#VNM Battle of Hamburger Hill (Dong Ap Bia) (Operation Apache Snow) (1969) (Vietnam War)

[casbooks]

Book 49 of 2024 (★★★★★)

Title: Never Without Heroes: Marine Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam, 1965-70 Authors: Lawrence C. Vetter Jr.

ISBN: 9780804108072 Rating ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.Marine Recon, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.SpecOps.US.USMC

Description: FOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS OF HONOR, THIRTEEN NAVAL CROSSES, SEVENTY-TWO SILVER STARS . . . In four and a half years in Vietnam, the Marines of the Third Reconnaissance Battalion repeatedly penetrated North Vietnamese and Vietcong sanctuaries by foot and by helicopter to find enemy forces, learn the enemy's intentions, and, when possible, bring deadly fire down on his head. Heavily armed, well-camouflaged teams of six and eight men daily exposed themselves to overwhelming enemy forces so that other Marines would have the information necessary to fight the war. It's all here: grueling, tense, and deadly recon patrols; insertions directly into NVA basecamps; last-stand defenses in the wreckage of downed helicopters; pursuit by superior North Vietnamese forces; agonizing deaths of men who valiantly put their lives on the line. NEVER WITHOUT HEROES is the first book to recount the story of a Marine reconnaissance battalion in Vietnam from the day of its arrival to its withdrawal. In Vietnam, Larry Vetter served as a platoon leader in Third Recon Battalion. He supplements his own recollections with Marine Corps records, exhaustive interviews with veterans, and correspondence to capture the bravery, and self-sacrifice of war.

My Review: Vetter said it best when he wrote that he wanted to "portray the history of the 3rd Recon Battalion and its men in Vietnam in a historical, factual, and personal way." Well, I have to say Mission Accomplished! Few books are as unflinchingly raw in their criticism as they are in their effusive praise, but Vetter pulls no punches when he describes just how out of touch the chain of command was from the actual situation on the ground that the Recon Marines experienced. Whether it was Gen. Walts refusal to accept reality because he had his own agenda to push, or the lack of support, respect, and belief the teams got from their rear commanders. The criticisms of the Generals alone is well worth reading in this book, especially the excerpts where Vetter looks at the Generals articles in the Marine Corps Gazette and shreds them for how much they lack any credibility to what was actually occurring in Vietnam during those commanders tours. But this book is more than just that aspect, it also tells the story of the history of the unit from the early patrols to the last ones. Telling both the big picture overview of what was happening in I Corps, the fights with Westmoreland vs Walt over how to prosecute the war in I Corps, and the on the ground view of teams in action throughout the Backyard, Charlie Ridge, Leatherneck Square and on the ground at Khe Sanh. The stories from the survivors of missions gone hellaciously bad, to the stories of those who were lost forever, Vetter manages to piece together multiple viewpoints, sources, and stories to give the reader the full picture of 3rd Recon's time in Vietnam. This book jumps from academic facts to incredible story telling with ease, page after page, and it is truly one of the best books on the subject of this incredibly heroic unit in the face of an enemy in the field and an adversary in it's own command structure.

[captawesomesauce]

Thoughts...

I have hit a tagging wall...

or should I say an organizing wall with my tags...

I have a lot of tags for my books. A LOT of tags. I have them because I find them immensely useful, and the whole point of them is to be useful to me and no one else, as @brainsludgemissives has pointed out. 

Which is why I tend to overtag.. For example a book on the battle of Hamburger Hill in the vietnam war will have a lot of tags, but a few of them will be...

VNM Operation Apache Snow (1969) (Vietnam War)

VNM Battle of Hamburger Hill (Dong Ap Bia) (Operation Apache Snow) (1969) (Vietnam War)

VNM Battle of Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill) (Operation Apache Snow) (1969) (Vietnam War)

VNM Dong Ap Bia

This way when I search up Ap Bia, or Hamburger Hill, I’ll come up on the others and know where it was and when and that info. 

But here’s where my wall is... 

On WWII, do I want it grouped by type or theater????

For example... 

WW2 ETO Operation Market Garden (1944)

WW2 ETO Operation Veritable (1944) 

WW2 ETO Operation Grenade (1944) 

WW2 ETO Battle of the Bulge 

WW2 ETO Battle of Aschaffenburg (1945) 

WW2 ETO Battle of Arnhem (1944) 

WW2 ETO Battle of Arracourt (1944) 

WW2 PTO Operation Cartwheel (1943-1944)

WW2 PTO Operation Blissful (1943)

WW2 PTO Operation Cleanslate (1943)

WW2 PTO Battle off Samar 

WW2 PTO Battle of Leyte Gulf 

WW2 PTO Battle of Bataan (1942) 

WW2 PTO Battle of Bataan (1945)

WW2 PTO Battle of Manilla (1945)

 OR do I want it grouped by type 

WW2 Operation Market Garden (1944) (ETO)

WW2 Operation Veritable (1944) (ETO)

WW2 Operation Grenade (1944) (ETO)

WW2 Operation Cartwheel (1943-1944) (PTO)

WW2 Operation Blissful (1943) (PTO)

WW2 Operation Cleanslate (1943) (PTO)

WW2 Battle of the Bulge (ETO)

WW2 Battle of Aschaffenburg (1945) (ETO)

WW2 Battle of Arnhem (1944) (ETO)

WW2 Battle of Arracourt (1944) (ETO) 

WW2 Battle off Samar (PTO)

WW2 Battle of Leyte Gulf (PTO)

WW2 Battle of Bataan (1942) (PTO)

WW2 Battle of Bataan (1945) (PTO)

WW2 Battle of Manilla (1945) (PTO)

.... I’m just not sure which I like better just yet. 

[casbooks]

Books of 2023 (★★★★)

Book 75 of 2023 (Last book read of the year!)

Title: Soul Patrol Authors: Ed Emanuel ISBN: 9780891418177

Tags AH-1 Cobra, AUS ADF AA Australian Army, AUS ADF AA Special Air Service (ASAS), AUS ADF Australian Defence Force, B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing 727, CUB Cuban Missile Crisis, KOR Korea, KOR ROK Republic of Korea Army, THA Bangkok, THA Bangkok - Chao Phraya River, THA Bangkok - Floating Marketplace, THA Bangkok - Grand Palace, THA Bangkok - Lumhini Park, THA Bangkok - Siam Hotel, THA Bangkok - Soul Sisters Bar, THA Bangkok - Temple of the Emerald Buddha, THA Bangkok - Wat Phra Kaew, THA Thailand, US CA Watts Riots - Los Angeles (1965), US Martin Luther King Jr (Civil Rights Leader), US OH Kent State University, US OH Kent State University Shootings (1970) (Vietnam War), US PAA Pan American World Airlines, US President John F. Kennedy, US President John F. Kennedy Assassination - Dallas TX (1963), US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, US Senator Robert F. Kennedy Assassination - Los Angeles CA (1968), US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 17th Assault Helicopter Company, US USA 17th Assault Helicopter Company - Kingsmen, US USA 17th Assault Helicopter Company - Lancers, US USA 187th Infantry Regiment, US USA 187th Infantry Regiment - 3/187, US USA 199th Light Infantry Brigade - Redcatchers, US USA 1st ID - Big Red One, US USA 23rd ID - Americal, US USA 334th Armed Helicopter Company, US USA 334th Armed Helicopter Company - Playboys, US USA 506th Infantry Regiment, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP), US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/3, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/4, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 2/3, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 2/4, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 2/4 - Soul Patrol, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 2/5, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 2/6, US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - Aloft, US USA 75th Rangers, US USA 75th Rangers - H Co, US USA 75th Rangers - O Co, US USA 75th Rangers - P Co, US USA 79th Infantry, US USA 79th Infantry Det - P Co (LRP), US USA 82nd Airborne Division - All American, US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA ANG Army National Guard, US USA ANG IN 151st Infantry Regiment, US USA ANG IN 151st Infantry Regiment - D Co (LRP), US USA Fort Bragg NC,

US USA Fort Campbell KY, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USA USSF Team ODB-52, US USMC 1st MarDiv, US USMC Force Recon, US USMC United States Marine Corps, US USN Naval Station Treasure Island CA, US USN SEALS, US USN United States Navy, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM 1969 Mini-Tet Offensive (1969) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill) (Operation Apache Snow) (1969) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Hamburger Hill (Dong Ap Bia) (Operation Apache Snow) (1969) (Vietnam War), VNM Bearcat Base / Long Thanh North Airfield (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Camp Lindsey-Lattin (Vietnam War), VNM Central Highlands, VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dong Ap Bia (Hill 937), VNM DRV Ho Chi Minh, VNM DRV NVA General Vo Nguyen Giap, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV NVA/VC Counterreconnaisssance Bn., VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Highway 1, VNM Ho Bo Woods, VNM Hon Tre (Bamboo Island), VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps - AO Ace (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps - AO Catchers Mitt (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps - AO Miller (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps - AO Scout (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Montagnards, VNM My Lai, VNM My Lai Massacre (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Nha Trang, VNM Nha Trang - 5th SFG Recondo School (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Apache Snow (1969) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM Phu Bai, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM Saigon, VNM Tay Ninh, VNM US Agent Orange (Vietnam War), VNM US Project Delta - Det B-52 (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 6th Convalescent Hospital - Cam Ranh Bay, VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USA II Field Force V - G-3 (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USA II Field Force V (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF 5th SFOB Special Forces Operation Base - Nha Trang, VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM War Zone D

Rating: ★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.LRRPs, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.SpecOps.US.LRRPs

Description: LRRPs had to be the best.Anything less meant certain death.When Ed Emanuel was handpicked for the first African American special operations LRRP team in Vietnam, he knew his six-man team couldn’t have asked for a tougher proving ground than Cu Chi in the summer of 196868. Home to the largest Viet cong tunnel complex in Vietnam, Cu Chi was the deadly heart of the enemy’s stronghold in Tay Ninh Province. Team 2/6 of Company F, 51st Infantry, was quickly dubbed the Soul Patrol, a gimmicky label that belied the true depth of their courage. Stark and compelling, Emanuel’s account provides an unforgettable look at the horror and the heroism that became the daily fare of LRRPs in Vietnam. Every mission was a tightrope walk between life and death as Emanuel’s team penetrated NVA bases, sidestepped lethal booby traps, or found themselves ambushed and forced to fight their way back to the LZ to survive. Emanuel’s gripping memoir is an enduring testament to the valor of all American LRRPs, who courageously risked their lives so that others might be free.From the Paperback edition.