"Last Stand at Khe Sanh: The U.S. Marines' Finest Hour" Topic

… in Vietnam

"When we think of the ground war in Vietnam, we envision two contrasting types of operations. On the one hand, long, uncomfortable, frustrating "search and destroy" slogs through terrain where the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) appeared only to booby trap trails or ambush an American column. On the other hand, there are the big conventional fights at places like Ia Drang, Hué, and Khe Sanh—an "emblematic confrontation" (xvii). Gen. William Westmoreland thought these disparate operational modes were complementary: assuredly, the enemy had to be found to be destroyed. For US soldiers and Marines, this was a distinction without a difference. Both types of operations incurred horrifying bloodshed and thus powerful waves of fear and anxiety that discipline, training, and raw courage had to overcome. In his new book, noted journalist Gregg Jones[1] illustrates the meaning of these aspects of combat in Vietnam.

Jones prioritizes engaging description over cold analysis, wanting to show "what was it like for the young Americans who were there" (xvii). Khe Sanh lay near the Demilitarized Zone between the Vietnams, within a few miles of the Laotian border. Like many battlefields in Vietnam, it had an aura of déjà vu: the remnants of a French fort lay nearby and, Jones tells us, the Marines and the NVA had fought and bled there a few months before, during the so-called "Hill Fights"…"
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Amicalement
Armand

That is a very well thought out review. I had wondered about the "Last Stand" bit of the title myself, as questioned here. Dien Bien Phu, yes.

The NVA/VC wanted to turn it into a "DBP" most believe … Didn't work out for them vs. the USMC, US ARMY [yes there were Army ADA units there i.e. M42s & Quad .50s*] USN & USAF. As it did for them when they attacked the French in '54.

*Not so much for ADA/AAA but to chop up massive NVA/VC Infantry attacks.

Happy you enjoyed it my good friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand