How the legacy of the Vietnam War changed the lives of five Naval Academy graduates: John McCain, Oliver North, Robert McFarlane, John Poindexter and James Webb.

Uses the lives of 5 prominent military men: John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North, Bud McFarlane, and John Poindexter.

Halos and horns -- Imagination is funny -- Showdown -- Fire at sea -- Music bingo, dummy math, and gamma rays -- Welcome to the Gallant Marines -- The crown prince -- The bloody filter -- Do you want to go home? -- The cherry boy -- The natural -- Trusting the system -- 'Tis the season to be jolly -- Stranger in a strange land -- The reasonable and honest war criminal -- Long Tall Sally -- The water walker -- Adult education -- A tutorial with the great -- Reentry -- A change of heart -- Pug Henry -- Women can't fight -- Guerrilla warfare -- Garlic in a crowded elevator -- Ollie, Bud, and John -- The candidate from Hanoi -- Scorpions in a jar -- Noble cause redux -- The doubters -- The Presbyterian climax -- Put 'em up, put 'em up -- Remember Yamamoto -- An alien presence -- I don't have any life -- The white tornado -- The biggest hawk and the biggest dove -- Where was Al Krekich when we needed him? -- Chinatown -- Epilogue -- A note on research methods.