Why a Soldier?: A Signal Corpsman's Tour from Vietnam to the Moscow Hot Line

He was one of the best, Airborne, proud to serve his country and fight its toughest war—in the hell that was Vietnam.

Known to all as "Fitz," Signal Corps officer David Fitz-Enz served two tours in Vietnam. He was a soldier, combat photographer, and platoon leader, fighting America's cruelest war—from the VC-infested rice paddies of the Mekong Delta to the dreaded Ia Drang Valley, where the enemy ruled the night.

Dispensing with traditional, sluggish chains of command, the Signal Corps devel...