The Littlest Lieutenant

The letters in this book were written for the most part by Jean Fitzsimmons to his family members. They begin as Jean, a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, traveled for his first tour of duty to Vietnam in October of 1969, and continue until his abrupt departure in September of 1970. The letters have been reproduced faithfully and are presented here in their original form-I only mention it because perhaps they shouldn't be. The language is crude and colorful and, well, generally Marine-ish, but that's kind of the point. Here are the words of a young Marine off to war: proud, scared, excited, apprehensive, moving, hilarious words. Jean wouldn't have apologized for any of them then, and I won't apologize for any of them now. Happy reading.