A Man Down


Non-Fiction - Military
192 Pages
Reviewed on 01/07/2014
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

A Man Down was written by Sgt. Clyde Hoch and is the biography of several military heroes. The names may not be familiar to most readers but each of the men lost his life while serving in the military. Ray Ira Haas and the author grew up together; both men joined the military, Sgt. Clyde Hoch chose to be a Marine and Ray chose the Army. Ray had a premonition that he would not survive Vietnam and requested the position of Radio Operator so that he would never be in the position to take a life. Several other brave men are discussed; among them is Lance Corporal Nicholas Rodriguez. Rodriguez served in the Marines in Afghanistan. When he returned home his family saw a change in his personality. Nick had PTSD. He died of a fatal gunshot wound that was ruled a suicide. “In 2012, were more service men died from suicide than in combat.”

Sgt. Clyde Hoch shares what it was like to serve in the jungles of Vietnam. There are numerous photographs of the plentiful dangers in the jungles that were home to the enemy. A Man Down is filled with photographs that breathe life into the stories of the soldiers. The author reminds readers that we should take a few moments of our day and remember the men that fought for our country. Sgt. Clyde Hoch is a talented writer. He successfully gives homage to the heroes in this book but does so with great dignity, never stooping to melodrama. His writing style is conversational. Not only will the families of these heroes appreciate this book, but so will history buffs and those interested in the military. This book is appropriate for readers in middle school through adulthood.

Dale Haas

I believe I can speak for the entire Haas family that We will always be grateful to Clyde for this book. His efforts in conducting his research and telling the story of our Brother and the other Heroes in this book have provided some much needed closure and therapy. We have discovered more details regarding Ray's death in the last nine months than we've known about over the past 45 years. Thank you Clyde for a job well done!

Dean Haas

I think Clyde did an excellent job writing about my brother Ray Ira Haas; his tour of duty in Vietnam and the details about his death. After all these years the family finally found out what actually happened to our brother.

Thank you Clyde for diligent work.