Overview

Long Slow Target chronicles the highs and lows of a former teacher making the transition from naïve civilian to the supply officer (""pork chop"") of an aged ship tasked with sailing up and down the rivers of Vietnam. The welcome-aboard speech the ship's grizzled skipper gives to his shave-tail ensign says it all: ""We don't do spit and polish well on the Fat Lady. We're slow as molasses in January and easier to hit than the broadside of a barn-from the inside! Half of our equipment is down hard, and the other half has been patched up three times over. As far as money goes, we always suck hind teat. But without our dirty little ship, nothing would get done in this godforsaken country. In 'Nam, nasty comes in all shapes and sizes, and I'm here to tell you that hauling our butts around the Delta, we've seen our fair share of nasty.""

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9781646637218

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Reviews

"""A thrilling yet hilarious memoir of a young naval officer's life aboard an amphibious ship in Vietnam. But the real protagonist is the USS Hampshire County (LST-819). A love story with all its ups and downs, and feeling of loss when it ends-except it's about a ship. Few understand the attachment men and women have to a Navy ship on which they served. Lindsey pulls back the curtain and shows us why in this engaging account of life on the sometimes overly bounding main. He brings humor to shipboard life in Vietnam, while revealing the dangerous circumstances in which he served.""-Ron McManusVietnam veteran and award-winning author of the Jake Palmer series. ""Lieutenant Lindsey continually walked a fine line between success and disaster.""-G. C. HeffnerRear Admiral, SC, USN ""Terrific! Larry Lindsey superbly conveys his personal experiences in the Vietnam era, US Navy, and does so with insight, self-awareness, and humor. He adeptly captures the flavor and complexity of serving his nation during an extremely tumultuous period in American history. A wonderful and thought provoking-read, not so removed from current-day events.""-James CurryLieutenant Colonel, USMC retired, DoD instructor ""So far beyond the realm of imagination, it has to be true. And I should know since my own existence is often imagined.""-Joseph D. OznotPrinceton Class of '68, professor of para-psychology, non-emeritus"

A thrilling yet hilarious memoir of a young naval officer's life aboard an amphibious ship in Vietnam. But the real protagonist is the USS Hampshire County (LST-819). A love story with all its ups and downs, and feeling of loss when it ends-except it's about a ship. Few understand the attachment men and women have to a Navy ship on which they served. Lindsey pulls back the curtain and shows us why in this engaging account of life on the sometimes overly bounding main. He brings humor to shipboard life in Vietnam, while revealing the dangerous circumstances in which he served. -Ron McManusVietnam veteran and award-winning author of the Jake Palmer series. Lieutenant Lindsey continually walked a fine line between success and disaster. -G. C. HeffnerRear Admiral, SC, USN Terrific! Larry Lindsey superbly conveys his personal experiences in the Vietnam era, US Navy, and does so with insight, self-awareness, and humor. He adeptly captures the flavor and complexity of serving his nation during an extremely tumultuous period in American history. A wonderful and thought provoking-read, not so removed from current-day events. -James CurryLieutenant Colonel, USMC retired, DoD instructor So far beyond the realm of imagination, it has to be true. And I should know since my own existence is often imagined. -Joseph D. OznotPrinceton Class of '68, professor of para-psychology, non-emeritus

Author Information

Larry Lindsey is the author of STUMP! A former high school teacher/varsity basketball coach, he is a retired US Navy Supply Corps officer who served on a twice recommissioned World War II amphibious ship (USS Hampshire County LST- 819) arduously deployed to Vietnam in the late 1960s. After tours with both the Seabees and the Marines, his final assignment was as the military pay director of Southern California. An adventurous sort, he earned his pilot's license on Guam, obtained a deepwater diving certification on Okinawa, dived the underwater caves of Saipan, landed on the deserted landing strip of Tinian, drove the ALCAN Highway, and transited the Grand Canyon in a capricious wooden craft that almost drowned him at Badger Rapids. He currently resides in sunny San Diego with his wife and a cantankerous corgi named Geoff Peterson.

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