As an amercian trooper with "B"Btry 1/44th "Dusters" on this operation FSB Lao Bao, this is a great book. All the details.. all the units.. I have an interview of myself on CBS news.. and can place the book right to the film. Amazing! This book is Lam Son 719. Great research on the part of the author. If you were there.. this is the book to read. If you were'nt.. this is a great book to get a feel of what being in this part of the country and war was all about.

This book is a treasure trove of details of a past time when the hill country moved to very different rhythms than it does today. Jordan wrote this book at the insistence of his son, who is a cultural geographer interested in regional lifeways. If you've ever had a twinge of nostalgia for the hill country's past you should read this book. At the risk of sounding my own horn, if you like this book or are interested in the past of the hill country and how it is valued today, take a look at my book, "Places in the World a Person Could Walk" for more reading. I'm an anthropologist whose family is from the hill country, and my study adds to the conversation about the meaning of the hill country's past that Jordan began.

In the summer of 1967 the USMC found itself engaged in a battle that caught them by suprise and cost them over 180 soldiers KIA and many more WIA. Vietnam was a war where many restriction were placed on American fighting forces, those restrictions were even stricter in the strange terrain of the DMZ. Like other books by Mr. Nolan (Into Laos and Into Cambodia come to mind) there is rich detail and information woven into a story by a chronological telling of event leading up to and through the battle. While there is a very good and informative sitrep of American (particularly USMC) involvement in Vietnam the strength of this book is it's "put you in the foxhole" eyes view of the fight. I had never read an account of where almost an entire American Company was overrun by large NVA forces, it is not pretty. I have read that ear collecting was something that happened in the war to dead enemy soldiers, the NVA put their own sick twist on this sort of war atrocity by collecting USMC tattoos from fallen grunts. There are graphic descriptions of the early M-16 problems which ended up causing the USA and USMC many casualties. This book contains some things that really suprised me, NVA soldiers equiped with flame-throwers looking for suvivors of the initial ambush, NVA artillery support which was accurate and protected from US airpower hitting American forces with a sustained barrage, NVA use of USMC gear such as flak vests and radios, American tanks being blown away like toys. There are many sad twists, if you are looking for a John Wayne type combat read stick to a novel, this one hurts the heart. I can't say enough about this book, if you are a student of the fighting in Southeast Asia get this book, Mr. Nolan really puts things together in this clear and painfully vivid book.

First heard about the prime day of the book from a fellow MARINE who had been there and described it as similar to a firefight we had both been in, except there was no rear. I knew many men who died during the operation, and know many who survived. To a one they say it is accurate, and are proud to have their story told. My first thought was that NOLAN had been there. Oddly enough there is a quote on the liner notes from an upcoming 3 star Gen Libutti. He doubts the statement from McNamara" that all is quiet on the DMZ" Operation Buffalo is a book that men pass from one friend to another.

Operation Buffalo should be made into a Movie as it the best written book I have ever read about what the Marines and Corpsmen of Northern I Corps endured in Viet Nam. Time and again the men of the First Battalion Ninth Marines found themselves fighting against numerically superiour forces with very little support available at critical moments. Mention is made in the book that the First Battalion Ninth Marines was marked by the North Vietnames Army for destruction. I can't say for sure that this was true, but "The Walking Dead" nick-name was was paid for in blood. Keith N. Price Former HM3 Disability Retired Bravo Company, First Battalion Ninth Marines

AASIGNED TO COMPANY "D" 1/46, 196 INF, I KNOW MR. NOLAN HAS TONS IF INTERVIEWS AND DOCUMENTS ON THE SUBJECT, FSB MARY ANN, I BELIEVE THAT VOLUMES COULD AND SHOULD BE WRITTEN AS WELL AS PHOTS, NOT TO STOP SHORT OF A FEATURE FILM.....

This book helped me remember how lucky I am to be here to read it. I was amazed at how much detail he found in his research, best one Ive read on viet nam and what it was really like. Thanks mr. Nolan

The war was winding down but for the men of the 196th LIB home was just a distant dream. As a member of Charlie Company, I can attest to the accuracy and fairness the author treats the grunts of LZ MaryAnn. I only pray that we will never see a war like VN again.

This book gives credit to the men of the 377th Security Police Squadron for an incedible defense of Tan Son Nhut Air Base. There were enough heros to go around but Nolan has given the Air Force credit for a defensive masterpiece. This book was long over due.

Mr. Nolan is an incredible and invaluable cronicler of the Vietnam War. My father was at the Ton Son Nhut Airbase during the Tet. I now truly understand that battle; this is what you didn't learn in school. Since I read The Battle Of Saigon I have gone on to read The Magnificent Bastards and am in the proocess of reading Operation Buffalo. I strongly recomend reading Keith Nolan's books so you can learn what really happened in Vietnam. The Battle of Saigon is a must read. With respect, Kimberly E. Monahan

iam currently attending my english class, i am asked to do the oral presentation on this battle. please give me some more information and some more idea

Dwight Birdwell and William Nolan have produced a very good personal account of an armored crewman's 16-month tour in Vietnam. In addition to absorbing combat narratives, Birdwell provides a lot of details and context to help readers understand his story. He gives explicit reasons why his unit's morale and performance deteriorated over his tour, and how the Tet Offensive changed the nature of the war. I highly recommend this book to any student of the military or the Vietnam War. U.S. military officers should read it for examples of how good leadership can inspire a unit, and bad leadership can cost lives. Birdwell highlights the role of good, solid NCOs as the beating heart of a military unit.

This Is a story of truth from the men who were In vietnam.Nolan served in the vietnam war.And from reading this book he takes you there.And tells us the american people what we never knew that happened during this war.An amazing truthful book to read.I would give it ten stars."Truth In justice for all of our vets" They are the back bone of this country.The goverment should know. When our vets came home sick and dying from agent orange.Our goverment denied everything.Even the one who gave the orders to drop It. Killed his own son.When his son died he knew it was from agent orange. He later killed himself because of his guilt.Since he was a high ranking officer he was sworn to silence.Like all the other military officers. Our goverment does not care about the men who not only died for this country.Also the ones they killed and never admitted to.The cost to the goverment would be to great.So deny ,deny, at all cost. As the govement has always lied about our vets.When they came home sick from Vietnam also Saudi Arabia.The goverment denied all of this again.Deformed babies,cancer,of all kinds.The goverment again denied our men came in contact with any chemicals to make them sick.When it has been proven that the air they breathed and the contact with tanks were contaminated from Iraq weapons used on our military soldiers.WHY''

Having read hundreds of books about Vietnam war combat from the perspective of infantry, Rangers, Special Forces, LRRPs, SEALs, and helicopter gunships, I was pleased to find a rare book dealing with American armor combat. With the help fo veteran Vietnam war book author Keith William Nolan, Dwight Birdwell has produced an action packed, easy to read, page turner on his 16 months in Vietnam with a 25th Division armor unit, protecting the main supply route from Saigon to Tay Ninh near the Cambodian border. Arriving Sept. 1967, pre-Tet Birdwell's service as a M48 Patton tank crewman, began with a well lead unit, high moral, and eager for a fight with the Viet Cong. Tet changed all that when Birdwell's unit was dispatched to Saigon where they ran headlong into an enemy regiment which had broke through the wire at Tan Son Nhut Air Base on January 31, 1968. Birdwell's bravery and initiative under intense enemy RPG and gunfire and panic of some fellow troopers won him a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. The narrative of the searing engagement draws one into the action like you are a witness to the blast of tank cannon and the whine of enemy bullets. Birdwell wins a second Silver Star at An Duc in July, 1968, while describing the steady decline of morale and efficiency as troopers realize Washington had no strategy for winning the war. Despite heavy combat, Birdwell manages to preserve his humanity and a measure of idealism, which motivated him to volunteer for Vietnam service, as a teenager. Upon his return to Oklahoma, Birdwell used his G. I. Bill to get an education and eventually earn a law degree and now practices law in Oklahoma City. Of Cherokee heritage, he served for two years as the Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation. Birdwell's book provides an excellent map to conveniently track ambush and battle site. Also, there are 16 pages of photographs. His epilogue features a "status report" on many officers and troopers he served with and survived the war, including his squadron commander Glenn K. Otis, who went on to be Commander and Chief, U.S Army Europe. Birdwell's book should be on the must read list of every military officer and NCO who might serve in a ground combat unit or support them.

Dang! This is one helluva battle history. Right on the money, accurate and with plenty of action to go around. If there's a better story out there about the Vietnam War, let me know ... I'll buy you a beer.

Keith Nolan is in top form ... best book he's done yet, and he's done a lot.

So what's it all about? Ripcord was the last big battle of the war involving purely American forces. Lam Son 719 came the next year ... featured ARVN and U.S. forces. You want guts and glory? This is it! A division of North Vietnamese regulars surround Fire Base Ripcord on the northeast rim of the dreaded A Shau Valley, put it under siege, and prepare to make a ground assault. U.S. airmobile troopers of the 101st fight back, but are committed piecemeal to the action. No one knows what's really going on until the last fateful days of the battle. By then it's too late.

Courage? It's here in spades. Medal of Honor awardee Lt. Col. Andre Lucas is killed on the final day. He's a hero worth remembering. So is the Battle of FSB Ripcord ... so is this book.

Read it. Remember those who fell there.

This book is an excellent study of the siege at Ripcord. Mr. Nolan lets the participants tell the story without the intrusions that so often interfere with the accuracy of historical monographs. In the future, when scholars have the knowledge, insight, and emotional distance to start writing comprehensive histories of the Vietnam Conflict, Mr. Nolan's works will be in every bibliography.

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.

I've read most of Keith William Nolan's books, provided source information on two of them, and was a key participant in the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord. This obvious bias aside, "Ripcord" is Nolan's best and most comprehensive Vietnam battle history.

Nolan is a master at telling the soldier's part in the 23-day siege of this remote rain forest mountain redoubt near the A Shau Valley. But it's not just a story about the hardship and heroism of combat soldiers. He unravels and clearly presents the challenges (and frustrations) of command from the division level down to leadership at the squad and platoon level.

The Battle of FSB Ripcord was a complex and deadly affair. One of two book-end battles of the Vietnam War--the other was the airmobile action by the 1st Cavalry Division at Ia Drang Valley in 1965--Ripcord pitted airmobile troopers of the 3d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division against North Vietnamese regulars that had surrounded the fire base in division strength. Nolan pulls no punches in describing the action.

Quoting 1st Lt. Fred Edwards of the 326th Engineer Battalion, Nolan writes: "I was returning to Ripcord when I realized that the firebase was no longer an earthy brown, but almost black. Mortar rounds had exploded on virtually every square foot of the hill, charring it into a gray-black heap. It looked evil, malevolent. When the helicopter landed, it was like being dropped into an absolute hellhole."

Ripcord was more costly than the division action at Dong Ap Bia (Hamburger Hill) the year prior. Because the Screaming Eagle withdrawal from the base succeeded magnificently and did not turn into a rout, the action went largely unreported at the time. Thus, many participants in the battle had little idea of the depth or scope of the overall combat in which they were so intimately involved. Nolan's book does a great service to all these men by clarifying what went on and the contributions they made individually and collectively to the division's efforts.

Like most American military historians Nolan is more qualitative than quantitative, more gut-level than analytical in his recounting of events. Analytical comparisons can help with perspective. At the start of the siege the average bomb tonage from air strikes against enemy positions was less than 5 tons per day; but on the last three days the bomb tonage climbed from 104 tons to 154 tons. Eighty-four fighter-bomber sorites engaged the enemy in a 12-hour period on the final day. In the midst of this cauldron of fire soldiers from both sides fought, died and struggled for their very survival. Few came away unscathed.

This book is a must for any serious student of the Vietnam War, and will be a worthy addition to the bookshelves of military history buffs everywhere.

You cannot but praise this author for his honesty. The book tells the story of a joint USMC and US Army battle in the DMZ with brutal truth. The story is told, warts and all, and it made this book what it is.

I must say however that at times I felt the story got a bit disjointed and could have used more and better maps to assist the narrative but overall the author presents a decent and well researched account of this terrible battle.

If you like down to earth and in your face combat accounts then you should enjoy this book.

i greatly enjoyed this book. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. the best book on vietnam i have read (might be a little bias, my dad is mention in the book). this book had great detail as far as the lives of the Marines in the battle field.

Nolan has the gift of writing pictures. His ability, not just to put into words, but to do so with such fluidity, style, and accuracy put me back there as if I had never left. I read this and Operation Buffalo each twice and found in them the perfect tools I needed to finally speak of the war to my family.

I was attached to A Battery 2nd/32nd F.A. - 2 8inch S.P. guns that arrived at F.S.B. Illingsworth 10 Days before the Battle ! The Book has some misinformation - like we arrived 1 day before the Battle ! I have already had 14 months inside War Zone C before arriving at Illingsworth ! A Battery has had many conflicts with the enemy - lived over 2 years continuiously inside War Zone C . The plans were forming in mid - march about using our 8inch S.P. guns, before entering Cambodia in May, being used as a Baiting Operation ! 79 Brave Americans were given orders to stay , after the fall of F.S.B. Jay , and to face the enemy ( 272 Reg. 1,050 strong )without any Hardline defense . Between the second hour to the 5 hour - 3,372 Friendly Artillery shells were fired at us - around us ! After the smoke cleared - 24 Brave Americans died - 100 Enemy bodies found ! We ( Proud Americans 2nd/32nd F.A. ) attacted and raised our American flag on a chopped down small tree . Everyone there were the BRAVEST Combat troops that the Army ever gave orders to stay and fight ! We all knew that a lot of us were going to be killed ! The Army knew that too ! Sent out the 1st. Cav. Chaplin the day before the Battle . The I.I.F.F. units received a Unit Battle award but the 1st. Cav. units did not ! Embarrassement that has to be corrected - going to try to correct it ! The Unit Battle awards should be Upgraded to a U.S. Presidential Unit award - Baiting Operation - is the Supreme Sacrifice that a Soldier does by giving his Life by following orders . Everyone of us still LIVING has the duty telling everyone of the Couragious men at F.S.B. Illingsworth on April 1 , 1970 .

The Cambodian invasion of 1970 is treated in a string of interrelated episodes; the story-telling is good but as military history, this falls short. No real analysis because the author is non-military. Note, intelligence is virtually ignored throughout the book; no S-2s were contributors (yet virtually every S-3 operations officer is listed). The book does point out how armor-heavy the Cambodian incursion was and also how effective the NVA was in dealing with US armor. Numerous M113 ACAVs and M551 Sheridans, as well as M48 Pattons were knocked out by the ever-present RPG-7s. Nolan is a conservative, pro-military author who wants to paint the US military in a good light, but he does allow lapses, such as the occasional apathetic or druggie soldiers. His conclusion is that the incursion was a military success that saved US lives and bought us 12-18 months of relative quiet from the enemy. Unfortunately, he does not discuss ARVN operations much and ignores the wider political issues. Better maps, an Order of Battle appendix, a little more info from the enemy side and a better strategic overview would have made this a superb book.

Chapter 5-7 regarding Fire Support Illingsworth was so accurate. I was there on 1 April 1970 with A Troop 1/11 ACR. I thought about my experience, and the book read as if I was writing down from my own memory. The accounts came to life! email: george@foreveryone.net

This author shows lack of knowledge about the North Vietnamese and Vc troops who fought at Hue. This lack of knowledge means that the readers have no clue of why the battle Hue lasted for several weeks.

According to two recently publish Communist books: "Hue, Spring 1968, Ban Nghien Cuu Dang[the Communist Party Research committee], Hue, 1988" and the "Tck-tkn [General offensive-General Uprising 1968, Ban Nghien Cuu Dang[the Communist Party Research committee], Ho Chi Minh City, 1988". The Nva/Vc troops in Hue consist of 4 full strength regiments: the E1, E5, E8, E9 and several battalions from the E6 regiment several sapper battalions (E is the NVA denote for regiment). Only the South Viets Hac Bao Company, most of who during the New Year was on leave, defended Hue. The Nva attacked on the first day of the Lunar New Year and quickly gain control of the city. After which they release 2,300 violent criminals from the city prison and armed them and the city VC sympathizers to form the "Nghia Quan"[Rightous Army]. In total the Nva/VC have around 9,000 to 10,000 troops in the city including the "Nghia Quan' criminals. On the second day of the New Year, the ARVN 1st Airborne Brigade consists of the 2nd and 6th battalions fought their way into Hue by way of An Hoa. They succeeded in getting into the city and later the ARVN 9th Airborne battalions; fresh from their victory at Quang tri also joined them. It's true that the S. Viets ask the Americans for help after the second week of battle but it was not due to S. Viets troops cowardice, it was due to lack of men power(which the author did not clarify).

The ARVN who fought at Hue consists of the Airborne, then later the Marines, Rangers and the 1st Division, the best fighting force in Vietnam war. However, initially, the S. Viets leaders do not want the ncient city of Hue to be destroyed and forces the S. Viets and Americans to fight with little or no air and artillery support. This means the cost in retaking the city from 8,000 well-fortified enemies has to be done hand to hand. During the week of the battle, the S. Vietnamese 2nd and 7th battalions went from 500 men each down to only 200 men. The S. Viets 9th airborne battalion went from 400 men to only 100 men, the rest were killed and wounded. The S. Viets marines and ranger battalions that later came to join in the fight was fresh from the battles in Saigon without replacement and were all at or around half strengths. A typical S. Viet airborne battalion consists of 500 men, 800 men for the Vietnamese marine battalion and 450 men for the Vietnamese ranger battalion. The Nva/VC also lost a tremendous number of men and o both sides settle down to defensive and probing attacks. This also is true for the USMC since the US marines for the first two weeks or so, fought only during the day and then retreat to the MACV compound at night, this go on until sufficient troops and allies replacement have arrive. The battle for Hue was bloody and vicious, the S. Viet dead was twice that of the U.S marines, as for the Nva/VC most of their troops die during the battle for the city.

An excellent book. Perhaps the only improvement would be the addition of more detailed maps so that the reader is able to follow the events as they arise. As a Marine veteran, I seldom read anything concerning the Vietnam war because most of the books are not very factual. However, this book is well written and reveals a great deal of research. There is NO fiction here. Nolan once again demonstrates his outstanding literary talents. I agree, I dont understand how Hollywood has let this slip away.

The latest read I've experienced from Keith Nolan, Tet 1968 gave me an understanding I never got from text books or movies. I felt that I was there, and understood how the grunts felt. I have read most of Nolan's other works and find this to be a deserving addition. My next is Into Laos/Lam Son 719, which I was finally able to track down after four years. I expect more of the same realism, unwavering accuracy, and action filled narrative that I did in Tet 1968.