book to life. Very impressive portrayal of America and the turbulent times around the war. ( )

Engrossing close-up view of several members of West Point's class of 1966, starting with their entry into Beast Barracks -- the summer prior to their plebe year -- and continuing to their 20th anniversary. Key members (mostly Army brats) --
Tom Carhart - stole Navy's goat; injured in car crash just before graduation; recuperated and fought in combat in Vietnam; left service and bounced around different jobs; fluent in French, wrote and published memoirs, opposed Vietnam Memorial design
George Crocker - flunked EE304, eventually graduated, in combat in Vietnam multiple times, rose up through ranks, eventually becoming colonel of 82nd Airborne and even general; major injury in parachute exercise;
Jack Wheeler -- top student at West Point, went to Harvard, served in rear in Vietnam, saddened by Tommy Hayes' death, dated ballerina Ginny Stuart, joined/led effort to build Vietnam War Memorial on mall, worked various non-profit and government jobs;
Art Bonifas - from midwest, met and married Marcia from Brooklyn on blind date, rose through ranks, killed in final days in Korean DMZ in effort to trim a tree,
Bill Haneke - severely injured in war, came to opening of Vietnam War Memorial in wheelchair
Norm Fretwell - first captain of class,
Richard "Buck" Thompson - heroic figure for Tom Carhart, bucked authority, signed up for combat, died on Hill 875 when US bombed position by mistake,
Tommy Hayes - model for Jack Wheeler, smooth and self-assured, scored high by reading off Jack's board in Calculus class, Art Mosley - friend of both Jack and Tom,
Matt Harrison - left service and joined Wedtech, helped unwind the company when it went bankrupt;
chaplain Jim Ford - married and buried many members of class of '66; helped Ross Perot get into chapel to play Anchors Aweigh and other Navy songs on bells in exchange for gear to help him sail across Atlantic; eventually became chaplain of Congress
West Point - Trophy Point on Hudson, food riot in 1965, bracing, women came in 1976, MacArthur spoke there in 1962 before his death; film of MacArthur starring Gregory Peck made in 1977 ( )