In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara were desperate to find additional troops for the Vietnam War, but they feared that they would alienate middle-class voters if they drafted college boys or sent Reservists and National Guardsmen to Vietnam. So, on October 1, 1966, McNamara lowered mental standards and inducted thousands of low-IQ men. Altogether, 354,000 of these men were taken into the Armed Forces and a large number of them were sent into combat. Many military men, including William Westmoreland, the commanding general in Vietnam, viewed McNamara’s program as a disaster. Because many of the substandard men were incompetent in combat, they endangered not only themselves but their comrades as well. Their death toll was appallingly high. In addition to low-IQ men, tens of thousands of other substandard troops were inducted, including criminals, misfits, and men with disabilities. This book tells the story of the men caught up in McNamara’s folly. "Hamilton Gregory has written a superb account of the debacle that was Project 100,000. This book should be read by every one of our political leaders who need to understand the effects of stupid decisions made by those who do not understand the nature of war." -- Anthony C. Zinni, Four-Star General, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) " This book is important. I remember the men of the Special Platoons as they struggled to complete Basic Training. Each deserved a simple life doing something besides soldiering or being in combat. At least their story is being told. Forrest Gump was real. There were thousands of them."---- Jan Scruggs, President Emeritus, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (the vet who led the crusade to build the Vietnam Wall in Washington) "Gregory's stories of the suffering of these [unfit] men brought tears to my eyes. They were not supposed to be destined for a combat role in Vietnam, but guess what? They went to Vietnam and many fought and died there."-- David Willson, Vietnam Veterans of America, "Books in Review II" ". . . a superbly written, researched, and documented accounting of one of the most ill-conceived concepts visited upon the United States Armed Forces and its citizens by its politicians. Had I the power to do so, I would require every current politician and every potential politician to read Gregory's book in the hope that never again would our civilian leaders allow something like this to occur."-- Tom Davis, Colonel, US Army Special Forces (retired) and author of The Most Fun I Ever Had With My Clothes On: A March from Private to Colonel and numerous other books "Hamilton Gregory has written an important book that highlights the need to maintain the highest quality in an armed force. McNamara's Folly also highlights the need for a relationship of mutual respect between soldiers and their civilian leaders as well as the need for society to value the service of those who fought in its name."-- H.R. McMaster, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam "McNamara's Folly is one of the most thorough explorations of these shameful and largely unknown dirty secrets of U.S. war involvement in Vietnam. As one who saw the carnage up close and personal, I can affirm the accuracy of this history. It is a must read for any American."-- Lawrence William, MD, Army physician in Vietnam (1968-69), author of The Broken Man "Just when we thought we had heard it all about the war in Vietnam, along comes a new book that shines a spotlight on a little known but tragic aspect of the war. McNamara's Folly is informative, thoroughly researched, well-written and readable...Highly recommended!"-- John Ketwig, author of ...and a hard rain fell: A G.I.'s True Story of the War in Vietnam "Through riveting memoir, interviews and research Hamilton Gregory revisits McNamara's moron corps --the cynical and heinous Project 100,000 that sent low-IQ troops to Vietnam as cannon fodder...It should be mandatory reading, not just for its historical relevance, but because recruitment of the unfit is being repeated today."-- Myra MacPherson, author of the Vietnam classic Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation "Hamilton Gregory's book describes in incredible detail the horror that befell those men caught up in Secretary McNamara's desire to find the troops needed to fight the Vietnam War without eliminating draft deferments or calling up the National Guard and Reserves."-- John Rowan, President & CEO, Vietnam Veterans of America "An important story, well told...an important contribution to the history of America's War in Vietnam." -- Andrew Bacevich, Colonel, U.S. Army (retired), Vietnam veteran, Professor (emeritus), Boston University "Great book...I hope it will have a big impact on getting the men in 'McNamara's 100,000' their proper military discharges and VA benefits."-- Daniel E. Evans, Jr., D