In our capacity as literary agents for John D. “Jasper” Herrick, Protean Press, a subdivision of Open Book Systems Inc., is pleased to announce the October 2026 publication by University of North Texas Press of No Good War: An Infantry Memoir of the Vietnam War by John Herrick.
The war in Vietnam and the draft put a great black cloud over an entire generation of Americans during the 1960s and ’70s. Many resisted the draft, many even fled the country, but most, when called, went into the military and served. This is the story of one man who was drafted, spent a full year in combat as an infantry soldier, and describes what life has been like for him since coming home.
John D. “Jasper” Herrick served in the US Army 1st Cavalry from March 1967 to March 1968. During that time, day to day, he depended on his fellow grunts, like Chief, and on letters from home to stay alive and maintain some degree of sanity. He did the usual activities of the grunt in this war: search and destroy missions and ambush patrols, always remaining alert and looking for the enemy. He fought in one large battle, the Battle of LZ Pat, during which his company was decimated and brought down below half its intended number, largely due to the incompetence of officers. And because of events like this, he developed a great disdain for officers and REMFs (“Rear Echelon Mother F——ers”).
Herrick was promoted three times, achieving a final rank of sergeant E-5. Enlisted men generally don’t value decorations nearly as much as officers do, but for the record, he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Air Medal, two Bronze Stars, and the customary service ribbons. He was able to turn down a Purple Heart.
There are plenty of memories in No Good War that might stir fellow veterans who served in the infantry in Vietnam and perhaps elsewhere. Herrick’s story will also inform readers who have never experienced war but may have wondered what it was like for someone close to them. You can take the soldier out of the war, but you can’t get the war out of the veteran
JOHN D. “JASPER” HERRICK was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey. Ten days after he returned home from Vietnam, he met his future wife, Libby. After active duty Herrick returned to college and earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, with a career first in education and then as a counselor. John and Libby live in Maine.
Contact: Joe Alderman, Marketing Manager
Email: Joseph.Alderman@unt.edu
Phone: 940-565-2142
Websites : www.untpress.unt.edu and author’s web site https://johnherrickvietnam.com/
979-8-89829-015-3 cloth $34.95
979-8-89829-024-5 ebook
6×9. 336 pp. 33 b&w illus. 3 maps. Notes. Index.
Vietnam War. Memoir. Military History.
Publication Date: 15 October 2026