Sweet and Proper by Robert L Healy

Sweet and Proper is an allegory of the Vietnam War. The war experience of all who served is compressed into a single river boat patrol on the rivers of the Mekong Delta. The men assigned to the boats are everyman who went in harms way during the war: Sailors, Airmen, Soldiers and Marines. They're sent into a situation they can't possibly survive; yet they go, and do their duty.