Phone: (917) 699-1284

Fragging by George Lepre

 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Sherri@SherriRosen.com

212-222-1183

 

FRAGGING – Why U.S. Soldiers Assaulted Their Officers in Vietnam

By: George Lepre

 

(Texas Tech University Press, $34.95, 318 pages, ISBN 978-0-89672-715-1)

 

NEW YORK, NY (May, 2011) What is Fragging?

Fred L. Borch, of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School in Charlottesville, Va. says in his amazing review of this book: “This is an important book because it breaks new ground in the field of military and legal studies. It’s the first in-depth and comprehensive study of ‘fragging’ during the Vietnam War. It is the killing or maiming of Army and Marine Corp officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with fragmentary grenades.”

Fragging begins by explaining in general terms how the draft, a strong anti-war movement, student protests, and strife in American society generally meant that, by 1970, the U.S. armed forces were unable to attract the best young men to serve in uniform, much less maintain the high discipline standards that had existed in the Army just five years previously. As the Vietnam War dragged on, low morale, the erosion of discipline, illegal drug use and racial militancy lead toward trouble in the ranks – with the most chilling of acts, soldiers turning their weapons on their superiors.

Even more shocking, many of these killings remain unsolved or unprosecuted, due to a decades-old jurisdictional issue that prevented legal action in fragging murders. It was not until 2000 that legislation passed allowing such acts to be prosecuted – too late for Vietnam-era fraggings, as it prohibits prosecution after the fact. But not too late for Iraq war offenses – there is a trial going on now in Fort Stewart, Ga. of an army sergeant who could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering a superior and a fellow U.S. soldier in Iraq nearly three years ago.

Author, George Lepre, became interested in doing exhaustive research and writing about this phenomenon because of his curiosity of seeing the word fragging referred to over and over, but never finding much information about it. It was a slang term that developed during the Vietnam War. This is the author’s second book and it would make an exciting and informative interview.

Sherri Rosen Publicity, NYC

 

 

 

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 4:47 am and is filed under fragging, Industry News, Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Fragging by George Lepre”

  1. When You Need Says:

    What Happened

  2. Charles D. Melson Says:

    I would like contact information for George Lepre. R/S, Chuck Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps

  3. Dennis Hardison Says:

    One of the cases mentioned in Mr. Lepre’s book involved the 1st Sgt for our unit in Danang (Thomas Henry Green – 64th Finance Section) who was killed on on July 9, 1969. I would be very interested in contacting Mr. Lepre regarding the incident and its aftermath. Many unanswered questions regarding Spec 4 Edward G Hanley who at the time was facing an Article 13 for marijuana possession. Evidence implicated him in the incident and he was being held at the Marine Brig pending court proceedings when he was injured during a rocket attack in September 1969 and was medevac’d to Japan. He had reportedly returned to Danang several months later, received a part pay at the 64th and was never seen there again. Unit members speculated on an in-country desertion, but never knew for sure. I have determined that he is buried ath the National Cemetary in Bushnell FL with a rank of Pvt E-1, which indicated a significant reduction in rank Former members of the 64th and 413th Finance Sections (Danang and Phu Bai) are gathering for a reunion in Atlanta GA in May 2017. Several of us were in the barracks when SMAJ Green was killed and his roommate SFC Malveaux was injured by the grenade. We are honored to have as a guest Thomas Green Jr, the son of SMAJ Green who we will have the opportunity of meeting for the first time. Any supplemental information that Mr Lepre might be willing to share with us from his personal research would be greatly appreciated. Also if he would be interested in attending our reunion, we would be honored to have him as a guest as well.

    Please feel free to contact me in the most appropriate manner

    Dennis Hardison
    5753 W. Maplewood Dr
    Littleton CO 80123
    (303) 798-7236
    dphardis@msn.com

  4. Patti Fowler Says:

    I’m hoping to contact the author to ask if he has a photograph of PFC Paul E Nadeau who was the first soldier that died as a result of fragging in Vietnam on Sept 4, 1966. This photo will then be send to Washington DC as part of a project that I have volunteered to work on and be placed on the Vietnam Virtual Wall for honor and remembrance to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

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