#VNM Operation Dewey Canyon (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.