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Joe Fair
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Call Sign Dracula: My Tour with the Black Scarves April 1969 to March 1970 Paperback – October 31, 2020

by Joe Fair (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 702 ratings
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"Call Sign Dracula" provides an outstanding, valuable and worthy in-depth look into the life of a US Army Infantry soldier serving with the famed 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in Vietnam. It is a genuine, firsthand account of a one-year tour that shows how a soldier grew and matured from an awkward, bewildered, inexperienced, eighteen-year-old country “bumpkin” from Kentucky, to a tough, battle hardened, fighting soldier.You will laugh, cry, and stand in awe at the true-life experiences shared in this memoir. The awfulness of battle, fear beyond description, the sorrow and anguish of losing friends, extreme weariness, dealing with the scalding sun, torrential rain, cold, heat, humidity, insects, and the daily effort just to maintain sanity were struggles faced virtually every day. And yet, there were good times. There was the coming together to laugh, joke, and share stories from home. There was the warmth and compassion shown by men to each other in such an unreal environment. You will see where color, race, or where you were from had no bearing on the tight-knit group of young men that was formed from the necessity to survive. What a “bunch” they were!

... then the return to home and all the adjustments and struggles to once again fit into a world that was now strange and uncomfortable.

"Call Sign Dracula" is an excellent and genuine memoir of an infantry soldier in the Vietnam War.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    293 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    October 31, 2020
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.74 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1620064537
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1620064535
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sunbury Press, Inc. (October 31, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 293 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620064537
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620064535
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.74 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 702 ratings

About the author

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Joe Fair

Joe Fair

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I am fully retired and enjoy working around the house, spending time with my beautiful wife, my three children and their spouses and chasing seven grandchildren. I love to read, attend my grandchildren's sporting/school events, maintain contact with my fellow Vietnam, US Army and KY Army National Guard comrades. I continue to search for fellow Vietnam comrades and what a blessing it truly is when I am successful in making contact with them. I enjoy staying in contact with my former Ingersoll Rand Company employees. A great company with great people.

You will readily see, if you elect to read my book, that I am not an experienced, skilled and polished writer, therefore I wrote from my heart and soul. I felt writing Call Sign Dracula was the best way I could recognize and honor all the great soldiers I served with, especially the eighteen killed in action. What a bunch we were! I hope you find it a good read and of some value.

Life is good. I am blessed.

It was such an honor to have Call Sign Dracula be awarded the 2014 "Book of the Year" and I was the 2014 "Author of the Year" for Sunbury Press, the publisher.

The 2nd Edition of Call Sign Dracula, released by Sunbury Press on November 2, 2020, has allowed me to make corrections, improve sentence structure and flow, add more details to current stories, and most important add more names, stories, and photos.

Every veteran has a story. Many will be told, but by far, the vast majority will remain only in the memory of the veteran and destined to be lost forever.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
702 global ratings
Nail on the head.
4 Stars
Nail on the head.
I was with attached as an RTO for the FO. LT. Hart with A 1/2 right about the time Joe was finishing up. While I do not recall many of the guys he wrote about I do remember well his comments on the AO we shared. Aside from being quite exposed, the Michelin rubber plantation was always a park like stroll compared to that triple canopy stuff.Joe brings the experience to light without hyperbole. I had to smile at his decision to use 'fill in the blanks' for certain key expressions. An easy enough challenge for those who know and most who do not. It's a book I'll keep and reread sometime again in the future. Thanks for keeping it real Joe and not filling it up with movie star grunts charging ahead blindly with a bayonet clenched between their teeth.
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Top reviews from the United States

ROS Personal Security
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done, Joe Fair! From a fellow Grunt.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
A little background before I tell you about Joe’s book; I, like Joe, was a Black Scarf Battalion “Grunt”. You will hear Joe speak in the book about “Shake and Bake” NCO’s. I was one of those in Mike Platoon of Delta Company. Joe was in Lima Platoon with Alpha Company. My year in Viet Nam ended the month after Joe came in country and, to my knowledge, our paths never crossed although we served in the same Battalion in all the same locations. All this leads to me say, “I KNOW that JOE KNOWS what he wrote about!” To me, the blessing of his book is that he wrote in it in a very “thoughtful” manner. That is, he didn’t bludgeon the reader with the blood and gore and man’s inhumanity to man that he could have and many others already have. Yet he quietly let you have a glimpse of the trauma that existed, not an overwhelming, choke-you-to-death, make-you-gag, kind of glimpse but enough to put a hint of the coppery taste of blood in your mouth. He also well-covered most of the conditions that led to the constant discomfort, fear, and health hazards that the troops endured in the field. His heart-felt descriptions of the strong relationships that always form between warriors in combat are well-done and not overstated nor melodramatic. I told him myself that, “The simplest way I could put it makes it sound uninteresting but it’s far from that, especially for one who’s worn those boots.” I told him,”… it was the most ‘thoughtful’ book I’ve ever read about the infantryman’s experience in Vietnam.” His humility underlies every line in the book, and humility is one of the hallmarks of a true man, in my ‘humble’ opinion. If you want simple, unembellished, honesty in a non-offensive but enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable read, this is it. Read CALL SIGN DRACULA. No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great, Duty First! Noli Me Tangere. Delta Mike 5, Out.
9 people found this helpful
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A 1st Cav Vietnam Grunt
4.0 out of 5 stars Joe Fair tells in an easily understood manner what his year was like
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
A very well written and informative book about typical Infantryman's tour of duty in Vietnam. It is NOT an adrenaline pumping thriller - it was not intended to be. Joe Fair tells in an easily understood manner what his year was like, from landing in Bien Hoa to returning to the Sates a year later. He answers questions that some us do not have the skill or patience to answer - - thinking of talking with our wives and children. While we all had "different stories" - we all have a similar story. This is an easy read and most will find it interesting and informative. This would be suitable for most anyone - there is no gore or bad language. It would be a good book to use in a high school class about Vietnam.
2 people found this helpful
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bob shults
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're looking for an infantryman's authentic account of combat in Vietnam you have found it.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2021
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Joe Fair experienced it all, the good the bad and the ugly...sometimes the very ugly, This is a no-holds barred account of a year in the life of a soldier in the storied 1st infantry division, "Big Red One," during the Vietnam war.

There is a saying among Vietnam combat veterans: "When I die I'm sure to go to heaven because I spent my year in hell" and Joe has the creds to prove it... three bronze stars, two in Vietnam, and one I'll touch on later; two air medals and, of course, his combat infantry badge. It was through this cauldron of horror that he went from naive southern country boy to seasoned combat veteran and eventually the non-commissioned officer's rank of 1st sergeant.

If you truly want to be right down there in the trenches with the guys on the front lines, be prepared, it isn't always pretty. Horror and humor go hand-in-hand in the jungle, a necessity because it's a coping mechanism. It can't be easy to hold it all together when your life is at stake, not only from the enemy, but the very jungle itself.

This is also a story of love...brotherly love. When you know the guy next to you has got your back and you his, you become very close...you become brothers. Joe reminds me of the World War II correspondent, Ernie Pyle, in that he always gives the names and hometowns of the people he came to know. Joe also honors his brothers to this very day sharing what he knows of their current status from his research and reunions, sadly lamenting the passing of brothers.

Near the back of the book you will find a list of names and ranks of the brothers he lost during his time in hell. Included is a glossary of military and Vietnamese terms and expressions. Also, many photos to help put his story in perspective. But absolutely do not neglect to read Joe's epilogue, by virtue of its location in the book it seems almost an afterthought that Joe speaks of his experiences with war protesters when he returned home. Still in the army and after all the horror and loss he had been through, his stateside unit was assigned to controlling a mob of war protesters. Even though he had human feces thrown at him and his men and someone urinating on the leg of the soldier next to him, he amazingly keeps his cool. Merely questioning why people don't understand. Incredibly, the epilogue also reveals that he enlisted in a reserve unit that served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm where he earned that third bronze star. One can only hope Joe will tell that story someday.

I have no qualms in highly recommending this memoir to anyone interested in combat during the Vietnam war.

Bob Shults
Author "Both Sides of Paradise"
2 people found this helpful
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K. J. L.
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
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I found this to be a decent read.
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Mark Hinshaw
5.0 out of 5 stars The best Vietnam book I have read!
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book has it all - it’s a raw account of thoroughly detailed information about what exactly it was like for the heroic soldiers fighting this war. Just so much interesting information interwoven with human stories, giving the reader insight into the authors’ fellow comrades, their lives and who they were. You will not walk away from reading this account without feeling a wide range of emotions- many moments left me so moved I had to put it down for a while to process it all. Highly recommend this book for any history buff or anyone interested in developing a deeper knowledge of what it was like for the every day solider in Vietnam.
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Richard
4.0 out of 5 stars Real experiences of a combat infantryman's Tour of Duty--Vietnam.
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
The author brings his Vietnam tour to life by using his unsophisticated vocabulary about his real experiences in preparation for combat and
participation in combat action to the reader. No exaggeration about the life of en enlisted infantry soldier's life in the bush. The dangers of
mines, booby traps, incoming mortar and artillery barrages, ambushes, casualties, firefights and surviving the discomfort of the bush (jungle).
And, his appreciation of supporting arms such as artillery, close air and helicopters. This really brings out the patriotism of an enlisted soldier
who gives his best but reflects some confusion at times with sympathy for Vietnamese civilians who suffer through the conflict. A good read!
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Top reviews from other countries

SAM
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
First if your picking this up as a Vietnam action story with graphic battle scenes , it isn’t .
This is a cross between a diary and letters home.
I can tell you that once you start to read this, you won’t be able to put it down.
It’s an amazing story that will have you run the gambit of emotions
I’m greatfull to the author for the chance to read such a story about an amazing period of his (and may others) lives.
We owe a great debt to the young men like him, how much they gave up for us, and how many past and present still do.
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danny sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book.Joe comes over as a decent man.He tells his story without fuss and one thing i got from the book was how was how close he was to the men he served with, like a band of brothers.
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Derek B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice light read
Reviewed in Canada on August 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Honest and believable. A simple perspective from a front line guy who saw flaws in the system but still believes in his role.
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Chris
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2018
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Excellent read
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Mr. J.G. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2018
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A good descriptive read describing as it was in Vietnam
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