As the brigade commander during the seige of Ripcord, Keith and I had dozens of interchanges. It is common knowledge that retired general officers can recall with precise clarity the details of events that never happened. Nolan's rule that "facts" must be verified by at least three sources probably explains why some of my input to an early draft did not make the final publication. My long-winded point is that you do not have the "whole story" of Ripcord, but what you do have in this superb book is true and accurate.

What gives me the most genuine gratification with this book is Keith Nolan's telling the individual stories of 356 real soldiers! Shocking, heartbreaking, inspiring; these stories help you to understand the outrage of General Eisenhower when he blasted a war correspondent saying, "I get so eternally tired of the lack of understanding of what the infantry soldier endures.....I get so fighting mad because of the general lack of appreciation of real Heroism which is the uncomplaining acceptance of unendurable conditions...."

This book is not about the Vietnam War. It is about but one battle of four and a half months in a ten year war by one brigade of the twenty four American brigades who fought in Vietnam. It is about conventional, not guerilla-conterinsurgency war. The enemy at Ripcord were uniformed regulars from North Vietnam that outnumbered us at least six to one; well supported with heavy mortars, heavy machine guns, recoiless rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

You will be saddened by this book, as was I. But you will also be filled with absolute and total pride in the young Americans who answered their country's call to duty and fought and bled and some died, but most persevered in the finest traditions of the American military forces.

The book debunks many of the myths surrounding the final years of the war. First, he demonstrates that the troops on the ground were not shirkers, but fought with bravery and purpose - even though every KIA knew, at the moment of his death, that the battle and the war would not be won. Second, he demonstrates that the military leadership had lost all direction by 1970. After years of complaining that the enemy would not stand and fight, they got their chance for a pitched battle at Ripcord. Ultimately they ran away - bowing to outside pressures -leaving the enemy to hold the field and wasting the lives of many brave soldiers.

Mr. Nolan is also surprisingly frank in describing the assessments that the participants made of each other. Even the battalion commander, who received the Medal of Honor, is portrayed as a complex figure with strengths and weakness, and not as some sort of comic book hero.

If you don't have time to read the whole book, read "Part Seven: The Storm". It is the author's best prose and tells the story of the most poignant part of a very poignant event.

For thirty years I have been waiting for this book. At the time of the battle, I knew that Ripcord was a big deal. Since then, I've read books and watched documentaries on Vietnam. Only the "The Thirteenth Valley" even vaguely addressed this battle. I want to thank Mr. Nolan for resurrecting this nearly forgotten tragedy.

The only piece now missing from the Ripcord saga is the prespective of the NVA. Hopefully, that information will be forthcoming before the last Ripcord survivor dies.

Some of the greatest photographers of all time are listed here. Some of their photographs have remained unseen for some 40 years.
Some of the photographs taken were the last visions seen by photographers who were actually killed whilst in the act of taking them.

The first hand reality of the 'at war' experience is brought home to the unitiated reader. To take these shots the photographers were of a necessity extremely close to the action and sometimes in the very midst of it. For their sacrifice in obtaining these images they lost their lives.

One can only sit back with awe at the scenes illustrated and wonder at the suffering, humanity & sometimes lack of it, that perpetuated these conflicts.

These photographers have done a great service in bringing home the reality of war to those who were not there. An amazing and fitting epitaph to those who fought, suffered and died on both sides.

The story line(a romantic adventure) is a clever vehicle for showcasing Mr. Frey's many experiences, observations and anecdotes gathered while traveling throughout S.E. Asia. He shows great insight into Asian cultures past and present from an American perspective, which would go a long way to alleviate the anxieties of a first-time traveler to that region, and also alert the reader to possible pitfalls. His descriptions of the major historical sites explain the purpose and mythology behind them, rather than mere construction. Through his characters, he also reveals the Asian mentality, which is good to know if you want to go there.

I've actually been to a couple of the places he describes, and didn't observe -or remember- half as much as he did!

If there was ever a man who never got a break in his life, it was Jim Thompson. Raised by a domineering and abusive father, drafted into the Army he at first hates military life but then comes to love it. But even in the military things do not come easily for Thompson. Commissioned through OCS, he does not volunteer for Special Forces but is ordered into it when the Army, at JFK's directive, rapidly expands the Green Berets. Sent to Vietnam, Thompson and his team are sent to one the most remote and potentially dangerous outposts the Army has and he and his team find themselves very quickly in over their heads.

An interesting aspect of the book is that most of it is not about Thompson's actual experiences as a POW but rather deals with is pre- and post-Vietnam life. His saga as a POW for nearly 9 years is a brutal one---isolation, malnutrition, torture. It is not until he has been a prisoner over 4 yrs that he finally meets other Americans, a group of soldiers and civilian personnel captures at Hue during the Tet Offensive. By this point Thompson is reduced to about 100 lbs and looks to the other POWs to be in his 70s when he's actually in his mid 30s.
His story after his return is even more brutal---betrayal by his wife, divorce, alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder, career problems, totally dysfunctional children, attempted suicide, psychiatric hospitalization, struggling with his sexual identity, his son convicted of murder, suffering a stroke which handicaps him and finally a loss of faith in God.

Unlike other POW stories, I found nothing in this book to be uplifting. The Thompson family is literally destroyed by the Vietnam War and there are almost no survivors. The book is well-presented as an oral history of the Thompsons although his wife Alyce does come across as a villainess in the story. And despite her attempts to paint herself in a better light, her own behavior is just inexcusable.

Thompson spent nine arduous years in captivity, including five long years held in solitary by the Viet Cong. Thompson is the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, although for a variety of reasons (mainly his familiy's insistence on privacy), Navy pilot Everrett Alvarez is often accorded that distinction.

Unlike the heroic Navy and Air Force pilots shot down over North Vietnam, Thompson was deprived of the physical and emotional support of fellow Americans who were enduring the same harrowing ordeal. (Thompson did not even lay eyes on another American for more than four years.) Instead, he found succor from his faith in God, country, and the wife and family that he thought awaited him.

However, these three pillars of faith would prove illusory. Upon finally achieving freedom, Thompson is unable to recognize the country and family to which he returned, and as the tragedies continued to mount, he soon renounces his religious convictions.

Despite being presented with evidence (a voice recording) of her husband's captivity fairly early on, Thompson's wife Alyce had wasted little time merging her young family with another man's, "for the sake of the children." Attempts to restore a normal family life prove disatrous, and Thompson ends up divorced twice, estranged from his children and involuntarily retired from the Army at age 47 due to a stroke.

The persistent problems (culminating in a murder conviction)of his youngest child and only son -- born the day after Thompson's capture -- is the lightning rod for a family reconcilation. Jim even dropped his deep-seated enmity for Alyce. But the rapprochement proved to be short-lived, and by the story's end, Thompson is once again an embittered, isolated man.

Too few Americans know the Col. Jim Thompson story. This story deserves to find the widest possible audience.

This is fantastic series of books covering the history and evolution of the LRRPS/LRPS/RANGERS during the Vietnam War.

Rey Martinez, Kenn Miller, and Gary Linderer interviewed a great number of the surviving members of the LRRPS/Rangers to bring their history alive. While some members were able to tap in their memories, others wouldn't touch the pain from long ago. The authors did a terrific job bringing the histories together for a strong narrative.

If anything, I found myself wanting to know more! What were they thinking? What were you feeling? I'm sure much ended up on the "editing room floor".

The "SIX SILENT MEN" books are a very honest account if the units actions. Their packed with adventure and daring. While reading their books, I was filled with tension and dread, other times I had to laugh aloud, and a few times I became misty-eyed. You feel for the teams as they "will" themselves to become invisible while on patrol.

Don't be mislead by a negative review. The reviewer misquoted the book. This I know since I pulled my copy off the shelf and checked the text. The reviewer claims the authors are liars --- NOT SO. A great number of books on the Vietnam War are written very honestly, and the publishers do "Fact Checking" before publishing these books. Read the review by Harold Nealy, who was a LRRP! His testimonial supports this fine series. If these books were embellished tales, then Vietnam Vets who served in the LRRPS/Rangers wouldn't hesitate to post a review here and let the truths be known. As you see this isn't the case.

I have never met a veteran who has panned these books. Never.

If you enjoyed this series, I would also recommend Jim Morris' WAR STORY, John Plasters' SOG, James Rowe's FIVE YEARS TO FREEDOM, Larry Chambers RECONDO, and Leigh Wade's TAN PHU.

I had the honor of meeting Kenn Miller, Jim Morris, and John Plaster (and other Vietnam Vets) two years ago. They freely answered my questions. I was going to 'buy a round' when one of them said, "Put your money away kid." I was 33, and that gathering was enjoyed by all.

Read the books. You won't be disappointed! God Bless and Attack life!

More than half of
Vietnam's population today were born after the war and are more
interested in consumerism than communism. But in spite of their
smuggled videos and make-believe motor bikes (which are all chrome and
glitz and have tiny motors), they live in a culture where corruption
is a way of life, the judicial system is almost non-existent, and
writers are persecuted and forbidden to portray Vietnam without a rosy
myth.

The extent of the corruption is everywhere. If you are sick
you have to pay extra to get the most basic medical care, even if you
have government insurance. If you want your children to pass their
exams, you have to pay teachers for "private tuition". If
you want to move, change jobs or leave the country, you have to pay
someone. The police can arbitrarily rob street vendors or require
payoffs from anyone at whim. And, as foreign investors have found,
unlike other Asian countries, the pay-offs do not necessarily obtain
the results desired.

There's a history of famine in Vietnam and
memories of starvation. There are also food practices that Westerners
find abhorrent. Yes. The Vietnamese do eat dogs and cats and
restaurants get big bucks for serving meat that is on the endangered
species list. I know that I should try to not be judgmental, but the
ancient practice of beating a dog to death over several hours in order
to tenderize the meat particularly disturbs me.

The book is dense
with facts and slow reading. And some of the sections were difficult
to follow, especially when the author went into great detail about the
complexities of corruption in the Vietnamese Communist party where one
leader after another would fall into disfavor with the party, be
thrown into prison, his family denied any employment and his children
forbidden to attend school.

To raise money from tourists, especially
from Americans who return to Vietnam with a sense of guilt about the
war, several war museums have been erected. The fact that many of the
exhibits are not authentic does not stop people from visiting them.
There is even a museum that re-creates the infamous tunnels used by
the Viet Cong although they had to be made larger to accommodate the
larger size American tourists. There is even a make-believe mine
field with firecrackers that explode when a wire is tripped.

For the
Vietnamese who now live in other parts of the world, returning is
difficult. They are considered rich foreigners and intruders and it
is extremely rare for any of them to come back to settle
permanently.

It was a bit of a struggle for me to read this book. I
learned a lot but cannot say I enjoyed it. There was very little to
break the tension and the few shreds of humor were few and far
between. And yet, for anyone who is truly interested in a serious
comprehensive analysis of what Vietnam is today, this is a worthwhile
book and I would definitely recommend it.