I've read Best and the Brightest, Bright Shining Lie, About Face, We Were Soldiers and some others that I can't remember off the top of my head. I'm getting ready to read Street Without Joy. Is there any others that are a "must" for a good overall understanding of the war?
Books on Vietnam
7,514 Views |
69 Replies |
Last: 14 yr ago by firethewagonup
Phillip Caputo - A Rumor of War
A second for Caputo
Stanley Karnow - "Vietnam - A History"
Dennis J Cummings - "The Men Behind the Trident
SEAL Team One in Vietnam"
Dennis J Cummings - "The Men Behind the Trident
SEAL Team One in Vietnam"
American Warrior: A Combat Memoir Of Vietnam
I liked Palmer's Summons of the Trumpet as a pretty solid overview.
On the aviation side, "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason is an excellant account of the war through the eyes of a helicopter pilot.
"The cat from Hue" was pretty good from what i remember
Full Throttle: True Stories of Vietnam Air Combat Told by the Men Who Lived It is a rewrite of the book Life On The Line, which I'm proud to say that the first chapter - on Farm Gate - includes my dad's telling of his experiences with the early ARVN forces.
All chapters are firsthand accounts by different pilots of various aircraft.
All chapters are firsthand accounts by different pilots of various aircraft.
Caputo +2
our vietnam by aj languth
Best and the Brightest is great
Ive also read Chickenhawk. Its an easy and interesting read. I recommend it.
Ive also read Chickenhawk. Its an easy and interesting read. I recommend it.
Caputo +3
The Village - Bing West
Night of the Silver Stars - don't recall the author's name
The Village - Bing West
Night of the Silver Stars - don't recall the author's name
Marine Sniper - Charles Henderson
+1 for Marine Sniper
Good one, scrappy.
Carlos Hathcock story.
Good one, scrappy.
Carlos Hathcock story.
Stolen Valor which gives a history of many frauds who claimed they were Vietnam Veterans to advance their lives/careers, but never served in Vietnam.
[This message has been edited by AgentZero (edited 2/7/2012 11:03am).]
+5 for Caputo. Amazing book.
Not directly about the American involvement, but an account that proffers a huge amount of understanding about the country, the mindset and the enemy is "Street Without Joy". I think that is the name of it, someo other guys on here will know it. Bernard something or other.
About the French experience in Indochina.
About the French experience in Indochina.
^
|
|
|
Bernard Fall
|
|
|
Bernard Fall
[This message has been edited by WarChief (edited 4/4/2014 4:26p).]
"Fire in the Lake" if you want an unbiased on either side with better understanding on the history and cause.
http://books.google.com/books?id=CsP2lQtoPFoC&dq=Vietnam+book+fire&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=_vWVScLfJJSaNa-epPoL&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=15&ct=result#PPP1,M1
http://books.google.com/books?id=CsP2lQtoPFoC&dq=Vietnam+book+fire&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=_vWVScLfJJSaNa-epPoL&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=15&ct=result#PPP1,M1
Baptism: A Vietnam Memoir. Larry Guin. This is the best book I have ever found on the combat soldier life in Vietnam. This book was written by a man who was in the 1st Cav at the same time I was , in 1966. This is IT. The best from a grunts perspective that I have found.
Aggie63 - You were at An Khe when I was there '65-66. I was with 70th Engineers and we built Camp Radcliff.
Best book is just ask the many Ags that were there. I was in I Corps, hill 10 aand hill 55 with 1/7, 1st Mar Div., 1968-9 There were two Ags with me on the hill.
So what's your book title, Bass?
About Face: David Hackworth.
Covers Korea and Vietnam, actually. Very interesting.
Covers Korea and Vietnam, actually. Very interesting.
quote:
About Face: David Hackworth
Good Call!
My uncle was a recoiless rifle gunner in Hue in 1968, but he won't tell us much about that.
david hackworth was a great leader
quote:
david hackworth was a great leader
He was certainly effective in the field. In virtually every mission he undertook in VN he gained results. The villages and hamlets he was responsible for were pacified and productive when his force was near by.
The book of memories. I went to my first 1/7 reunion the past year after 40 years. Amazing emotions but that was the past and maybe it's better to be left to the book writers.
Ag 63 and Airplane Driver,
Do you guys recall if there was a Hawk Missile Battery at An Khe. I know they would not have actually been in use. My Dad was deployed to Vietnam in 65 with his unit and for some reason I believe he was at An Khe. I have no idea what unit he was with other than it was air defense.
Do you guys recall if there was a Hawk Missile Battery at An Khe. I know they would not have actually been in use. My Dad was deployed to Vietnam in 65 with his unit and for some reason I believe he was at An Khe. I have no idea what unit he was with other than it was air defense.
Aggies Revenge - I don't recall a missle unit but then that would be WAY above my pay scale. As a combat engineer enlisted I just dug the hole where they told me. BTW, all of our platoon leaders were Aggies while our Company commander was a sip. I don't remember any outward display of hostility towards each other but they would not display that in front of the peons.
airplane, its amazing how the crap of college rivalries goes away when facing combat together.
[This message has been edited by terata (edited 2/18/2009 1:44p).]
[This message has been edited by terata (edited 2/18/2009 1:44p).]
Featured Stories
See All
Similarities abound as Texas A&M meets Miami in first round of CFP
by Olin Buchanan
5:43
14h ago
5.0k
4:55
7h ago
1.7k
7:26
10h ago
2.1k