#VNM III Corps (Vietnam War)

[casbooks]

Book 56 of 2024 (★★★★★)

Title: Thunderbird Lounge Authors: Robert J. Brandt

ISBN: 9781412244831 Rating: ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.US Army.Helos.Slicks, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor

Description: This is a story as seen through the eyes of one 1st Lieutenant Army aviator, during the early US military commitment to support the Republic of South Vietnam in its counter-insugency operations against North Vietnam's campaign to reunite Vietnam under communist rule. It depicts the daily life of these soldiers and aviation crew members as they went about proving the importance of the helicopter in modern warfare. Describes in detail how the helicopter was employed, puts you in the pilot's seat, death and humor, frustrations encountered, and a tribute to those soldiers and airmen who paid the ultimate price.

My Review: I absolutely, without question, highly recommend this book to those who want to really feel like they're sitting in the seat of a Shawnee during the early days of the Vietnam War. Gen. Brandt was a fresh Lieutenant in the National Guard who volunteered for active duty and flew CH-21's and was the maintenance officer for the 33rd TC flying CH-21's out of Bien Hoa in support of the ARVN. This book was written with exquisite detail and full of stories of the people in the unit, the history of what was occurring around them, and the challenges faced by the early units. Too many books tell you instead of show you… "We took off and then landed" … while Brandt is a story teller who explains what he was thinking, seeing, and doing in the helicopter. He isn't afraid to also mention his failures and screw ups, while always taking care to name and give credit to those who helped him succeed. The early days of the war aren't written about as much, and you really get a good understanding of how confusing everything was - from the Buddhist protests, to being told you're not in combat while being shot at constantly. From the fact that they're told everything has to be temporary and ready to be torn down at a moments notice while seeing Bien Hoa airbase turned into a first class facility across the road from them. Everything is duplicitous and everything makes so little sense, but they still go out and do their best in the face of danger and conflict. Definitely a good book only marred by a few repetitive statements.

[casbooks]

Book 30 of 2024 (★★★★)

Title: Vietnam Marines 1965–73 Authors: Charles D. Melson

Series: 43 of Osprey - Elite ISBN: 9781855322516

Rating: ★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN.VNMC, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ROK.ROKMC, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.USMC.Misc, Books.Military.Series.Osprey.Elite

Description: Osprey's survey of Marines during the second half of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The period following World War II (1939-1945) saw a number of associated Marine Corps, three of whom fought together during the war in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. These Corps were similar formations, but each had its own history and traditions: they were the United States Marines, the Vietnamese Marines, and the Korean Marines. Common to them was a reputation for toughness on themselves and any foreign or domestic enemies; strong unit pride and loyalty; and a privileged place within the political structure of their respective countries. This title by US Marine historian Charles Melson describes the history, weapons, equipment, uniforms and insignia of the US, Vietnamese and Korean Marines who fought in Vietnam.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 74 of 2023

Title: Elite Bastards Authors: Edward L Dvorak ISBN: 9781526789655

Tags: B-52 Stratofortress, FAC, M24 Duster, O-1 Bird Dog, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - Blackhorse, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co - 1st Plt, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co - 1st Plt - 1st Sqd, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - 3/17, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - 3/17 - D Troop, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - E Troop, US USA 199th Light Infantry Brigade - Redcatchers, US USA 25th ID - Tropic Lightning, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP), US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/2, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/3, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/5, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/6, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/7, US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - Aloft, 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 Combat Trackers - K9, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Leonard Wood MO, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Sgt Maj Mcguire, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USN SEALS, US USN United States Navy, USA AeroScouts, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Dak To (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa Army Base (Vietnam War), VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Camp Lindsey-Lattin (Vietnam War), VNM Central Highlands, VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dak To, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Hill 875, VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail - USARVIS US Army Vietnam Installation Stockade (Vietnam War), VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post - Ammunition Depot (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Nha Trang - 5th SFG Recondo School (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66 (Vietnam War), VNM Song Be, VNM Tuy Hoa, VNM US MACVSOG (1964-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Hatchet Force Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Road Runner Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 24th Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 6th Convalescent Hospital - Cam Ranh Bay, VNM US USA Cam Ranh Bay - Replacement Depot, VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF 5th SFOB Special Forces Operation Base - Nha Trang, VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force - MIKE Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM War Zone C (Vietnam War), VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War)

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

Description: This is the quintessential first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier at war. Edward Dvorak joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam in the summer of 1967. He then joined Company F, 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. For Dvorak and his buddies of Company F, LRP, their real training started with the MACV (Military Assistant Command Vietnam) Recondo School at the 5th Special Forces Compound in Nha Trang, South Vietnam. That training culminated with an actual Combat LRP mission. If you lived through the patrol, you graduated. Dvorak would remain with Company F for 19 months going on dozens of combat patrols deep behind enemy lines.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 33 of 2023

Title: Combat Recon Authors: Robert D. Parrish ISBN: 9780312927134 Tags: A-1 Skyraiders, AC-47 Spooky, B-52 Stratofortress, Dust off, F-4 Phantom II, FAC, Medevac helicopter, Nungs, O-1 Bird Dog, Rangers, US USA 14th Infantry Regiment, US USA 14th Infantry Regiment - 2/14, US USA 14th Infantry Regiment - 2/14 - A Co, US USA 14th Infantry Regiment - 2/14 - B Co, US USA 1st ID, US USA 25th ID, US USA ASA Army Security Agency, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, US USMC United States Marine Corps, USN LCM-8 Mike Boat, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM An My, VNM An Son, VNM Ap Dong, VNM Ap Nha Viec, VNM Ba Lua River, VNM Ban Me Thuot, VNM Battle of Saigon (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Binh Duong Province, VNM Binh Long Province, VNM Bo Duc, VNM Bung, VNM Chon Thanh, VNM Cu Chi, VNM DRV NVA 33rd Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 33rd Regiment - 1/33, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC 271st Regiment, VNM DRV VC 272nd Regiment, VNM DRV VC 273rd Regiment, VNM DRV VC 2nd Dong Nai Regiment, VNM DRV VC 2nd Dong Nai Regiment - 2nd Bn, VNM DRV VC 95-C Regiment, VNM DRV VC 9th Division, VNM DRV VC Phu Loi Bn, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Go Chua, VNM Hau Nghia, VNM Highway 13, VNM Highway 21, VNM Highway 8-A, VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM Lai Khe, VNM Lai Khe - Claymore Corners (Vietnam War), VNM Lam Son, VNM Lam Son - MAT-70 Gosney Compound (Vietnam War), VNM Lam Son Secret Zone (Vietnam War), VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail - USARVIS US Army Vietnam Installation Stockade (Vietnam War), VNM Loc Ninh, VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Nha Trang, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Paris Tan Quy, VNM Phu Cuong, VNM Phu Hoa, VNM Phu Hoa Dong, VNM Phu Huu, VNM Phu Loi, VNM Phu Van, VNM Phuoc Long Province, VNM Rach Tra, VNM RVN ARVN 1st Armored Cavalry Sqd, VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID - 5th Recon Co., VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID - G-2 Recondo Co, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 1/7, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 3/7, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 3/7 - 10th Co, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 3/7 - 11th Co, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 3/7 - 9th Co, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 4/7, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 1/8, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 4/8, VNM RVN ARVN 9th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 9th Regiment - 3/9, VNM RVN ARVN An Son Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN Paris Tan Quy Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Phu Hoa Compound, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Tan Thanh Dong Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66 (Vietnam War), VNM RVN Kit Carson Scouts (Vietnam War), VNM RVN Nguyen Van Thieu, VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM RVN VNN Republic of Vietnam Navy, VNM RVN VNN River Patrol Force, VNM RVN VNN RPF RAG River Assault Group, VNM Saigon River, VNM Tam Ne, VNM Tan Hoa, VNM Tan Thanh Dong, VNM The Hook (Vietnam War), VNM Thi Tinh Stream, VNM US MACV Advisory Team 70 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV CORDS Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (1967-1975) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US UH-1 Huey Firefly Missions (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 93rd Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM US USA Phu Loi Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975) Rating: ★★★★ (4 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor

Description: In 1968, Parrish became a legend among the Vietnamese troops he was sent to train. From setting up ambushes to dropping grenades from the back of a plane to plunging into one ground fight after another, he took extraordinary chances and broke every rule in the book to wage a war few other Americans dared. "A dead honest, often riveting memoir".--Kirkus. Photographs. Martin's.

Review: Let me start by saying this was a really good book, and I'm sorry that we never got a follow up of his time with an Army unit. Well written, engaging, and informative, it was a nice complement to Combat Advisor by Carl Farren.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 47 of 2023

Title: Three Tastes of Nuoc Mam Authors: Douglas Branson ISBN: 9786613914316 Tags: AUS ADF AA Australian Army, AUS ADF Australian Defence Force, AUS Australia, HKG Hong Kong, HKG Hong Kong - Peninsula Hotel, KOR Korea, KOR ROK 9th White Horse Division, KOR ROK Republic of Korea Army, P-3 Orion, US Bob Hope (Entertainer), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USCG United States Coast Guard, US USCG USCGC Point Comfort (WPB-82317), US USN United States Navy, US USN USS Currituck Sound (AV-7), US USN USS Vesuvius (AE-15), US USO United Service Organizations, USN Admiral Elmo Russell "Bud" Zumwalt Jr, USN PCF Patrol Craft Fast Swift Boat, VNM ADF AA 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) (Vietnam War), VNM ADF AA AATF Australian Army Training Team (Vietnam War), VNM Ba Dong, VNM Binh Thuan Province, VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Co Chien River, VNM Con Na Beach, VNM Cu Lao Cau, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Highway 1, VNM Hon Cu Loa (Monkey Island), VNM Hon Mat, VNM Hon Mieu (South Island), VNM Hon Tam, VNM Hon Tre (Bamboo Island), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Mekong Delta, VNM Nha Trang, VNM Nui Dat, VNM Operation Market Time (1965-1975) (Vietnam War), VNM Phan Rang Air Base, VNM Phan Thiet, VNM Point Ke Ga, VNM Point Mui Dinh, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN Ngo Dinh Diem, VNM RVN Nguyen Van Thieu, VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM RVN VNN LLHT Luc Luong Hai Thuyen Navy Coastal Force / Junk Force(Vietnam War), VNM RVN VNN Republic of Vietnam Navy, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Truong Son Mountains, VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM USN Coastal Patrol Center III Corps - Halo Shampoo, VNM USN Coastal Surveillance Center III Corps - Nha Trang, VNM USN TF 117 MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM VNN Yabudda Junks, VNM Vung Tau Rating: ★★(2 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Naval.VNN Year Read: 47 of 2023 Price: 13.29

Description: During the War, Vietnam's coast had to be protected against Viet Cong ambushes and smuggling. The U.S. forces had destroyers, cruisers and gargantuan aircraft carriers, none suited for inshore patrol. This is the story of the Brown Water Navy, the garage-band flotilla assembled to do the job.Douglas Branson has been to Vietnam several times, including trips in 1966, 1995 and 2011. The first time, he was a 22-year-old, Brown Water Navy lieutenant JG. Subsequent visits were as a consultant/tourist. Here, Branson recounts three of his Vietnam adventures with humor, detail and insight into the economic, political and gastronomic forces at work.

Review: I'll be honest, I didn't finish this book. I read the vietnam war part, and skipped the rest because even the war part was difficult to get through. This wasn't quite a 1 star book but it definitely came close. For anyone who has read anything about Operation Market Time, the Swift boats, or even coastal advisors - this book sets off red flags and alarm bells. The author has some very strong opinions about everyone and everything and often ... well ... let's just say that he vacillates wildly from complete bullshit to just plain stupid. Avoid this book and read Bob Andretta's Brown Water Runs Red for a better book on the Junk Force.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023:

Book 13 of 2023

Title: Up-Close & Personal: In-Country, Chieu Hoi, Vietnam 1969-1970 Authors: Robert C Bogison ISBN: 9781097969142 Tags: AC-47 Spooky, EOD, FSB Dirk (Vietnam War), FSB Schroeder (Vietnam War), III Corps (Vietnam), KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Incursion (1970) (Vietnam War), Military Police, THA RTA Royal Thai Army, UH-1 Huey, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US USA 159th Transportation Bn, US USA 159th Transportation Bn - 5th Transportation Co. (Heavy Boat), US USA 18th Military Police Brigade, US USA 1st ID, US USA 212th Military Police Sentry Dog Co, US USA 25th ID, US USA 284th Military Police Co., US USA 39th Infantry Regiment, US USA 39th Infantry Regiment - 2/39, US USA 458th Transportation Corps, US USA 504th Military Police Bn., US USA 504th Military Police Bn. - 188th Military Police Co., US USA 557th Military Police Co., US USA 615th Military Police Co., US USA 716th Military Police Bn., US USA 720th Military Police Bn., US USA 720th Military Police Bn. - B Co. (Bushwhackers), US USA 89th Military Police Group, US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA Army Tugboats, US USA Colonel Robert A. Rheault, US USA Combat Trackers - K9, US USA Fort Gordon GA, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS - USDB CTF Correctional Training Facility, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS - USDB United States Disciplinary Barracks, US USA Fort Riley KS, US USA Fort Riley KS - CTF Correctional Traning Facility, US USA PBR Patrol Boat River, US USA Sgt. Alvin Smith, US USA ST 2122 El Cid - Small Harbor Tugboat, US USA United States Army, US USMC United States Marine Corps, USA 5th SFG, USA 9th ID, USA Green Berets, USA Special Forces, VNM 1st ID, VNM An Hoa Hung Village, VNM Bearcat Base / Long Thanh North Airfield (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Airbase (Vietnam War), VNM Camp David Long (Vietnam War), VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Cu Chi, VNM Cu Lao Ba Xe Leper Colony, VNM Da Nang, VNM Dong Nai Province, VNM Dong Nai Province - Buffalo Shack, VNM Dong Nai Province - Cogido Bridge, VNM Dong Nai Province - Duck Farm, VNM Dong Nai Province - Finger of the Land, VNM Dong Nai Province - French Fort, VNM Dong Nai Province - French Pier, VNM Dong Nai Province - Heel of the Booth, VNM Dong Nai Province - Rabbit Ears, VNM Dong Nai Province - Rice Mill, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV NVA Thai Khac Chuyen / Chu Van Thai Khac, VNM Green Beret Affair (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 1, VNM Hill 15, VNM Hill 85, VNM Lai Khe, VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail - USARVIS US Army Vietnam Installation Stockade (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh, VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Michelin Rubber Plantation, VNM Operation Corral (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Stabilize (1967-1970) (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN MP Quan Canh Military Police, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM Song Buong - Black River, VNM Tan Hiep, VNM Tan Mai, VNM US Project Gamma - Det B-57 - E Co (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 24th Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 93rd Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM USA MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vung Tao Rating: ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Military Police Description: The Vietnam War has tormented American consciousness for more than half a hundred years, and shows no sign of flagging. Up-Close & Personal is a signal contribution to understanding that drawn-out conflict from a soldier's point of view, informed by knowledge gained from being "up-close" at the basic, ground-pounding or river-patrolling combat level. The author pulls no punches. Detail is uncompromising, hard, often excruciating. All this amid the tumult of politicized youth on the home front shouting "Make love not War" and "Tune in drop out.

Review:  I tend not to give 5 stars to books, as I like to reserve that for books that have a profound effect on me. This book qualifies and let me explain why. It's not a perfect book by any means. There are little errors here and there with spelling and such, plus the story isn't that captivating/page turning thrilling. It can even be a slog at times. So why 5 stars? Because Bogison does what few others can - he really conveys the emotional aspect of his thoughts, his feelings, his mental state, his wrestling with what to do, how to do it, what is right and what is wrong... in big decisions and small. He doesn't just tell the good, but also the bad, he explains the stuff he wrestles with and not everything gets wrapped up nice and clean and with a little bow. When I grabbed this book, I was expecting a story about a Military Police in Vietnam. I was expecting a lot of bar fights, investigations of murder and accidents, regular law enforcement stuff. By the title, I also expected discussion of the Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66. - Let me be clear, this book has 0 of that... none.. nada... zip zilch... NO. Instead it's a book about an MP who is assigned to correctional facilities in the US (Ft. Riley) and Vietnam (LBJ) and ends up in a very special unit of MP's that is called an Ambush and Recon unit made up of MP's instead of infantryman! Because of the location in the Delta, they also have a joint unit with PBR's and skimmers that he finds himself leading as well. It was fascinating to read, the people, the stories, the bureaucracy, and more was captivating and it left me really thinking about the choices he made and how his personality affected his life's course. His temperament is always to attack, to challenge, to push - even against those who are trying to help him. He either sits quietly or attacks ferociously even when confronted with cooler heads to learn from and imitate - he does neither. Whether it was the helicopter crash, the tug boat incident, or a handful of other stories included, one can't help but really feel what the author felt as he just did his best, and all too often memoirs like this one are more about snippets of stories, or tell you what happened but forget the human element. This one has a consistent narrative and does well to really put you in his boots, and look through his eyes.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 36 of 2023

Title: Alone in the Valley: A Soldier's Journey in the Vietnam War Authors: George R. Lanigan ISBN: 9781518825378 Tags: AUS ADF AA Australian Army, AUS ADF AA SAS Special Air Service (ASAS), AUS ADF Australian Defence Force, AUS Australia, B-52 Stratofortress, Bolivia, Buddhism (Religion), C-119 Flying Box Car, C-123 Provider, Catholic, Che Guevara, Cold War (1946-1991), HUN Hungarian Revolution of 1956, HUN Hungary, KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Army (Vietnam War), KHM Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975), KHM Dr Son Ngoc Thanh, KHM FANK Khmer Army / Forces Armees Nationals Khmeres (1970-1975) (Cambodian Civil War), KHM General Lon Nol, KHM Khmer Rouge, KHM Khmer Serei (Cambodia Civil War), KHM Prince Norodom Sihanouk, M-113 APC, Medevac helicopter, Nungs, OV-10 Bronco, PAN Chagres River, PAN Colon, PAN Panama, PAN USA Fort Sherman, PAN USA Fort Sherman - Jungle Operations Training Center, PAN USAF Howard Air Force Base, POW, Rangers, SpecOps, Tamara Bunker Bider (East German Guerilla/KGB), U-10 Helio Courier, US AK Alaska, US AK ALCAN highway, US AK Delta Junction, US AK Gulkana Glacier, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US George Peppard (Actor), US Lodge Act, US Martha Raye (Actress), US Medal Of Honor, US OH Kent State University, US OH Kent State University Shootings (1970) (Vietnam War), US OH Ohio, US President Richard M. Nixon, US Raymond Burr (Actor), US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, US USA 117th Assault Helicopter Company, US USA 117th Assault Helicopter Company - 2 Plt - Pink Panthers, US USA 75th Rangers, US USA 75th Rangers - P Co, US USA 75th Rangers - P Co - RT 1-6, US USA ANG Army National Guard, US USA Camp Mackall NC, US USA Col Lamar Welch, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Bragg NC, US USA Fort Bragg NC - JFK Special Warfare Center / School, US USA Fort Bragg NC - Smoke Bomb Hill, US USA Fort Gordon GA, US USA Fort Gordon GA - Camp Crocket, US USA Fort Gordon GA - Range Road, US USA Fort Greely AK, US USA Fort Jackson SC, US USA Fort Lewis WA, US USA Fort Mitchell AL, US USA Fort Mitchell AL - Fryar Drop Zone, US USA Fort Wainwright AK, US USA Francis Marion (Swamp Fox), US USA General John L Throckmorton, US USA Major James N. Rowe, US USA NWTC Northern Warfare Training Center AK, US USA Sgt David Dolby (MOH), US USA SP4 Roy Burke (Ranger), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF 6th SFG, US USA USSF 6th SFG - A Co, US USA USSF 7th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USA USSF Team ODA-442, US USA USSF Team ODB-36, US USA USSF Team ODB-43, US USAF Pope Air Force Base - NC, US USAF United States Air Force, US USN ASPB Assault Support Patrol Boat, US USN United States Navy, US USO United Service Organizations, VNM ADF AA 1st Australian Field Hospital - Vung Tau (Vietnam War), VNM ADF AA 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) (Vietnam War), VNM ADF AA AATF Australian Army Training Team (Vietnam War), VNM Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem (1963) (Vietnam War), VNM Ba Ria, VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Buddhist Crisis (1963) (Vietnam War), VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Chi Lang, VNM CIA Air America (1950-1976) (Vietnam War), VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Hill 282, VNM Hmong Meo Tribesmen, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM I Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM IV Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Long Hai, VNM Long Hai Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Minh Dam Secret Zone, VNM My Lai Massacre (1968), VNM Nha Trang Air Base, VNM Nui Dat, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Ivory Coast - Son Tay Raid (1970) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM Parrots Beak, VNM Phuoc Hai, VNM Phuoc Tuy Province, VNM Quang Tri Province, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM RVN ARVN LLDB Luc Luong Dac Biet Special Forces, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN Ngo Dinh Diem, VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tay Ninh Province, VNM Tay Ninh West Air Base, VNM UITG Chi Lang Training Center (Vietnam War), VNM UITG Long Hai Training Center (Vietnam War), VNM US Agent Orange (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV IV Corps Advisory Team (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US USA USSF 3rd Mobile Strike Force (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force (MIKE) (Vietnam War), VNM USA USARV UITG Individual Training Group (Vietnam War), VNM USA USARV United States Army Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM USN MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM USN NATSB Ben Keo, VNM USN NATSB Go Dau Hau, VNM USN NATSB Naval Advanced Support Base, VNM USN TF 117 MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vam Co Dong River, VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM Xuyen Moc Rating: ★★★★ (4 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Australia, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Cambodian Civil War, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.Green Berets, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor

Description: In 1968, George Lanigan leaves the University of Maryland and sets off on the journey of his life. He volunteers to serve his country in the Vietnam War and enlists in the army where he becomes an elite Special Forces advisor in a top-secret program. The United States is clandestinely training the Cambodian Army, Forces Armees Nationales Khmeres, and Lanigan is at the heart of the mission. In this personal memoir, LTC George R. Lanigan, USA (Retired), adapts his forty-year-old letters and correspondence to his parents into an emotionally compelling and suspenseful narrative that relates his daily life of survival and political tension. It's an inside, firsthand look at a rare, and previously classified, Vietnam War experience. But its scope reaches beyond the war itself and illuminates the realities soldiers face returning home, building a life, and even visiting war zones four decades later. Its openness and honesty will resonate with war veterans, their friends and family members, those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, and people of all ages who are interested in American history. Readers will learn about war life, a volatile political environment, and how personal experiences weave together to create the person one eventually becomes.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 35 of 2023

Title: The Frost Weeds: Vietnam: 1964-1965 Authors: James Oliveri ISBN: 9781555717612 Tags: A-1 Skyraiders AUS ADF Australian Defence Force AUS Australia B-57 Canberra Buddhism (Religion) C-123 Provider C-7 Caribou CH-34 Choctaw FRA France LAO Laos LAO Laotian Civil War (1959-1975) LAO Pathet Lao LAO Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma LAO Prince Souvanna Phouma LAO RLA 33rd Laotian Elephant Bn LAO RLA Royal Laotian Army LAO RLAF Royal Lao Air Force Nungs O-1 Bird Dog SpecOps U-1 Otter US Ambassador Maxwell Taylor US CIA Central Intelligence Agency US Medal Of Honor US President Lyndon B. Johnson US Raymond Burr (Actor) US USA 1st Cavalry Division US USA 86th Engineer Bn US USA Col Roger Donlon (MOH) US USA Fort Dix NJ US USA Fort Dix NJ - Intermediate Speed Radio Operators Course (ISROC) US USA General Paul D. Harkins US USA General William Westmoreland US USA United States Army US USA USSF 5th SFG US USA USSF 7th SFG US USA USSF Green Berets US USA USSF Special Forces US USA USSF Team A-113 US USA USSF Team A-323 US USA USSF Team A-726 US USMC 9th MEB US USMC United States Marine Corps US USN 7th Fleet US USN United States Navy US USN USS Maddox (DD-731) US USN USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) US USN USS Turner Joy (DD-951) US USO United Service Organizations VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War) VNM A Louie Airstrip VNM A Shau Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War) VNM A Shau Valley VNM AUS ADF Australian Army Training Team (Vietnam War) VNM Battle of Hue City (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War) VNM Battle of Nam Dong CIDG Camp (1964) (Vietnam War) VNM Cam Lo VNM Central Highlands VNM Cholon VNM Con Thien VNM Cua Viet VNM Da Lat VNM Da Nang VNM Da Nang - Red Beach Base Area (Vietnam War) VNM Da Nang Air Base VNM DMZ Demilitarized Zone - 17th Parallel (Vietnam War) VNM Dong Ap Bia VNM Dong Ha VNM Dong Hoi VNM Dong Nai River VNM DRV NVA Col Bui Tin (Engineer) VNM DRV NVA Col Dong Si Nguyen (Minister of Construction) VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army VNM DRV VC Viet Cong VNM FRA Felix Poilane (Plantation Owner) VNM Gio Linh VNM Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) (Vietnam War) VNM Highway 1 VNM Highway 14 VNM Highway 548 VNM Highway 9 VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War) VNM Hue VNM Hue - Business District VNM Hue - Capitol Building VNM Hue - Cercle Sportif VNM Hue - Duy Tan St VNM Hue - Hue Stadium VNM Hue - Hue University VNM Hue - Joan of Arc Cathedral VNM Hue - Le Loi St VNM Hue - Nguyen Hoang Bridge VNM Hue - Perfume River VNM Hue - Public Health and Hospital Complex VNM Hue - Tay Loc Airfield (Vietnam War) VNM Hue - The Citadel VNM Hue - Tran Cao Van St VNM Hue - Tran Hung Dao St VNM I Corps (Vietnam War) VNM Ia Drang Valley VNM III Corps (Vietnam War) VNM Lang Troi VNM Lang Vei VNM Lang Vei Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War) VNM Montagnard - Bru VNM Montagnards VNM Montagnards - Katu VNM Nam Dong VNM Nam Dong Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War) VNM Nha Trang VNM Operation Flaming Dart (1965) (Vietnam War) VNM Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) (Vietnam War) VNM Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968) (Vietnam War) VNM Phu Bai VNM Pleiku VNM Quang Tri VNM Quang Tri Province VNM Rao Lao River VNM Rao Quang River VNM Red River VNM RVN ARVN 1st ID VNM RVN ARVN 2nd Regiment VNM RVN ARVN 2nd Regiment - 3/2 VNM RVN ARVN 36th Ranger Bn VNM RVN ARVN 3rd Regiment VNM RVN ARVN 3rd Regiment - 3/3 VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group VNM RVN ARVN General Nguyen Chanh Thi VNM RVN ARVN LLDB Luc Luong Dac Biet Special Forces VNM RVN ARVN MP Quan Canh Military Police VNM RVN ARVN Nam Dong CIDG Camp VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan VNM RVN General Duonh Van Minh (Big Minh) VNM RVN Nguyen Cao Ky VNM RVN Nguyen Khanh VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force VNM RVN Tran Van Huong VNM Saigon VNM Saigon - Brinks Hotel VNM Saigon - Brinks Hotel Bombing (1964) VNM Saigon - Capital Hotel VNM Saigon - Tu Do St (Rue Catinat) VNM Som Bai VNM Ta Bat VNM Ta Bat Airfield VNM Ta Rau VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base VNM Thua Thien Province VNM Tonkin Gulf VNM US Agent Orange (Vietnam War) VNM US MAAG Advisory Team 3 (Vietnam War) VNM US MAAG Military Assistance Advisory Group Vietnam (Vietnam War) VNM US MACV Advisory Team 3 (Vietnam War) VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War) VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War) VNM US USMC KSCB Khe Sanh Combat Base (Vietnam War) VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force (MIKE) (Vietnam War) VNM Vietnam VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975) Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.Green Berets, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor

Description: During the early years of the Vietnam War, a small group of American soldiers carried the fight to the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army, often under difficult circumstances. Their sacrifices generally went unrecognized and unappreciated by a mostly indifferent nation. But a massive influx of American troops would soon alter the entire nature and perception of the war. THE FROST WEEDS graphically describes the horror, the heroism and even the humor of the Vietnam experience while offering a far different perspective of the war than that epitomized by the larger conflict that followed. It is an astonishing account of a small U.S. military advisory team struggling to deal with a ruthless enemy and an often exasperating ally.

Review: This was an excellent book by an excellent author. He was able to craft a good narrative and understood pacing and flow which is rare for many of these books. The tales he told of the early years of the vietnam war, the 64/65 period, of what it was like at Ta Bat, A Shau, and Khe Sanh, his explorations of Hue, and the battle of Nam Dong were well done and gave you a really good sense of who was there, what happened, and what the experience was like being an Advisor radioman attached to an ARVN unit. 

[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.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 73 of 2023

Title: Only The Light Moves Authors: Francis A Doherty ISBN: 9781399057011 Tags: A-1 Skyraider, AH-1 Cobra, B-24 Liberator, B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing 720B, Boeing Stearman, de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, F-4 Phantom II, FAC, GER Bavaria, GER Germany, GER Kirch Gons, HKG Hong Kong, HKG Hong Kong - Kai Tak Airport, KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Air Force (Cambodian Civil War), KHM Cambodian Civil War (1967-1975), KHM Norodom Sihanouk (King / Prince / Prime Minister), KHM Operation Daniel Boone / Salem House (1967-1975) (Cambodian Civil War) (Vietnam War), LAO Laos, LAO Pathet Lao, LAO USA MSS Leghorn (Eagle's Nest / Gibralter / Golf-5) (Vietnam War), Lockheed Constellation, McDonnell Douglas MD-88, MMR Burma, MMR Yangon/Rangoon Harbor, Nungs, O-1 Bird Dog, O-2 Skymaster, OH-6 Cayuse/Loach/LOH, T-28 Trojan, THA RTAF Royal Thai Air Force, THA RTAFB Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTN Royal Thai Navy, THA RTNAF U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, THA Thailand, U-1 Otter, U-6A Beaver, US CA California, US CA Los Angeles, US CA Los Angeles - LAX Airport, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US NY JFK International Airport, US NY New York, US OH Kent State University, US OH Kent State University Shootings (1970) (Vietnam War), US President Richard M. Nixon, US TWA Transworld Airlines, US USA 185th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 185th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - Pterodactyls, US USA 18th Aviation Co, US USA 219th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 219th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - 2nd Plt, US USA 219th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - 4th Plt, US USA 219th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - Headhunters, US USA 220th Aviation Company (RAC), US USA 220th Aviation Company (RAC) - Catkiller, US USA 223rd Aviation Bn., US USA 3rd Armored Division, US USA 4th ID - Ivy Division, US USA CCC RT California (Vietnam War), US USA CCC RT Pennsylvania (Vietnam War), US USA Fort Knox KY, US USA Fort Knox KY - Armor Officer Basic Course, US USA Fort Lewis WA, US USA Fort Ord CA, US USA Fort Ord CA - USATC US Army Training Center, US USA Fort Rucker AL, US USA Fort Stewart GA, US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USAF 20th TASS - Covey FAC,

US USAF 7th ABCCC Airborne Command and Control Sqd - Hillsboro, US USAF MAC Military Airlift Command, US USAF United States Air Force, US USAF Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH, US WA Spokane, US WA Spokane - Menock Bridge, US WA Washington, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Ban Me Thout, VNM Batangan Peninsula, VNM Ben Het, VNM Camp Holloway (Vietnam War), VNM Central Highlands, VNM Chu Lai, VNM Command and Control Central/FOB-2 (Vietnam War), VNM Command and Control North/FOB-1 (Vietnam War), VNM Command and Control North/FOB-4 (Vietnam War), VNM Command and Control South/FOB-5 (Vietnam War), VNM Da Nang, VNM Dak Bla River, VNM Dak Seang, VNM Dak To, VNM DMZ Demilitarized Zone - 17th Parallel (Vietnam War), VNM Dong Ha, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Duc Co, VNM Duc Co Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Hill 484, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM Hue, VNM Hue - Tay Loc Airfield (Vietnam War), VNM Hue - The Citadel, VNM I Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Ia Drang Valley, VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Kontum, VNM Kontum - MACV Advisory Compound (Vietnam War), VNM Marble Mountain, VNM Montagnards, VNM Montagnards - Rhade, VNM My Lai, VNM Nha Trang, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Prarie Fire, VNM Paris Peace Accords (1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Phu Bai, VNM Plei Djereng, VNM Plei Djereng Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Plei Trap Valley, VNM Pleiku, VNM Polei Kleng, VNM Polei Kleng Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Project Ford Drum (MACVSOG - OPS-32) (Vietnam War), VNM Quang Ngai, VNM Quang Ngai Province, VNM Qui Nhon, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN LLDB Luc Luong Dac Biet Special Forces, VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM RVN Vietnamization Policy (Vietnam War), VNM The Bra Area (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG - OPS-32 Air Operations (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG - OPS-32 SPAF Sneaky Pete Air Force (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG (1964-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Hatchet Force Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Spike/Recon Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US USA Pleiku Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM US USMC DHCB Dong Ha Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM US USMC MMAF Marble Mountain Air Facility, VNM USAF DASC Direct Air Support Center (Vietnam War), VNM USAF II Corps DASC / 505th TCG - Carbon Outlaw (Vietnam War), VNM VC Valley, VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), Vultee BT-13, Walter Cronkite, WW2 CBI China Burma India Theater of Operations (1937-1945), WW2 World War 2 (1939-1945)

Rating: ★★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.US Army.FAC, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.MACVSOG

Description: About the Author: Francis Doherty, a former U.S. Army captain, piloted a small, unarmed, airplane over sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the war in Vietnam. Captain Doherty spent ten months flying in support of a covert unit of the Army’s Fifth Special Forces, which waged a clandestine war against the North Vietnamese Army, interdicting their supply line through Laos and Cambodia. Only the Light Moves is his first book. After leaving the military Captain Doherty spent thirty-two years as a commercial airline pilot. His essays have appeared in The Journal of Creative Nonfiction, Afterwords, the Veterans Writing Workshop Journal, 0-Dark-Thirty, the publication of the Veteran’s Writing Project, and several essays for The Bark, a monthly publication by the International Bird Dog Association. Additionally, the essay published in the Journal of Creative Nonfiction has been nominated for the Pushcart prize.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 53 of 2023

Title: ANOTHER DAY DOWNRANGE, Two Tours Flying Chinooks in Vietnam Authors: Robert Patterson

Tags: ACH-47 Guns-A-Go-Go Chinook, Actor - John "The Duke" Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison), AH-1 Cobra, AUS ADF AA Australian Army, AUS ADF Australian Defence Force, AUS Australia, B-52 Stratofortress, CH-34 Choctaw, CH-47 Chinook, CH-54 Tarhe, EOD, F-100 Super Sabre, FAC, KHM Cambodia, KOR Korea, LAO Lam Son 719 (1971) (Vietnam War), LAO Laos, M113 APC, Movie - The Green Berets, NZ New Zealand, NZ NZDF NZA New Zealand Army, NZ NZDF Royal New Zealand Defence Force, O-1 Bird Dog, OH-23 Raven, OV-1 Mohawk, Pilatus Porter, US Bob Hope (Entertainer), US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US MSTS Military Sea Transportation Service, US MSTS USNS Corpus Christi Bay (T-ARVH-1), US President Richard M. Nixon, US USA 147th Assault Support Helicopter Company, US USA 147th Assault Support Helicopter Company - Hillclimbers, US USA 177th Aviation Co, US USA 1st Armored Division, US USA 1st Aviation Brigade, US USA 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company, US USA 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company - Geronimos, US USA 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company, US USA 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company - Blackcats, US USA 271th Assault Support Helicopter Company, US USA 271th Assault Support Helicopter Company - Inkeepers, US USA 4th Infantry Regiment, US USA 4th Infantry Regiment - 2/14, US USA 73rd Surveliance Aircraft Company, US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 8th Army, US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA 9th ID, US USA ACV Air Cushion Vehicles, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Benning GA - OCS, US USA Fort Hood TX, US USA Fort Rucker AL, US USA Fort Rucker AL - Hanchey Army Air Field, US USA Fort Stewart GA, US USA Fort Wolters TX (1963-1973), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USAF Eglin Air Force Base FL, US USMC 3rd Force Recon Co, US USMC United States Marine Corps, US USMC VMF-124, US USMC VMF-221, US USN HA(L)-3 Seawolves, US USN MSC Military Sealift Command, US USN PACV Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle, US USN United States Navy, US USO United Service Organizations, VNM Can Tho, VNM Cau Mau Peninsula, VNM Chi Lang, VNM CIA Air America (1950-1976) (Vietnam War), VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dong Son, VNM Dong Tam, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM FSB Pace (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 22B, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM IV Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh, VNM Long Binh Post - Plantation - II Field Force HQ (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Mekong Delta, VNM My Phouc Tay Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Nui Ba Den (Black Virgin Mountain), VNM Nui Dat, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Parrots Beak, VNM Phu Loi, VNM Poulo Obi Island, VNM Poulo Obi Island - USN Radar Station (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN General Duong Van Minh (Big Minh), VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Hotel 3 Helicopter Pad, VNM Saigon - Independence Palace, VNM Tan Binh Forest, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tay Ninh, VNM U Minh Forest, VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US USA AAE Army Aviation Element (Vietnam War), VNM US USA Phu Loi Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM US USN MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM US USN TF 117 MRF Mobile Riverine Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vinh Long, VNM Vung Tau, VNM Xuan Loc Rating: ★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.US Army.Helos.Cargo

Description: This is not a diary like normal diaries, nor is it a history; it is a personal record of the helicopter war in Vietnam as I knew it, Depending upon the branch of service, type of unit, missions flown, and the area of Vietnam where missions were flown, one could surely find different accounts of what the helicopter war in Vietnam was like. Much of what I have read concerning the helicopter war coming of age in Vietnam says little about contribution of the CH-47 Chinook. Having seen it first hand during the war, I know that this aircraft’s contributions were tremendous. If you doubt it, look at what a workhorse the CH-47 was In Iraq and still is in Afghanistan as I write this. The Army learned that craft in Vietnam. At its peak deployment, there were (22) CH47 units and 750 Chinooks being used in Vietnam, both with the U.S. Army and the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). About 200 aircraft (27%) were lost in combat or due to operational accidents. I had then, and I still have now, the greatest respect for the aircrews, ground crews, and the support personnel who kept the CH-47 units in the fight.

Review: This was an ok book, kind of a slog to read through. I find that months afterwards though, I still think about some of the things I learned in this book, some of the things said, and those tidbits will stay with me for a very long time. For that reason alone, I do recommend checking out Patterson's story flying Chinooks because it's a story that isn't told by many and the info does give you a better nuanced look at what these pilots did vs the gunships, scouts, and slicks.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 52 of 2023

Title: Taking Fire!: Memoir of an Aerial Scout in Vietnam Authors: David L. Porter ISBN: 9781476639086 Tags: A-1 Skyraider, AH-1 Cobra, B-52 Stratofortress, Cherokee 180, F-4 Phantom II, FAC, KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Incursion (1970) (Vietnam War), KHM Snoul, KHM Snoul Rubber Plantation, KOR Korea, KOR ROK Republic of Korea Army, M-48 Patton, OH-58 Kiowa, OH-6 Cayuse/Loach/LOH, OV-10 Bronco, PHL Manila, PHL Philippines, PHL US USN Subic Bay Naval Base, UH-1 Huey, US HI Hawaii, US HI Honolulu, US President Richard M. Nixon, US SD SDSU South Dakota State University, US SD SDSU South Dakota State University - ROTC, US SD South Dakota, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - 1st Sqd, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - 2nd Sqd, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - 3rd Sqd, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - ACT Aerial Attack Plt - Red, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - ACT Aerial Lift Plt - Blues, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - ACT Aerial Reconnaissance Plt - White, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - ACT Air Cavalry Troop - Thunderhorse, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - ACT ARP Aerial Rifle Platoon - Blues, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - Blackhorse, US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 20th Aerial Rocket Artillery Bn - 2/20 - Blue Max, US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA Fort DeRussey HI, US USA Fort Knox KY, US USA Fort Knox KY - Armor Officer Basic Course, US USA Fort Rucker AL, US USA Fort Wolters TX (1963-1973), US USA United States Army, US USAF United States Air Force, US USN United States Navy, US USO United Service Organizations, VNM An Loc, VNM Angels Wing, VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa - Blackhorse Base (Vietnam War), VNM Di An, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC COSVN Central Office for South Vietnam, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM FSB Susan (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 13, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Loc Ninh, VNM Michelin Rubber Plantation, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Snoopy (People Sniffer) (Vietnam War), VNM Quan Loi, VNM Quan Loi - QLMC Military Complex (Vietnam War), VNM Quan Loi - QLMC White House HQ (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66 (Vietnam War), VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM Saigon, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau Rating: ★★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.US Army.Helos.Scouts

Description: As a first lieutenant in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army pilot David Porter was section leader in an Aerial Scout platoon in Vietnam. Their mission was to conduct reconnaissance in OH-6 aircraft (a.k.a. Light Observation Helicopter or "Loach") near the Cambodian border. Finding and engaging the enemy at low altitude in coordination with an AH-1 Cobra gunship circling above, these units developed a remarkable method of fighting the Viet Cong: Hunter-Killer Operations. The tactic had great local success but died with the war. Few today are aware of the hazards these pilots faced during times of intense combat. Porter's vivid memoir recounts the internal workings of a legendary air cavalry troop, in-the-cockpit combat actions, and the men who were key players on this perilous battleground.

Review: I'm a sucker for scout pilot books, and I'm really glad I finally got my hands on this one. This is one of the few books that talks about the transition from OH-6's to 58's and had so many great stories of what it was like to scout for the 11th ACR. Definitely a good read.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 41 of 2023

Title: Stalking the Vietcong: Inside Operation Phoenix: A Personal Account Authors: Stuart A. Herrington ISBN: 9780307823809 Tags: A-1 Skyraider, AC-119G Shadow, Buddhism (Religion), Catholic, CHE Geneva Conference of 1954 (French Indochina War), CHE Switzerland, Counter-Terrorism, Interrogator, KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Incursion (1970) (Vietnam War), LAO Lam Son 719 (1971) (Vietnam War), LAO Laos, Military Intelligence, SA-7 Strela SAM, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US President John F. Kennedy, US President Richard M. Nixon, US State Department, US State Department - Foreign Service Institute, US USA 25th ID, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Benning GA - US Army Infantry School, US USA Fort Bliss TX, US USA Fort Bragg NC, US USA Fort Bragg NC - MATA Military Assistance Training Advisor Course, US USA Fort Holabird MD, US USA Fort Holabird MD - Tactical Intelligence Officers Basic Course, US USA General James Herbert, US USA General James Hollingsworth, US USA MI Army Military Intelligence, US USA United States Army, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM 1972 Easter Offensive / Nguyen Hue (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM An Ninh, VNM Bao Cong, VNM Bao Trai, VNM Bao Trai - Chieu Hoi Center (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of An Loc (1972) (1972 Easter Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Quang Tri (1972) (1972 Easter Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa - Corps Interrogation Center, VNM Bien Hoa - La Plage, VNM Cao Dai Religion, VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Con Son Island Prison, VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV Ho Chi Minh, VNM DRV NVA 101st Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 24th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 271st Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 271st Regiment - D8 Bn, VNM DRV NVA 271st Regiment - D8 Bn - C3 Co, VNM DRV NVA General Vo Nguyen Giap, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC C1 Duc Hoa Local Force Co, VNM DRV VC N-10 Sapper Bn, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM DRV VM Viet Minh, VNM Duc Hoa, VNM Duc Hue, VNM French Indochina War (1946-1954), VNM Ha Tinh, VNM Hau Nghia Province, VNM Hiep Hoa, VNM Highway 1, VNM Highway 13 - Thunder Road, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Loc Giang, VNM Loc Hung, VNM Muoi Lon, VNM Nghe An, VNM Parrots Beak, VNM Phu Hoa Corridor, VNM Phu Loi, VNM Phuoc Tuy Province, VNM Quang Tri, VNM Rach Nhum Creek, VNM Route 7, VNM Route 9, VNM RVN ARVN 25th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 3rd ID, VNM RVN ARVN 83rd Border Range Bn, VNM RVN ARVN Armed Propaganda Team, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN General Do Cao Tri, VNM RVN ARVN MSS Provincial Military Security Service, VNM RVN ARVN Province Intelligence Platoon, VNM RVN ARVN Provincial Interrogation Center, VNM RVN ARVN PSDF People's Self Defense Force, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 305th RF Bn (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 58th RF Group (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 773rd RF Co (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Vietnamese Rangers - Biet Dong Quan, VNM RVN Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66 (Vietnam War), VNM RVN Ngo Dinh Diem, VNM RVN Nguyen Van Thieu, VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM RVN RVNP CSDB PRU Provincial Reconnaissance Units (Vietnam War), VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM RVNP CSDB Can Sat Dac Biet Special Branch Police, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Bay Hien Intersection, VNM Saigon - Ben Thanh Marketplace, VNM Saigon - Brinks Hotel, VNM Saigon - Brinks Hotel Bombing (1964), VNM Saigon - Cach Mang Blvd, VNM Saigon - Cong Ly St, VNM Saigon - Gia Long St, VNM Saigon - Independence Palace, VNM Saigon - Le Loi Blvd, VNM Saigon - MACV Headquarters (Vietnam War), VNM Saigon - Massachusetts BOQ (Vietnam War), VNM Saigon - Ngoc Huong restaurant, VNM Saigon - Nguyen Hue St, VNM Saigon - Tu Do Club Bombing, VNM Saigon - Tu Do St, VNM Saigon - Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, VNM Tan My, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tay Ninh Province, VNM Trang Bang, VNM Trung Lap, VNM US MACV Advisory Team 43 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV CORDS Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (1967-1975) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 3rd Field Hospital - Saigon (Vietnam War), VNM Vam Co Dong River, VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tao, VNM Vung Tao - Cyrno's Restaurant Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN.PRU, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Military Intelligence

Description: In a gripping memoir that reads like a spy novel, one man recounts his personal experience with Operation Phoenix, the program created to destroy the Vietcong’s shadow government, which thrived in the rural communities of South Vietnam.  

Stuart A. Herrington was an American intelligence advisor assigned to root out the enemy in the Hau Nghia province. His two-year mission to capture or kill Communist agents operating there was made all the more difficult by local officials who were reluctant to cooperate, villagers who were too scared to talk, and VC who would not go down without a fight. Herrington developed an unexpected but intense identification with the villagers in his jurisdiction–and learned the hard way that experiencing war was profoundly different from philosophizing about it in a seminar room.

Review: One of the best books on Vietnam that I've ever read. Published shortly after the fall of Saigon, the book has a timeliness that is readily apparent to the reader. The thoughts are fresh, the memories are crystal clear, and the painful mental wounds of the experience are sharp. This is a book about the Phoenix program that is 100% about everything BUT the phoenix program. There is very little mention of the PRU teams, and the author is brutally honest about his failure to actually get a phoenix program working in his area. Instead he uses a mix of other tools to attack the viet cong infrastructure and spends much of his time crafting his skills as an interrogator and on the military intelligence he is able to exploit from those discussions. The book is above all else, one of the best on ARVN/US relations at this level, on how to interrogate and exploit that info, and a really good look at the 72 Easter Offensive.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 40 of 2023

Title: Special Men Authors: Dennis Foley ISBN: 9780804109154 Tags: Airborne, C-119 Flying Box Car, FAC, FRA ADT Groupement Mobile 100 (French Indochina War), FRA France, GER Bad Tolz, GER Bremerhaven, GER Germany, GER Kaiserslautern, GER Mannheim, GER USA 7th Army NCO Academy - Bad Tolz, IN Indiana, O-1 Bird Dog, SpecOps, THA Lob Buri, THA Thailand, THA USSF Special Forces Thailand (Vietnam War), US Medal Of Honor, US MSTS Military Sea Transportation Service, US MSTS USNS Geiger (T-AP-197), US MSTS USNS General Leroy Eltinge (T-AP-154), US President John F. Kennedy, US President John F. Kennedy Assassination - Dallas TX (1963), US President Lyndon B. Johnson, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 1st Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 117th Assault Helicopter Company, US USA 11th Air Assault Division, US USA 12th Aviation Group, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 197th Infantry Brigade, US USA 1st Aviation Brigade, US USA 222nd Aviation Bn, US USA 25th ID, US USA 27th Infantry Regiment, US USA 27th Infantry Regiment - Wolfhound Raiders, US USA 29th Infantry Regiment, US USA 29th Infantry Regiment - 1/29, US USA 29th Infantry Regiment - 1/29 - C Co, US USA 2nd Army, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327 - Tiger Force Recon, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 2/327 - Hawk Recon, US USA 334th Armed Helicopter Company, US USA 39th Infantry Regiment, US USA 39th Infantry Regiment - 4/39, US USA 39th Infantry Regiment - 4/39 - D Co, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment - 2/502, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment - 2/502 - Recondos, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP), US USA 557th Signal Co, US USA 75th Rangers, US USA 75th Rangers - A Co, US USA 7th Army, US USA 9th ID, 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 Camp Frank D. Merrill GA - Mountain Phase Ranger School, US USA Col David Hackworth, US USA Col Lamar Welch, US USA Col Roger Donlon (MOH), US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Benning GA - Airborne School, US USA Fort Benning GA - Eubanks Field, US USA Fort Benning GA - Harmony Church, US USA Fort Benning GA - Higley Hill, US USA Fort Benning GA - IOAC Infantry Officers Advanced Course, US USA Fort Benning GA - Kelly Hill, US USA Fort Benning GA - OCS, US USA Fort Benning GA - Ranger School, US USA Fort Benning GA - Red Diamond Rd, US USA Fort Benning GA - Sand Hill, US USA Fort Dix NJ, US USA Fort Hood TX, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS, US USA Fort Leavenworth KS - Command and General Staff College, US USA Fort Leonard Wood MO, US USA Fort Mitchell AL - Fryar Drop Zone, US USA Fort Monmouth NJ, US USA General Charles Beauchamp, US USA General Samuel Lyman Atwood (SLA) Marshall, US USA General Willard Pearson, US USA General William Westmoreland, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA Lt James A. Gardner (MOH), US USA Rangers, US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 46th Special Forces Co, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USA Walter Reed Hospital, US USAF Eglin Air Force Base FL, US USN United States Navy, US USN USS Maddox (DD-731), US USN USS Turner Joy (DD-951), US Ward Just (Journalist), USMC Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), VNM 1966 NVA Monsoon Offensive (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM An Khe, VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Bu Gia Map, VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Camp Lindsey-Lattin (Vietnam War), VNM Can Tho, VNM Central Highlands, VNM Cheo Reo, VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dak To, VNM Dak To Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM DRV NVA 24th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 95th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM French Indochina War (1946-1954), VNM Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 19, VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM IV Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Kontum, VNM Lai Khe, VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Mang Yang Pass, VNM Mekong Delta, VNM Montagnards, VNM My Canh, VNM My Lai Massacre (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM My Phu, VNM Nhon Co, VNM Operation Hawthorne (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Van Buren (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Phan Rang, VNM Phan Thiet, VNM Phu Yen Province, VNM Qui Nhon, VNM RVN VNN Republic of Vietnam Navy, VNM RVN VNN River Patrol Force, VNM RVN VNN RPF RAG River Assault Group, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Rex Hotel, VNM South Tuy Beach, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base - Camp Alpha (Vietnam War), VNM Tonkin Gulf, VNM Tu Mo Rong, VNM Tuy Hoa, VNM US UH-1 Huey Firefly Missions (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 8th Field Hospital - Nha Trang (Vietnam War), VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM USA 101st Airborne - SERTS Screaming Eagle Replacement Training School (Vietnam War), VNM USA USARV United States Army Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM Van Loc, VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War) Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.LRRPs, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Infantry

Description: Throughout his several tours of Vietnam, Dennis Foley served with America's finest warriors -- men like David Hackworth, the nation's most decorated living soldier, and Jim Gardner, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life so that his men might live. Now, in a tough, clear-eyed account, he recaptures the raw courage and sacrifice of American soldiers fighting a savage and desperate battle for survival.

Review: I have always loved Foley's fictional writing, it's really some of the best out there. But it took me this long to read his memoir of his time with Tiger Recon and his long career in the army. Let me just say this, Foley is very good at telling a story, crafting the narrative, and giving all the details to set the scene. He's an excellent writer, and the information he shares really puts you in the scene, each step of the way. Whether it's his time in Germany repairing radios and radars or with Tiger Force, he's not shy about letting the readers know just how far out of his element he was, and how shocked he was to actually succeed. He always feels like everyone else is better, has their shit together, and as he puts it, he's more Jell-O than rock. It's a great insight into training and being a trainer at Ft Benning, various locations in Vietnam, being a LRP, being in Tiger Force, and more. A really great book.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 32 of 2023

Title: COMBAT ADVISOR to ARMY of REPUBLIC VIETNAM: 68TET & 69TET COUNTEROFFENSIVES Authors: Carl A Farren ISBN: 9798800225594 Tags: AC-47 Spooky, M-48 Patton, M113 APC, Nungs, Rangers, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 1st Aviation Brigade, US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 1st ID, US USA 1st ID - 1st Brigade, US USA 1st ID - 2nd Brigade, US USA 1st ID - 3rd Brigade, US USA 25th ID, US USA 25th ID - 1st Brigade, US USA 28th Infantry Regiment, US USA 28th Infantry Regiment - 2/28, US USA 4th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 4th Cavalry Regiment - 1/4, US USA 4th Cavalry Regiment - 1/4 - B Troop, US USA 4th Cavalry Regiment - 1/4 - D Troop, US USA 75th Rangers, US USA 75th Rangers - I Co (Iron Rangers), US USA 90th Replacement Bn, US USA General Frederick Weyand, US USA General William Westmoreland, 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 A-301, US USA USSF Team A-331, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM 1969 Mini-Tet Offensive (1969) (Vietnam War), VNM 1972 Easter Offensive (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM An Loc, VNM An Loi, VNM An My, VNM An Son, VNM Battle of An Loc (1972) (1972 Easter Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Saigon (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Ben Cat, VNM Ben Suc, VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Binh Duong Province, VNM Binh Long Province, VNM Boi Loi Woods, VNM Bu Dop, VNM Bung, VNM Cau Denh, VNM Cau Dinh, VNM Chanh Luu Village, VNM Chon Thanh, VNM Chon Thanh Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Cu Chi, VNM Di An, VNM Dong An II, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV NVA Genera Tran Van Tra, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC 165th Regiment, VNM DRV VC 271st Regiment, VNM DRV VC 272nd Regiment, VNM DRV VC 273rd Regiment, VNM DRV VC 2nd Dong Nai Regiment, VNM DRV VC 7th Division, VNM DRV VC 84th Artillery Regiment, VNM DRV VC 9th Division, VNM DRV VC C1 Supply Co, VNM DRV VC Thu Duc Recon Co, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM FSB Jim (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 13, VNM Hill 29, VNM Ho Bo Woods, VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM Lai Khe, VNM Lai Thieu, VNM Lam Son, VNM Lam Son - MAT-70 Gosney Compound (Vietnam War), VNM Loc Ninh, VNM Loc Ninh Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Long Nguyen Secret Zone, VNM Michelin Rubber Plantation, VNM Ong Thanh Stream, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Attleboro (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Billings (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Cedar Falls (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Junction City (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Shenandoah II (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Paris Tan Quy, VNM Phouc Vinh, VNM Phu Cuong, VNM Phu Huu, VNM Phu Loi, VNM Phu Van, VNM Road 301, VNM RVN ARVN 1st Armored Cavalry Sqd, VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID - 5th Recon Co., VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID - G-2 Recondo Co, VNM RVN ARVN 6th Rifle Co, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 7th Regiment - 2/7, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 1/8 - 2nd Rifle Co, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 2/8, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 2/8 - 5th Rifle Co, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 3/8, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - 4/8, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - Mobile 1st Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Regiment - Recon Plt, VNM RVN ARVN 9th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN Bung Cai Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Bung Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Cau Denh Outpost, VNM RVN ARVN Cau Dinh Outpost, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM RVN ARVN Hill 29 Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Paris Tan Quy Camp, VNM RVN ARVN PF Trung An French Outpost, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Tan Thanh Dong Camp, VNM RVN ARVN Thoi Hoa Camp, VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM RVN RVNP CSDB PRU Provincial Reconnaissance Units (Vietnam War), VNM RVNP CSDB Can Sat Dac Biet Special Branch Police, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Rex Hotel, VNM Saigon River, VNM Song Be, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tan Thanh Dong, VNM The Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM Thi Tinh Stream, VNM Thoi Hoa, VNM Trapezoid War Zone (Vietnam War), VNM Trung An, VNM Trung An - French Outpost, VNM US MACV Advisory Team 70 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 1st ID Bn Task Force (Vietnam War), VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USA Phu Loi Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force (MIKE) (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM War Zone C (Vietnam War), VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War) Rating: ★★★ (3 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor

Description: Accounts of a MACV Field Advisor during the 68 TET & 69 TET Counteroffensive Operations (Ops) in Upper III Corps. ARVN Infantry and Airmobile Recon In Force (RIF) Ops, ARVN and Combined ARVN & U.S. Troop RIF and Village Seal & Search Ops, ARVN Recondo B-52 Bomb Damage Assessments (BDAs), and ARVN Infantry support of CIA Phoenix Programs seeking VC in South Vietnam cities.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 3 of 2023:

Title: Jack of All Trades Authors: Ronald L. Beckett ISBN: 9780811764933 Tags: KHM Cambodia, Nungs, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US State Department, US USA 120th Aviation Company (Airmobile Light), US USA 12th Infantry Regiment, US USA 12th Infantry Regiment - 4/12 - Warriors, US USA 169th Engineer Bn, US USA 169th Engineer Bn - D Co, US USA 18th Engineer Brigade, US USA 18th Infantry Regiment, US USA 18th Infantry Regiment - 2/18, US USA 199th Light Infantry Brigade (Redcatchers), US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 1st ID, US USA 20th Infantry Regiment, US USA 20th Infantry Regiment - 1/20, US USA 20th Infantry Regiment - 1/20 - C Co, US USA 23rd ID - Americal, US USA Fort Bragg NC, US USA Fort Bragg NC - JFK Special Warfare Center / School, US USA Fort Bragg NC - MATA Military Assistance Training Advisor Course, US USA United States Army, US USIS United States Information Service, USAID, USAID John Paul Vann, VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Cao Nguyen Plateau, VNM Chau Doc, VNM CIA Air America (1950-1976) (Vietnam War), VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Da Lat, VNM Dinh Quan, VNM Dinh Quan District, VNM Doan Ket, VNM DRV NVA 9th Division, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM FSB Nancy (Vietnam War), VNM Highway 20, VNM Hoa Thuan, VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM IV Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Khmer Krom, VNM Kiem Tam District, VNM La Nga, VNM La Nga River, VNM Loi Tan, VNM Long Binh Post - Plantation - II Field Force HQ (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Long Khanh Province, VNM Montagnards, VNM My Lai, VNM My Lai Massacre (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Nui Dang Cai - Artillery Hill, VNM Quang Ngai Province, VNM Rung Sat Special Zone, VNM RVN ARVN 18th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 43rd Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 177th RF Co (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 312th RF Co (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 60th RF Inner-Group (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 621 RF Co (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF 621st RF Co (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN RF/PF Regional Forces/Popular Forces (Vietnam War), VNM RVN DIOCC - District Intelligence Operations Coordination Center (Vietnam War), VNM RVN RVNP Can Sat National Police, VNM RVN RVNP CSDB Can Sat Dac Biet Special Branch Police, VNM RVN RVNP CSDB PRU Provincial Reconnaissance Units (Vietnam War), VNM RVN RVNP NPFF National Police Field Force, VNM The Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM Tin Nghia, VNM Trung Hieu, VNM Truong van Phuc, VNM US MACV Advisory Team 49 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV CORDS Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (1967-1975) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV District Advisory Team - Dinh Quan (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV District Advisory Team - Kiem Tam (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV District Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM USA USARV United States Army Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM War Zone C (Vietnam War), VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War), VNM Xuan Loc Rating: 5 stars Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Infantry Description: Maj. Ron Beckett had already served two tours in Vietnam when he received orders to return in April 1969. As the district senior advisor in the remote, rural Dinh Quan District of Long Khanh Province, he would face a demanding and dangerous assignment on the front lines of pacification. Review: This is a book that is very different from others, as his role as a DSA was more about pacification and rural development. You have stories about introduction of new strains of rice, chickens and hogs into the district. You have stories about interfacing with the Vietnamese people, government, and military. You learn about different programs from USAID and others functioning under CORDs to achieve a multitude of goals. - And ultimately, the author does a great job detailing these stories. 

But most of all, he details what an absolute failure the whole fucking thing was and why. 

This will hit close to home for anyone who served in Afghanistan because the same problems existed, the same solutions were tried, and it was the same failure at the end!

He goes into detail about poor training for being an advisor, cultural differences, language issues, commitments and breaking them, and most importantly, how military actions affect the populace, especially one that didn’t give a fuck about the government to begin with. He also talks about how when you have a corrupt government and military, one that is based on class warfare and nepotism, you are fighting an almost impossible battle. 

It was a bit of a slog to get through, but it was still very well written, very well detailed, and there are a lot of good lessons to take from it, especially when paired with Bernard Fall’s work.