image of person or book cover 1766010628534074066.jpg
Image courtesy of Allen & Unwin
y separately published work icon In Good Company : One Man's War in Vietnam single work   autobiography   war literature  
Issue Details: First known date: 1987... 1987 In Good Company : One Man's War in Vietnam
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'On Friday 8th March 1968, 20-year-old Gary McKay lost the lottery. He was conscripted.

'From a comfortable and carefree life of surfing and rugby football, he was drafted into the deadly serious preparation for war in the jungles of South Vietnam.

'In Good Company is his story told in his own words. It begins with induction and selection for the officer academy for national servicemen at Scheyville, a six-month 'pressure cooker' course which produced second lieutenants ready to lead troops into action against the Viet Cong. It ends three and a half years later with a burst of NVA machine-gun fire during a battle among enemy-held bunkers in the hills of Nui Le.

'Here is a grass-roots account of the blood, sweat and tears shared by a rifle platoon in jungle warfare, a straightforward story of the fears and the camaraderie which soldiers experience in combat.

'Gary McKay fashioned this account from his experience in action, leading his platoon. The detail is provided from the 80 letters he wrote to his wife while he served. He wrote his story for the reader who wants to know what the soldier on the ground went through - in the fetid jungle, in battle. Anyone who wants to understand what service in South Vietnam meant to those who were there should read this book.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 1987 .
      image of person or book cover 1766010628534074066.jpg
      Image courtesy of Allen & Unwin
      Extent: x, 197p.p.
      Description: illus., maps, glossary, index.
      Note/s:
      • Contains Foreword by Major-General J. C. Hughes and an Afterword from the Publisher.
      ISBN: 0043550266

Works about this Work

'The Book is Inspired by the Australian Soldier' : The Wounds of War and the Literary Rehabilitation of the Australian Soldier in Vietnam War Writing Carina Donaldson , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , December vol. 36 no. 4 2012; (p. 473-486)
'This article historicises two particularly significant examples of Australian Vietnam War literature: When the Buffalo Fight, written by Lex McAulay and published in 1980, and In Good Company: One Man's War in Vietnam, written by Gary McKay and published in 1987. ... It is argued that these texts contributed to a revitalised collective consciousness of the role Australian soldiers played in the Vietnam War and that this continues to wield significant political influence, particularly in relation to how Australia's role in more contemporary wars is understood and commemorated.' (Publisher's abstract)
'The Book is Inspired by the Australian Soldier' : The Wounds of War and the Literary Rehabilitation of the Australian Soldier in Vietnam War Writing Carina Donaldson , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , December vol. 36 no. 4 2012; (p. 473-486)
'This article historicises two particularly significant examples of Australian Vietnam War literature: When the Buffalo Fight, written by Lex McAulay and published in 1980, and In Good Company: One Man's War in Vietnam, written by Gary McKay and published in 1987. ... It is argued that these texts contributed to a revitalised collective consciousness of the role Australian soldiers played in the Vietnam War and that this continues to wield significant political influence, particularly in relation to how Australia's role in more contemporary wars is understood and commemorated.' (Publisher's abstract)
Last amended 25 Feb 2014 13:50:14
Settings:
  • Puckapunyal, Seymour area, Seymour - Kilmore area, Northern Victoria, Victoria,
  • c
    Vietnam,
    c
    Southeast Asia, South and East Asia, Asia,
  • 1961-1975
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