Hello, Wigwam

MWSA Review

Private Costas first gets a desk job for no apparent reason in Vietnam. Everything and anything runs out of control from there. Costas finds himself strangely ordered to join in covert field operations with real warriors, under the control of an unseen "Wigwam" command. The young soldier feels the gamut of emotions from fear to bravery in the terrifying fog of war. Triumph and disaster are never fully reported in this classic "SNAFU" as he chooses to lead the fight. In the aftermath, Costas sorts through what can't be stated - and the young man's life goes on totally changed forever.

Reviewed by:Hodge Wood (2015)

Author's Summary

Creating a most unlikely hero, the army assigned Albert Costas, the youngest and lowest-ranking soldier in the Vietnam War, to run errands and do other menial tasks for the headquarters staff in Saigon. The transition to the real world, coming of age - difficult for any young man - becomes for Albert the unreal world of Army life in a combat zone. He sees the parade of bizarre and irrational behavior of men under stress and struggles to maintain his own grasp on reality. Unknown decision-makers hiding behind the code name Wigwam, add to the confusion, where all is upside down, inside out, and backwards. Sacrifice and achievement become twisted with tragic results.