Vietnam veteran Michael Hebert of Gloucester has released a memoir, “Ever Vigilant: Tales of the Vietnam War.”

A former gunboat captain, Hebert shares memories of his 1969-1970 experience as member of the 458th Sea Tigers operating a U.S. Army patrol boat in Vung Ro Bay, Vietnam. His job, and that of his crewmates, was to use the heavily-armed, high-speed gunboat to intercept and disrupt enemy travel on the rivers and bays of South Vietnam.The job was not without peril, said Hebert in a press release.

“A constant target for snipers, mortar barrages, and full-out perimeter assaults, the outpost was rife with threats,” he said.

In one chapter, he describes how his boat becomes a casualty to a rocket-propelled grenade. In another, the base is wiped out by a super typhoon and the unit is forced to spend two days in the South China Sea “with mountainous swells that threaten to sink the small 32-foot craft.”

“War is carried out by young people trained for the task,” said Hebert ...