Columnists: The Eye of the Veteran

"Don't be too adventurous," warned President Johnson. "Our wives must have something to do in their old age." But John Steinbeck seemed to be ignoring the counsel of his old friend as he made his first forays into Viet Nam. His fatigues soaked with sweat, the 64-year-old novelist tramped over rough terrain, interviewed G.I.s fresh from combat. He tried his hand at shooting a variety of weapons — including an M-16 automatic rifle, an M-79 grenade launcher. When a fire fight broke out in a valley beneath him, he watched with the dispassion...

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