This is a fine book that I recommend. I learned everyday details about what it was like to be on the ground fighting the elusive Viet Cong insurgents in Vietnam in 1970. The main character, Lt. Van Howe, is part of a five-man Mobile Advisory Team working with a Vietnamese field unit. I learned about risk-taking chopper pilots, snipers, M-16s, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the VC tunnels and spider holes, the humidity, the sparse conditions. This book makes the reader feel what it was like for our American troops living near simple villagers whose loyalty was questionable, whose wish was to peacefully raise their families, farm their land, and tend to the rice paddies.
One of the special features of this book is the thoughtfulness and wisdom of the main character. Lt. Van Howe has discussions with his buddy, Sgt. First Class Bradford, about their motivations to serve in the military, their thoughts on the politics of the Vietnam War and the protest demonstrations against it, their understanding of those who object. In a balanced manner, Van Wye addresses the confusion and angst over war.
The author is obviously well-read. He included quotations from John Stuart Mill, Martin Luther King Jr., the Unitarian minister Barbara Pescan, Immanuel Kant, Aristotle, and Sun Tzu (author of "The Act of War.")
The book's drama increases as some chapters follow two Viet Cong soldiers, Hiep and Thanh, as they discuss their stance on the war, how they got to their leadership positions, and how they plot to win. We come to understand their positions on the war and their passion about it. We follow Hiep and Thanh to the climax of their stories.
It is a balanced, thoughtful book about war in general and the Vietnam War in particular.
In 1970 I served in Kien Hoa as the Deputy District Senior Advisor In Binh Dai District and filled in as a MAT team leader for a short time. Binh Dai is just north of Thanh Phu where much of this book takes place. I also was in Ben Tre many times. I found the book to agree with my actual experiences. There seems to be some literary license taken to make the book more interesting; but in general, the subject matter was very realistic and in line with my experiences in Kien Hoa.
Most of the Vietnam books and documentaries focus on US/USARV units and experience rather than the role played by advisors/MACV. It is great to have a book that portrays what the life of an advisor was like in 1970 where we lived with the Vietnamese and fought alongside of them. It is a perspective that receives far too little attention.
