What's It All About, Alfie? describes the Elser's combat experiences as a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam in 1967-68. It describes the intense battles he took part in and the fear, terror, elation, joy, sadness, and guilt he experienced. In the last part of the book he shows how these emotions affected his life and how he's dealt with them and the conflicting emotions he still feels. Elser writes the book to Al, his son, because he asked, "What did you do in the war?" and because he's been a key to the author's emotional recovery.