#macv

Title: First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam With the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne Authors: John Howard ISBN: 9780811766067 Tags: AC-130 Spectre, AUS ADF AA 1st Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), AUS ADF AA Australian Army, AUS ADF Australian Defence Force, AUS Australia, B-52 Stratofortress, C-130 Hercules, CHE Geneva Conference of 1954 (French Indochina War), Cold War (1946-1991), CUB Cuba, CUB Cuban Missile Crisis, FAC, FRA ADT French Ground Army (Armée de terre), FRA ADT Groupement Mobile 100 (French Indochina War), FRA France, GER Berlin, GER Berlin - Checkpoint Charlie, GER Berlin Wall, GER Germany, GER Munich, KHM Cambodia, KHM Cambodian Incursion (1970) (Vietnam War), KOR Blue House Raid (1968), KOR Camp Greaves, KOR Freedom Bridge, KOR Imjin River, KOR Korea, KOR Korean War (1950-1953), KOR Munsan, KOR President Park Chung Hee, KOR ROK Capital Tiger Division, KOR ROK KATUSA Korean Augmentation to the US Army, KOR ROK Republic of Korea Army, KOR ROKMC Republic Of Korea Marine Corps, KOR UN UNC United Nations Command, KOR US USFK US Forces Korea, LAO FSB 31 (Lam Son 719) (Vietnam War), LAO Lam Son 719 (1971) (Vietnam War), LAO Laos, M113 APC, O-2 Skymaster, PHL Philippines, PHL US USAF Clark Air Force Base, PRK Kim Il Sung, PRK KPA 124th Army Unit, PRK KPA North Korean People's Army, PRK North Korea, SA-2 Guideline SAM, SA-7 Strela SAM, SAM, THA Bangkok, THA Bangkok - Nick's #1 Hungarian Inn, THA RTAFB Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base, THA Thailand, U-2, UN United Nations, US Ambassador Maxwell Taylor, US Martin Luther King Jr (Civil Rights Leader), US MOH Medal of Honor, US MSTS Military Sea Transportation Service, US MSTS USNS General Leroy Eltinge (T-AP-154), US OH Kent State University, US OH Kent State University Shootings (1970) (Vietnam War), US OH Ohio, US President John F. Kennedy, US President John F. Kennedy Assassination - Dallas TX (1963), US President Lyndon B. Johnson, US President Richard M. Nixon, US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 1st Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 3rd Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 1st ID - 3rd Brigade, US USA 1st ID - Big Red One, US USA 23rd Infantry Regiment, US USA 23rd Infantry Regiment - 3/23, US USA 2nd ID, US USA 2nd Infantry Regiment, US USA 2nd Infantry Regiment - 2/2, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327 - A (ABU) Co, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327 - B Co, US USA 327th Infantry Regiment - 1/327 - Tiger Force Recon, US USA 38th Infantry Regiment, US USA 38th Infantry Regiment - 2/38, US USA 502nd Aviation Bn, US USA 502nd Aviation Bn - A Co, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment - 2/502, US USA 502nd Infantry Regiment - 2/502 - C Co, US USA 503rd Infantry Regiment, US USA 503rd Infantry Regiment - 1/503, US USA 503rd Infantry Regiment - 2/503, US USA 70th Engineer Bn, US USA 7th ID, US USA 8th Army, US USA 937th Engineer Group, US USA 9th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 9th Cavalry Regiment - 1/9 - F Troop, US USA 9th Cavalry Regiment - 1/9 - Headhunters, US USA Col David Hackworth, US USA Col Jack Jacobs (MOH), US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Benning GA - Airborne School, US USA Fort Benning GA - IOAC Infantry Officers Advanced Course, US USA Fort Benning GA - NCOCC NCO Candidate Course, US USA Fort Benning GA - Ranger School, US USA Fort Benning GA - US Army Infantry School, US USA Fort Campbell KY, US USA Fort Ord CA, US USA Fort Ord CA - USATC US Army Training Center, US USA General Barry McCaffrey, US USA General Charles H Bonesteel III, US USA General Creighton Abrams, US USA General Fred C. Weyand, US USA General Frederick Koresen, US USA General James A. Hollingsworth, US USA General John Guthrie, US USA General John Heintges, US USA General John McGiffert, US USA General John R. McGiffert, US USA General Normal Schwarzkopf, US USA General Ray Lynch, US USA General Thomas Kennan, US USA General Willard Pearson, US USA General William Coleman, US USA General William Enemark, US USA General William Westmoreland, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USA USSF Team ODA-221, US USA USSF Team ODA-222, US USA Walter Reed Hospital, US USAF 21st TASS - Rash FAC, US USAF 21st TASS - Sundog FAC, US USAF United States Air Force, US USMC 3rd Marines - 3/3, US USMC United States Marine Corps, US USN NPS Naval Postgraduate School CA, US USN United States Navy, US USN USS Newport News (CA-148), US USN USS Pueblo (AGER 2), USMA West Point, USMA West Point - Camp Buckner, USSR, USSR 1st Secretary Nikita Khrushchev, USSR General Secretary of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM 1972 Easter Offensive / Nguyen Hue (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM An Khe, VNM An Loc, VNM An Ninh, VNM Assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem (1963) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of An Loc (1972) (1972 Easter Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Camp Holloway (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Dak To (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954) (French Indochina War), VNM Battle of Hue City (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Ia Drang Valley (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Saigon (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Tan Son Nhut (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Binh Dinh Province, VNM Binh Long Province, VNM Buddhist Crisis (1963) (Vietnam War), VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Camp Carroll (Vietnam War), VNM Camp Evans (Vietnam War), VNM Camp Holloway (Vietnam War), VNM Central Highlands, VNM Cham People, VNM Cholon, VNM Cholon - Binh Xuyen (Cholon Mafia), VNM Chon Thanh District, VNM Chu Lai, VNM Cua Viet River, VNM Cung Son Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Da Nang, VNM Dak To, VNM Di An, VNM DMZ Demilitarized Zone - 17th Parallel (Vietnam War), VNM Dong Ba Thin, VNM Dong Ba Thin Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM Dong Tre, VNM Dong Tre Special Forces Camp (Vietnam War), VNM DRV Ho Chi Minh, VNM DRV NVA 320B Division, VNM DRV NVA 7th Division, VNM DRV NVA 95th Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 95th Regiment - 5th Bn, VNM DRV NVA Communist B2 Front, VNM DRV NVA General Tran Van Tra, VNM DRV NVA General Vo Nguyen Giap, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV Party Secretary Le Duan, VNM DRV Politburo Central Military Committee, VNM DRV VC 5th Division, VNM DRV VC 9th Division, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM DRV VM Viet Minh, VNM Emperor Minh Manh, VNM FRA 1st Vietnamese Paratroop Bn (French Indochina War), VNM FRA French Expeditionary Corps (French Indochina War), VNM French Indochina War (1946-1954), VNM FSB Mai Loc (Vietnam War), VNM FSB Sarge (Vietnam War), VNM FSB Than Khai (Vietnam War), VNM Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) (Vietnam War), VNM Heiu Xuong District, VNM Highway 1, VNM Highway 13 - Thunder Road, VNM Highway 19, VNM Highway 9, VNM Hill 169, VNM Hill 65, VNM Hill 875, VNM Hue, VNM Hue - Le Huan St, VNM Hue - The Citadel, VNM I Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Ia Drang Valley, VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM IV Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Kontum, VNM Kontum Province, VNM Lai Khe, VNM Loc Ninh, VNM LZ Albany (Vietnam War), VNM LZ Sally (Vietnam War), VNM LZ X-Ray (Vietnam War), VNM Mekong Delta, VNM Montagnard, VNM My Canh, VNM My Chanh River, VNM My Lai, VNM My Lai Massacre (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM My Phu, VNM Nha Trang, VNM Nhon Co, VNM Ninh Thuan Province, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Checkerboard (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Dong Tien (1970) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Flaming Dart (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Hump (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Lam Son 72 (1972) (1972 Easter Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Linebacker I (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Linebacker II (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation MacArthur (1967-1969) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Sayonara (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Silver Bayonet I (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Van Buren (1965) (Vietnam War), VNM Phan Rang, VNM Phan Thiet, VNM Phu Bai, VNM Phu Sen, VNM Phu Yen Province, VNM Phung Ha, VNM Pleiku, VNM Quang Tri, VNM Quang Tri - Citadel, VNM Quang Tri Province, VNM Qui Nhon, VNM RVN ARVN 11th Airborne Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 15th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 18th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 1st ID, VNM RVN ARVN 20th Tank Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 21st ID, VNM RVN ARVN 31st Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 3rd ID, VNM RVN ARVN 56th Regiment, VNM RVN ARVN 5th Airborne Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 5th ID, VNM RVN ARVN 6th Airborne Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 8th Airborne Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 9th Airborne Bn, VNM RVN ARVN 9th ID, VNM RVN ARVN Airborne Division - Su-Doan Nhay Du, VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM RVN ARVN General Cao Van Vien, VNM RVN ARVN General Du Quoc Dong, VNM RVN ARVN General Hoang Xuan Lam, VNM RVN ARVN General Le Van Hung, VNM RVN ARVN General Ngo Quang Truong, VNM RVN ARVN General Nguyen Van Minh, VNM RVN ARVN General Vu Van Giai, VNM RVN Madame Nhu (Tran Le Xuan), VNM RVN Marines, VNM RVN Ngo Dinh Diem, VNM RVN Ngo Dinh Nhu, VNM RVN Nguyen Van Thieu, VNM RVN SVNAF Da Nang Airbase, VNM RVN SVNAF South Vietnamese Air Force, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Missouri BOQ (Vietnam War), VNM Saigon - Pham Van Hai St, VNM Saigon - US Embassy (Vietnam War), VNM Srok Ton Cui, VNM Tan Khai, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base - Camp Alpha (Vietnam War), VNM Thach Han River, VNM Thanh Binh, VNM Thanh Hoi, VNM Tuy Hoa, VNM US MAAG Military Assistance Advisory Group Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV AAG Army Advisory Group (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV ADAT Advisory Team 162 (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV ADAT Airborne Division Assistance Team (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Advisory Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV BCAT Battalion Combat Assistance Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV DCAT Division Combat Asisstant Team (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV FRAC First Regional Assistance Command (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV Military Assistance Command Vietnam (Vietnam War), VNM US MACV TRAC Third Regional Assistance Command (Vietnam War), VNM US Project 100000 (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 3rd Field Hospital - Saigon (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 85th Evacuation Hospital - Phu Bai (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 8th Field Hospital - Nha Trang (Vietnam War), VNM USA TF Hackworth (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War), VNM Windy Hill Rating: ★★★★ (4 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.ARVN.Airborne Division, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.LRRPs, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Advisor, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.US Army.Infantry

Description: Fresh out of West Point, John Howard arrived for his first tour in Vietnam in 1965, the first full year of escalation when U.S. troop levels increased to 184,000 from 23,000 the year before. When he returned for a second tour in 1972, troop strength stood at 24,000 and would dwindle to a mere 50 the following year. He thus participated in the very early and very late stages of American military involvement in the Vietnam War. His two tours—one as a platoon commander and member of an elite counterguerrilla force, the second as a senior advisor to the South Vietnamese—provide a fascinating lens through which to view not only one soldier’s experience in Vietnam, but also the country’s. **

Review:   Let me first say that I did enjoy this book - to a degree. That's why it gets 4 stars. But it's important to know that this is not a great book, which with the authors experiences, it really could have been. One of the biggest deficiencies is that he spends more time telling than showing. Good books of this genre give you a first hand view of what happened and what someone experienced. This book is very light on that, especially during his 1965 tour. It gets better with his Korean and Advisor experiences later on, but only just. Instead you get a lot of history of Vietnam, a lot of history of what happened, who went where, what they did. It's all very strategic and 1000 foot level when what this book is supposed to be is very in the weeds at the 1 foot personal experience level. This is a man who participated in a lot of intense operations, worked with incredible people like Foley and Hackworth, and was both a part of ABU and Tiger Recon with the 101st. But you never really get a feel for what it was like to be a member of either. You never get to experience a recon mission, though he was a part of many. You just know that x unit moved to y place, and then this is what happened / this was the outcome. 

You get a good overview of the battles, the war, and even a few of the people, but very little else from his time with the 101st. 

His time in Korea is a bit better and gives you a good understanding of what happened and some incidents and the people. Also his time as an Advisor is also more personal as well. So maybe it's just a memory thing and things from 72 are easily recalled vs 65. 

One thing you'll notice is a lot of ring knocking and naming of generals... so many generals. So just... be prepared for that.