Karl Marlantes' Matterhorn -arma 2 adaptation?

[wkchee 10]

Sorry this is so long - but if you like books, Vietnam or are interested in adapting works of fiction into missions/campaigns, please read:

I just finished reading Karl Marlantes' new Vietnam war book Matterhorn. I don't usually like war lit, but this was amazing. Marlantes is a yale grad and Rhodes scholar who lead an Marine infantry platoon that served a "quick reaction force" role-He earned the Navy cross with a V for valor. It took him 32 years to write the book. The book is about a young platoon commander, 2nd Lt. Mellas, who is serving near the Lao border at a remote firebase on a hill codenamed "Matterhorn". It seems to be based on the "hill fights". No untrained VC disguised as women here, but rather a vast, professional and zealous NVA enemy.

Mellas is an Ivy-league liberal intellectual, an immature and egotistical 21 year old boy, a lifelong admirer of the corp, a virgin, and a talented and brave marine. It's really amazing to see these facets come together into a relateable and fully consistent character, and it's heartbreaking to see him devistated by war.

Matterhorn is NOT propaganda (unlike the Carlos Hathcock book), but it elevates the honor of soldiering (Marineing) - even as it depicts the moral failures of individual marines. But the moral failures aren't black-and-white "My Lai Massacre" situations - they mostly involve someone's unwillingness to admit a mistake or weakness. Marlantes shows us how normal , good (even valorous) people will risk others' lives to avoid embarrassment or to bolster their own image.

It's sort of a counterpoint to Herr's "Dispatches" (which is also amazing). Instead of giving a surreal, antiwar account of the conflict in flowery prose, Marlantes gives an incredibly concrete and straightforward account that celebrates the courage of Marines without mythologizing them.

Major publishers do not like to produce books about Vietnam - the fact that Matterhorn is published is a testament to its appeal.

Even though the book is good art, it is also has a Tom clancy-style "war porn" aspect that's really informative. This is why I think it's appropriate for Arma 2 adaptation. It explains what the differences are between a good and a bad assault-and it explains what makes a good fireteam/squad/platoon/company leader. It also helps to explain why the US Marines are such an incredibly effective force. All this info is wrapped in the narrative, though, so its not like reading non-fiction.

Anyway, I'm obsessed with this work, and if anyone would like to team up to create a mission/campaign based on Matterhorn, I would love to collaborate. I would love to produce something that not only reproduces the setting of the book - but that somehow involves the tactical choices/styles of the characters. I'd also like to include some of the "take-home" moral lessons of the book.

Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]