The Mad Fragger and Me describes the true experiences of a U.S. soldier throughout his military training, culminating in combat as an Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader in Vietnam. Former 1st Lieutenant Tom Dolan takes the reader on a vivid armchair tour of sometimes grueling 1969 Army training. He includes character sketches and anecdotes, with emphasis on leadership insights provided by military mentors and his own related epiphanies. This literary journey continues as an articulate, poignant, sometimes graphically violent and often humorous account of the grunts in 2nd Platoon, B Company, 1/20th Infantry, who struggled to dominate Quang Ngai Province units of the North Vietnamese Army in 1971.
This book is primarily a tribute to these youthful soldiers, including a representative one known as The Mad Fragger, who had the character to do much more than just show up for an unpopular war. They knew the Vietnam War had already been forfeited by American politicians, but they nevertheless fought with courage and distinction due to their common bond of brotherhood.
The author candidly describes the problems he encountered, including systemic deficiencies, leadership failures, lapses in discipline and the inconsistency of the military establishment in addressing these issues.