South China Sea Rats

About the Book

South China Sea Rats follows an army forensic anthropologist and a team of soldiers on a deployment into Vietnam to recover the remains of a missing pilot from 1965. This is the first such mission for Dr. Barbara “Doc” Crittendon. There is much to learn and experience. The soldiers and officers teach her important survival techniques, such as high-frequency radio communication and helicopter egress techniques. She in turn explains archaeological excavation methods, how to set up a proper grid square, and how to succeed in the endurance test of constant screening. Although she seemingly comes from a different world, the military team members and Doc Crittendon find a shared value in humor—if one can laugh at oneself and his or her predicament. The drudgery of routine transforms this excursion into a lively adventure of creative wit and emotional parry. The humor knows no social bounds --it leaves no one behind.

About the Author

Barbara X. Crittendon is a forensic anthropologist and a college professor. She holds a PhD in anthropology; she worked on archaeological sites in the Near East and South America to attain her degree. Along with holding academic positions, Dr. Crittendon worked for the US Army as a civilian forensic anthropologist in the 1990s and early 2000s. In this position she participated in search and recovery missions in Southeast Asia and other remote locations. With a team of active-duty service members, she investigated numerous places of interest for the remains of missing-in-action service men and women from the Vietnam War and prior conflicts. These actual adventures serve as the basis for this story.