Reaper 6 author, Andrew Rifkin, to TAH

You might remember the bit we did a few weeks ago about Larry FitzGerald, the subject of a book by the title, Reaper 6, which was being sold as a non-fiction account of one soldier’s experiences in Vietnam, but was a total piece of shit and a collection of some creepy guy’s fantasies. Well, we just got an email from Andrew Rifkin, the author;

To Whom it May Concern,

I am Andrew Rafkin, author of Reaper 6. This notice is in response to the flagrant and misguided attacks on Amazon reviews, Green Beret web page, and a couple of internet marketing sites.

First and foremost, I have nothing but tremendous respect for all men and women who have served in our military, and the highest admiration for all Special Forces who have gone the extra mile to protect the country we hold so dear.

If you have read the book, you know that I recently ran into Larry FitzGerald, a childhood friend, after not having seen him in over 40 years. Larry had a compelling story to tell and expressed an interest in having me write it. I accepted the challenge.

I wrote REAPER 6 as it was told to me, using artistic license only to maintain a fast pace and hold the reader’s attention. I want to make it perfectly clear that I never conspired with Larry to write Reaper 6 with the intent of exploiting our Veterans, or to pursue monetary gain.

In fact, once expenses are covered, a portion of the proceeds from REAPER 6 are being donated to support PTSD and TBI services. Larry made it clear from Day 1 that all he wants this book to accomplish is help for the vets – plain and simple

It is unfortunate that everything posted on the internet remains there. I am 100% secure in the integrity of our goals for this book, and that it is essential to honor and respect all Veterans. To make it clear that we are adamant on this point, I have decided to re-publish Reaper 6 classified as FICTION, GENRE: ACTION/ADVENTURE.

My decision to make this category tag change to REAPER 6 is to honor the respect due to all veterans, and to preserve the excellent reputation I have maintained throughout my life.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rafkin

Here’s the thing, I know book authors, some of the greatest authors of this generation, who check their sources. When they’re writing history, they go to great lengths to verify what they’re told. Especially if it sounds like bullshit. They tell exciting tales, but they still verify what they’re being told. After reading this email, I went to Amazon and it still reads;

A Top Secret Story of Unparalleled Heroism… Staff Sergeant Larry FitzGerald, aka “Reaper 6,” of the U.S. Army Special Forces, led a special Black Ops team deployed to Vietnam in 1965. He reported to only two men: General Westmoreland and General Abrams, who were in command of the U.S. Armed Forces. His first assignment-a suicidal mission to assassinate four enemy generals in Laos who were planning the 1967 Tet invasion-was never disclosed to the media or the public. General Westmoreland stated that Sergeant FitzGerald deserved the Medal of Honor, and nine additional Purple Hearts, but unfortunately, most of his missions were conducted across the fence of South Vietnam, in Cambodia, Laos, and North Vietnam. In fact, all of his missions were classified, clandestine, and denied. They have not been disclosed until now. Reaper 6 is the only biography of this extraordinary soldier’s life, capturing the very sights, sounds, and smells of the Vietnam War. Today, Larry is the proverbial “last man standing” of 89 souls who went where lesser soldiers shouldn’t dare.

What in that introduction would lead a reader to believe that the book wasn’t written as non-fiction? What, excluding the words “is” and “the”, don’t sound like total bullshit? In my response to Mr. Rifkin, I told him that I, personally, as a veteran, dirty my hands with his money from the sales of this book and that he should take a flying leap. There’s no apology in his email, just an offer to assuage the guilt of his crime against all veterans, and more so, Vietnam Veterans by paying us off.

No apology, but our attacks are “flagrant and misguided”. He wrote a bullshit book that put all veterans of Vietnam in a bad light, what could be misguided about an attack against the perpetrator of those attacks on us. We could really give a shit about that kind of “tremendous respect for all men and women who have served in our military” when that respect results in a book like that.

Category: Shitbags