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I know first hand having been assigned to CAC #9,#8 and #3 in early 1966, and later on my second tour to CAP Alpha #3 in the village of Thuy Phu where my patrol was over-run on April 13, 1967.Semper Fi,Bill Lafrance This book is a very accurate account of the Marines in small unit special operations during the Viet Nam War. Though he was wrong on the date the CAP units began his story is one of many of ours.
The discription of village life and struggle for the people in South Vietnam during that period was unique and informative. The book was not wriiten in hindsight after the American withdrawal but based on an American's view of the war at that time. I would certainly recommend this book. This book was written and published during the earlier years of America's involvement in Vietnam and gives a unique insight into the attitude of the US military at that time as well as the Vietnamese people in the rural areas controled by the Viet Cong. I was deeply impressed as always at the bravery, dedication and sacrifice of the US Marines in Vietnam.
A very interesting read. And, if the political will falters the sacrifices of the soldiers and civilians will change little. If they end up working at cross purposes, failure will be the result. The people, above all, wanted security and freedom. Lesson: If we aren't in it for the long run, don't start. For what it is worth, this is what I got from the book.1.
Again, don't start unless you are in it for the long run.A good book. This book was very useful in trying to understand what it is like to fight a war among people who have mixed loyalties. Lots of things to think about. They knew that once the Americans pulled out, they would be thrown back to the wolves and those who had cooperated with the Americans would be targeted.
As long as they believed the American presence was short term, they wouldn't side with the Americans, even if they preferred what they had to offer. The locals who had lived in and around the village had to choose their loyalties. 20 years on, no one even remembered that people had fought and died there for the security of the village. The young men who fought and died in that village deserve our respect and admiration.
Lesson: The military efforts must be working in parallel with the political agenda. They also wanted to be safe from indiscriminate shelling and bombing of their villages, so having an American presence helped to assure that. The larger political storm had overtaken everything else. Yes, it was Vietnam and that has been 40 years ago, but there are lessons here for Iraq and Afghanistan too.
3. 2. The effort to take territory and keep it, and to work with the locals for their own defense seemed to have worked, temporarily. Lesson: Although casualties will increase, it is better to be out among the populace, sharing their concerns and working together with them, than it is to be secure in your bases.
This was a unvarnished true story of one village and some US Marines who stopped the VC at their doorstep. I thought this was a great lesson on how to win against insurgencies one village at a time.
The Village is a very good read while at the same time contains applicable lessons to future wars.
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