''Fields of Fire'' is a novel by
U.S. Senator Jim Webb, first published in 1978. It follows the lives of several
Marines serving in the
Vietnam War.
Content
The novel is told mainly from the viewpoints of three Marines:
2nd Lt. Robert E. Lee Hodges, who comes from a long line of soldiers; "Snake" (no full name given), a
squad
In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...
leader in Hodges'
platoon, a tough kid from the streets; and "Senator" (Will Goodrich), an impressionable and sensitive
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
student who volunteers for service. The major themes are centered on loyalty, leadership, and the brutalizing effects on people in a time of war.
Written only three years after the
last American troops withdrew from Vietnam,
and despite being written by a man who loved the military and hated
the antiwar movement, ''Fields of Fire'' points out the flawed logic of the Vietnam War through its hero, Lieutenant Hodges.
Reception
References
1978 American novels
Military fiction
Novels set during the Vietnam War
Novels about the United States Marine Corps
Prentice Hall books
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