Book · 1984 · Biography
Guns up!
A Firsthand Account of the Vietnam War
Guns up! by Johnnie M. Clark has been mentioned in 2 episodes across 2 podcasts (1 episode recommends it and 1 episode discusses it), through . Most frequently brought up by Bradley Cooper (1 episode) and Sean Ryan (1 episode) on The Joe Rogan Experience (1 episode) and The Shawn Ryan Show (1 episode).
- episodes
- 2
- podcasts
- 2
- people
- 2
- episode recommends it
- 1
And then my this other guy came his father came and talked about this book Guns Up which is an incredible book about machine gunner in Vietnam.
The best things said about it
You [snorts] have written nine books. An off Broadway played Guns Up and Guner's Glory are suggested reading at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and Guns Up sits on the command on the commandant reading list.
Why people recommend it
Johnnie M. Clark's memoir Guns Up! provides a visceral, firsthand account of serving as a machine gunner during the Vietnam War, detailing the brutal realities of combat and brotherhood. The book gained notable attention across multiple podcast platforms for its raw depiction of military service and its enduring historical value. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Bradley Cooper recounted how a friend's father introduced him to the book during his childhood, noting that the powerful depiction of a Vietnam machine gunner heavily influenced his early fascination with military history and ultimately shaped the path that led him to star in American Sniper. Later, on The Shawn Ryan Show, host Sean Ryan discussed the book with Johnnie Clark himself, highlighting its literary and institutional impact. Ryan observed that Clark's work, along with his other writings, had earned a prestigious place on official military reading lists, including required reading recommendations at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and the commandant's personal list, cementing its legacy as an essential document of frontline combat.
Every mention
Bradley Cooper and then my this other guy came his father came and talked about this book Guns Up which is an incredible b… 1
“and then my this other guy came his father came and talked about this book Guns Up which is an incredible book about machine gunner in Vietnam.”
Sean Ryan You [snorts] have written nine books. An off Broadway played Guns Up and Guner's Glory are suggested readin… 1
“You [snorts] have written nine books. An off Broadway played Guns Up and Guner's Glory are suggested reading at the Marine Corps School of Infantry and Guns Up sits on the command on the commandant reading list.”
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I wrote Guns Up out of anger. Uh, you know, when I came home from NAM”
“And uh but I had a a real purpose for writing Guns Up and I I I mean I I had an inspiration”
“Cuz that's how I wrote Guns Up really. I I only wrote it for my kids.”
“Well, uh – [clears throat] I – – when I first got there, you know, when we – we got the fooai right before we went up to to around way, – there was one guy in this big tent where we came into and – and he was coming back from the hospital.”
“So – and and but the army had they had the buckshot blooper rounds and they they had blooper rounds that would be like a flare and – I forgot what else they had – but – so our blooper man who was insane I called him Sam the blooper man in Guns Up and he's he's a big favorite”
“Zippity-d – 30 years later when people read what he did in my book in Guns Up, – a congressman and a – a good friend, a couple of good friends of his that went to – to high school with him, – caused a stir and they finally gave him the Bronze Star.”
“I got him – I called him Jackson in the book, but I didn't remember his real name, but he was – he always smiled and he was big white teeth boy.”
“I'm still hearing the Young Rascals in the midnight hour. And all of a sudden, there's – there's a guy on top of me.”
“He's in that – he's in Guns Up. There's a picture of him holding the flag from Weey City. – uh it'll come to me.”
“You about Troy Bridge out of a book called Guns Up.”