OR

Print List Price:	$14.95
Kindle Price:	$5.95 Save $9.00 (60%)
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Richard G. Kurtz

Follow

Then a Soldier: A Jewish Odyssey Kindle Edition

by Richard G. Kurtz (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

133

See all formats and editions

Then A Soldier is two stories and two histories that are intertwined. On one level, it is a realistic, understated, un-romanticized description of close combat in Vietnam, and a serious analysis of three firefights in which the author was engaged. On the second level, it portrays the social, historical, and cultural pressures that led a Jewish boy from the Bronx of the early 1960s to become a career Army officer, and, when his country was at war, to seek out a combat assignment. It is the story of a young man setting out to prove that Jews could be good soldiers as he simultaneously embarks on an uncommon assimilation strategy to enter the WASP establishment. Then A Soldier describes the growth of the author from a boy, to a student, to a ROTC cadet, to a peace-time soldier and finally as a junior officer in combat in Vietnam. It is the story of a young man testing himself and finding a new dimension of his makeup. About the Author Richard Gary Kurtz served thirty years in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel. Almost ten of those years were spent overseas, including two years in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry and 101st Airborne Divisions. He was later a battalion and brigade commander, and served two tours as a Pentagon staff officer. He is currently a consultant to the Department of Defense on missile defense issues. Mr. Kurtz has a BS from the City College of New York (CCNY) and a MS from the University of Texas at El Paso. He lives with his wife, Carol, in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

December 11, 2013
Reading age

13 - 18 years
File size

37391 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Report an issue with this product or seller

Dennis Foley
662
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.59
Rick Barnes
313
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $6.95
Robert Kunkel
558
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $6.99
Dale Hanson
583
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Robert Tonsetic
472
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $5.99
T L Derks
252
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

Then A Soldier is a complex blend of the author's experiences in an American- Jewish culture that did not favor the military as a career choice, and his experiences in combat, having made the choice, contrary to those cultural norms, to become a career Army officer. In this regard, the author presents an honest self appraisal of how the history of the Holocaust affected his thoughts on the need for today's Jews to be strong. Furthermore, his muted and understated description of his participation in three full-up battles might disappoint some readers seeking a more glorious view of combat. In short, as written, this book would not make for a prosperous war movie. Likewise, other readers searching for revelations of how his "Jewish values" conflicted with Army values, might be disappointed to learn this was not the case, at all. Thus, Kurtz places himself in problematic position, straddling the expectations of two vastly different readership groups. Nonetheless, his writing is an accurate, factual,and honest representation that blends two seemingly unrelated topics - Jewish history and cultural norms, and life in a combat unit, in time of war.

From the Author

I knew writing a book about Jewish culture and history, and my experiences in combat placed me in a in problematic position, trying to satisfy the expectations of two vastly different readership groups. Clearly, some of the less charitable book reviews I eventually received reflects this. Nonetheless, my work is an accurate, factual, and honest representation that blends two seemingly unrelated topics - Jewish cultural norms and life in a combat unit, in time of war.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008PDTY5Q
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (December 11, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 11, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 37391 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,456,849 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,100 in Vietnam War History (Kindle Store)
- #2,119 in Jewish History (Kindle Store)
- #3,990 in Vietnam War History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
133

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Richard G. Kurtz

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Richard Gary Kurtz was born in New York City and became a Regular Army officer through the ROTC program at the City College of New York (CCNY). He served thirty years in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel. Almost ten of those years were spent overseas, including two years in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry and 101st Airborne Divisions, where he was wounded in action and decorated for valor. He was later a battalion and brigade commander, and served two tours as a Pentagon staff officer. After retiring from the Army, he worked for 25 years as a contractor for the US Missile Defense Agency and the US Army Europe for missile defense issues. Mr. Kurtz has a BS from CCNY and MS degrees from the University of Texas and Salve Regina University. Now in retirement, his hobbies include hiking, fly fishing, guitar, and weight training. He lives with his wife, Carol, in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

133 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

jay

Same Same

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

Although not an artillery officer, I did basically the same routine as the writer did in VN. I was drafted and learned Arty at Ft. Sill.
I never went out as an FO, but was in FDC and worked in S3 at the Bn. and Brigade levels. I also worked with infantry companies as Arty liaison.
I did take one ride to observe, as an air observer, a fire mission. I'm also Jewish. I never, in my tour in VN ,felt,that this was a help or a hindrance. The army as a whole treated me fairly. Certain individuals, because of their lack of contact with people of my religious background, had some curious ideas. I came across officers who were outstanding and those who were A-holes.That includes one 2 star General. Those are my qualifications for my review of this book.
In Arty the last thing you want to happen is cause hurt to the people you are trying to help. The writer brings that across in great detail as he should have. I had some of the same problems, with arty use, as the author did. He didn't exaggerate about anything that had to do with the problems in firing close support of your own people. In my tour we had only 2 incidents and I was on the investigating team for both. One was either a manufacturing error or a shell preparer made a mistake. The other was because an Captain wouldn't listen to a more experienced PFC. I was made a Spec 4 after that investigation.
FO teams shared the same dangers as the Infantry they were supporting. Why they couldn't get a CIB (Combat Infantry Badge)
I never understood. I met a few who I worked with when their time in the field was up. I had the utmost respect for what they had been through. Compared to them I had an easy tour. I always said I was to good looking to get hurt, but they did try. Every one in combat has their close calls and if they are lucky that's all it is.
I gave 5 stars because the author told it like it was. If I had the ability to write, my book would had looked similar to his. If author reads this I would love to communicate with him.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Dan Mariani Author - Bicycling With A Purpose: Shift Gears to Lower Stress, The Road to Chapulepec Park: Surviving The Big Freeze

Well-researched

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book chronicles the life of a soldier in the Vietnam War. Specifically it discusses life as an artillery officer and offers insight on battle strategy, fortifications, and how the Army interacted with VC and local people though the war. It covers in great detail some of the conflicts fought over hills and other real estate. I enjoyed the depth of knowledge the author provided and his personal viewpoints on subject matter that could be easily viewed as subjective but he kept an objective lens throughout. Highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

studebhawk

A good story that needed a more personal touch

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

A very good story of real human interest.
I just wish he gave us more insight into himself.
The last half of the book got bogged down in strategy & tactics.
A better story by this writer, a witness to these events, would be some insight and synthesis of what it all means to him and us as a lesson in history.

Great start as a story and a weak finish.

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book was extremely well-written and actually I was surprised that it held my attention from beginning to the end. I grew up in Parkchester as did the author, but was an Irish American and not Jewish, so it was very interesting from my point of view to discover his feelings about the "Irish" kids in the neighborhood and how these feeling affected his choices in life. His depiction of the battles in the Vietnam War were compelling. And I absolutely loved the ending of his book; you will have to read it, to know why....

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Boynton Bubbe

A Great Read about a Jewish Bronx Boy who Becomes an Army Officer

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

I was a more than a little dubious about reading this book because the author, Richard Kurtz, was unknown to me. But he grew up in my neighborhood in the Bronx so I thought I'd give it a try. I am happy to report that I found it a great read. I, of course, related to his Parkchester, East Bronx experiences as a Jewish kid, but I was very impressed with the clarity and description of his life as a military man. Kurtz's Vietnam war experiences, both the action that he saw, and the people he met, were both vivid and moving.

Helpful

Sanford

Jewish boy from Bronx goes to war

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I read this book and it seemed to follow my life a bit, so I could relate to it. Guy goes to Vietnam and wants to get into the fight for God and Country. Well written and good read

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Truk Reltub

Your better than every one

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

War story portion was fantastic. The politics, religion and constant stream whining about life's station ruined the read. Everyone has a cross to bear in life. Deal with hour's and move on. Stop living in the past and stop judging other.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

Good read

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

I wad with a MASH unit (18th Surgical Hospital] in Lai Khe base for late '67 early '68, including the Tet assaults.

One person found this helpful

Helpful