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Philip Caputo, author of A Rumor of War, dies at 84

writersMay 8, 202624222

Philip Caputo, the former Marine and author of the Vietnam memoir A Rumor of War, died at 84. Published in 1977, A Rumor of War drew on his experience as a Marine platoon leader in Vietnam to deliver a blistering, firsthand critique of combat and lost idealism. Caputo spent decades as a war reporter and novelist, publishing ten novels including a later book set in Sudan that critics compared to Graham Greene. His blunt ethical reckoning about soldiers and command helped make A Rumor of War a touchstone for understanding the moral costs of the Vietnam War.

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