What it is like to go to war

In 1968, at 22, Karl Marlantes left his Oxford scholarship to serve in the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. The experience over thirteen months in the jungles of Southeast Asia profoundly impacted him, revealing the chaos of a conflict defined only by kill ratios and body counts. Returning home adorned with medals, he found the aftermath even more challenging. It took him four decades to confront his experiences, during which he created a fictionalized account of his war in MATTERHORN, recognized as a definitive Vietnam novel. WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR revisits Vietnam without the fictional lens, presenting the hard-earned truths that informed MATTERHORN. This work serves as an exorcism of Marlantes's combat experiences, a confession, and a philosophical guide for those about to face war. It offers a candid exploration of what it means to be a soldier, confront death, and take a life. Through this unflinching narrative, Marlantes provides insight into the profound complexities and emotional toll of war, revealing the stark realities that soldiers endure both on the battlefield and after they return home.