What do you think?
Rate this book
A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered [Paperback] [April 2005] (Author) Michael Archer
A poignant, often humorous, recollection of the siege of Khe Sanh—a pivotal turning point in the American war in Vietnam. Under constant bombardment from the enemy, Michael Archer and his cadre of young Marines—Orr, Pig, Old Woman and Savage, just to name a few—managed to survive and, in the process, learn about manhood, sacrifice and the darkest recesses of fear and loneliness.
Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
19 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 30, 2022
Khe Sanh is one of the more memorable battles of the Vietnam conflict. Surrounded by mountains and able to be supplied and reinforced only by air, it was often called the second Dien Bien Phu, although it served a different purpose for Hanoi. While Dien Bien Phu was a climactic battle, whose goal was to whip the French occupants once and for all, the purpose of Khe Sanh, contrary to the MACV's expectations, was to distract the American forces from the impending Tet Offensive.
The Marine commanders of III Marine Amphibious Force were less than enthusiastic about defending Khe Sanh, and some senior civilian officials in Washington suggested abandoning it. However, General Westmoreland insisted on holding the position. Khe Sanh, unlike Dien Bien Phu, was within artillery range of other friendly bases and easily reachable by airplanes and helicopters, reasoned he. He was confident that he could supply the garrison by air and destroy enemy attackers with heavy bombing and shelling. Westmoreland argued that it was better to fight the enemy in a remote, relatively unpopulated area like Khe Sanh rather than in the heavily settled coastal districts, and that a Communist attack on the base would offer the allies a chance to employ their overwhelming firepower with maximum effect. While the MACV commander later declared that his decision to hold Khe Sanh was a “military” one, he told General Wheeler on 12 January that, while Khe Sanh was important as a base, it was even more critical from a psychological viewpoint. He believed that the Americans' relinquishing this area would be a major propaganda victory for the enemy. Its loss would seriously affect South Vietnamese and American morale.
In the small hours of 21 January, the North Vietnamese opened their long-awaited attack on Khe Sanh with a fierce but unsuccessful ground assault on a Marine outpost, followed by an artillery and mortar bombardment that blew up the marines’ ammunition dump. Preoccupied, as was the rest of the American government, with the analogy between Khe Sanh and Dien Bien Phu, General Westmoreland put his staff historian to work on a study of the earlier battle aimed at demonstrating its differences from the impending one. When the historian delivered a rather pessimistic initial report, the MACV commander told his staff with pathos, “We are not, repeat not, going to be defeated at Khe Sanh” and strode deliberately from the room.
The Americans prepared well for Khe Sanh, but the great assault on Khe Sanh did not come. On 24 January, North Vietnamese troops overran a Laotian position near the South Vietnamese border, driving a Laotian army battalion and several thousand refugees eastward toward the Marine base. Khe Sanh and its hilltop outposts came under fire from artillery, to which the Americans responded with a daily average of more than 500 tactical air sorties. Westmoreland declared on the twenty-fifth that intelligence indicated a major enemy attack that day. However, the hours passed with only sporadic shelling. Westmoreland reported to Admiral Sharp on the twenty-sixth: “The enemy has not jumped off on his major attack. Why we do not know. Hopefully, the air strikes have hurt him, but we have only tenuous intelligence suggesting this.” The great attack on Khe Sanh did not occur.
Little did Westmoreland know what the Communists were actually planning.
This is the brief story of the battle of Khe Sanh that defied expectations and became neither a second Dien Bien Phu nor a moment of triumph for the well-prepared Americans. In his memoir, Michael Archer does not tell it well. He attempts to convey the feeling of being at Khe Sanh, but the result is a rather disjointed collection of anecdotes about him and his fellow Marines. His tone also lacks the seriousness that I expect from a combat memoir. He talks about fighting with such breeziness that it seems as if he has not seen the death and destruction that war brings. Not to mention that when the hill fights at Khe Sanh begun, the author was still not in Vietnam.
The only chapter that I found genuinely entertaining was the one dedicated to the author's experiences at the Marine Corps' boot camp. His fellow recruits fell into one of two categories – volunteers and convicts – and the latter were in the majority. As Archer observes, ". . . in certain legal jurisdictions of the United States, shoplifting a six-pack of beer could get you the death sentence." The Marine Corps strived to rebuild them in its image – even if it killed them first. One of the draftees had brought Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong with him to impress the drill instructor with his in-depth knowledge of Marxism. He achieved the opposite result, though. The drill instructor flew into a rage, accusing him of being a spy and threatening to shoot him at sunrise.
A PATCH OF GROUND is a funny war memoir that lacks the gravity of other combat memoirs that I have read. Archer mostly fails to capture the spirit of the Vietnam conflict and of Khe Sanh, although I think that his work fits the part of the Khe Sanh story, in which the American commanders were duped by the North Vietnamese into believing that Khe Sanh would be a climactic battle and were caught unprepared by the Tet Offensive. This book is not among the most riveting and informative. Readers who enjoy lighter stories of fighting in Vietnam would find it interesting.
The Marine commanders of III Marine Amphibious Force were less than enthusiastic about defending Khe Sanh, and some senior civilian officials in Washington suggested abandoning it. However, General Westmoreland insisted on holding the position. Khe Sanh, unlike Dien Bien Phu, was within artillery range of other friendly bases and easily reachable by airplanes and helicopters, reasoned he. He was confident that he could supply the garrison by air and destroy enemy attackers with heavy bombing and shelling. Westmoreland argued that it was better to fight the enemy in a remote, relatively unpopulated area like Khe Sanh rather than in the heavily settled coastal districts, and that a Communist attack on the base would offer the allies a chance to employ their overwhelming firepower with maximum effect. While the MACV commander later declared that his decision to hold Khe Sanh was a “military” one, he told General Wheeler on 12 January that, while Khe Sanh was important as a base, it was even more critical from a psychological viewpoint. He believed that the Americans' relinquishing this area would be a major propaganda victory for the enemy. Its loss would seriously affect South Vietnamese and American morale.
In the small hours of 21 January, the North Vietnamese opened their long-awaited attack on Khe Sanh with a fierce but unsuccessful ground assault on a Marine outpost, followed by an artillery and mortar bombardment that blew up the marines’ ammunition dump. Preoccupied, as was the rest of the American government, with the analogy between Khe Sanh and Dien Bien Phu, General Westmoreland put his staff historian to work on a study of the earlier battle aimed at demonstrating its differences from the impending one. When the historian delivered a rather pessimistic initial report, the MACV commander told his staff with pathos, “We are not, repeat not, going to be defeated at Khe Sanh” and strode deliberately from the room.
The Americans prepared well for Khe Sanh, but the great assault on Khe Sanh did not come. On 24 January, North Vietnamese troops overran a Laotian position near the South Vietnamese border, driving a Laotian army battalion and several thousand refugees eastward toward the Marine base. Khe Sanh and its hilltop outposts came under fire from artillery, to which the Americans responded with a daily average of more than 500 tactical air sorties. Westmoreland declared on the twenty-fifth that intelligence indicated a major enemy attack that day. However, the hours passed with only sporadic shelling. Westmoreland reported to Admiral Sharp on the twenty-sixth: “The enemy has not jumped off on his major attack. Why we do not know. Hopefully, the air strikes have hurt him, but we have only tenuous intelligence suggesting this.” The great attack on Khe Sanh did not occur.
Little did Westmoreland know what the Communists were actually planning.
This is the brief story of the battle of Khe Sanh that defied expectations and became neither a second Dien Bien Phu nor a moment of triumph for the well-prepared Americans. In his memoir, Michael Archer does not tell it well. He attempts to convey the feeling of being at Khe Sanh, but the result is a rather disjointed collection of anecdotes about him and his fellow Marines. His tone also lacks the seriousness that I expect from a combat memoir. He talks about fighting with such breeziness that it seems as if he has not seen the death and destruction that war brings. Not to mention that when the hill fights at Khe Sanh begun, the author was still not in Vietnam.
The only chapter that I found genuinely entertaining was the one dedicated to the author's experiences at the Marine Corps' boot camp. His fellow recruits fell into one of two categories – volunteers and convicts – and the latter were in the majority. As Archer observes, ". . . in certain legal jurisdictions of the United States, shoplifting a six-pack of beer could get you the death sentence." The Marine Corps strived to rebuild them in its image – even if it killed them first. One of the draftees had brought Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong with him to impress the drill instructor with his in-depth knowledge of Marxism. He achieved the opposite result, though. The drill instructor flew into a rage, accusing him of being a spy and threatening to shoot him at sunrise.
A PATCH OF GROUND is a funny war memoir that lacks the gravity of other combat memoirs that I have read. Archer mostly fails to capture the spirit of the Vietnam conflict and of Khe Sanh, although I think that his work fits the part of the Khe Sanh story, in which the American commanders were duped by the North Vietnamese into believing that Khe Sanh would be a climactic battle and were caught unprepared by the Tet Offensive. This book is not among the most riveting and informative. Readers who enjoy lighter stories of fighting in Vietnam would find it interesting.
October 10, 2013
This is perhaps the best military history documentary book I have ever read. It's the best book on the Vietnam War I have ever read. If you lived that era, as I did, and want to know the war from the perspective of one Marine and are not too caught up in your own perspective of the war I have two words for you - READ IT!
As I read the book the voice in my head was the voice of my old buddy Mike who I knew in the 1980s.
Mike joined the Navy in the 60's to try to stay out of Vietnam. He figured being a Navy Corpsman would be really safe. He envisioned spending his time giving inoculations to sailors on a nice big safe ship. He did not know all Marine units have Navy medics.
Mike would end up serving with the Marines (1st of the 1st I think) during the Tet Offensive of 1968.
He was in Hue and I believe in the unit that relieved Khe Sahn. He told me much more than any other vet did of his time in Nam. The closest it was just like this book.
As I read the book the voice in my head was the voice of my old buddy Mike who I knew in the 1980s.
Mike joined the Navy in the 60's to try to stay out of Vietnam. He figured being a Navy Corpsman would be really safe. He envisioned spending his time giving inoculations to sailors on a nice big safe ship. He did not know all Marine units have Navy medics.
Mike would end up serving with the Marines (1st of the 1st I think) during the Tet Offensive of 1968.
He was in Hue and I believe in the unit that relieved Khe Sahn. He told me much more than any other vet did of his time in Nam. The closest it was just like this book.
April 2, 2008
Since I have family representation in this book...I am emotionally tied to this book. Archer is just as "off color" humorous in person. Good description of what actually happened.
July 9, 2023
Authentic
Unique experiences as radio man in the last months of the sang give the most informed view of the days leading up to the final exit.
Unique experiences as radio man in the last months of the sang give the most informed view of the days leading up to the final exit.
August 22, 2019
Michael Archer's book is a memoir, more personal and direct, but filtered through the context of his experiences. It confirms most of the details and informative passages of Robert Pisor's book, and in some cases, repeats anecdotal stories that are part of Marine lore and unofficial history. But Archer delivers a story that is pure and unfiltered, emotional, funny, sad and sardonic. His ability to walk through trenches of death and avoid being hit by almost constant enemy fire is quite extraordinary. His calmness and cavalier attitude during the siege of Khe Sanh astonished me. Even the toughest Marines had difficulty dealing with both the physical and mental strain of living in holes in the ground, while everything is thundering and on fire all around you.
Near the end of the book after his homecoming, Archer observes: " It seemed that each man's tour there was an individual war of its own." I've read in numerous accounts about Viet Nam, that different soldiers in different parts of the country experienced a completely different war. The Mekong Delta and swamps were a world away from the Central highlands and mountainous Northern interior. The coastal zones and the jungles offered very different situations for which soldiers needed to cope and adapt. The American military's formula of troop rotation and quick movement by helicopter was opposite to a nation on it's home ground, with mixed loyalties and generations of cultural differences.
I loved the teenager Michael Archer described himself to be. Full of fun and so devil may care, he casually and spontaneously enlisted in the Marines, without any real insight into what he was getting into, only dimly aware of anything dangerous or problematic. As a kid he was mostly ignorant of the political aspects to Viet Nam, but that would change by the time he returned home. His attitudes and observations were very different in just one year, and it's fair to say he grew up and matured more than a year's worth of aging in 13 months.
Near the end of the book after his homecoming, Archer observes: " It seemed that each man's tour there was an individual war of its own." I've read in numerous accounts about Viet Nam, that different soldiers in different parts of the country experienced a completely different war. The Mekong Delta and swamps were a world away from the Central highlands and mountainous Northern interior. The coastal zones and the jungles offered very different situations for which soldiers needed to cope and adapt. The American military's formula of troop rotation and quick movement by helicopter was opposite to a nation on it's home ground, with mixed loyalties and generations of cultural differences.
I loved the teenager Michael Archer described himself to be. Full of fun and so devil may care, he casually and spontaneously enlisted in the Marines, without any real insight into what he was getting into, only dimly aware of anything dangerous or problematic. As a kid he was mostly ignorant of the political aspects to Viet Nam, but that would change by the time he returned home. His attitudes and observations were very different in just one year, and it's fair to say he grew up and matured more than a year's worth of aging in 13 months.
August 20, 2022
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read A Patch of Ground. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever been curious about Khe Sanh or the Vietnam War. The descriptive and exceptionally well-written narrative Michael Archer shares places you into the events proceeding his ‘service’, during those precarious days, and the memories following. I read the sequence of events slowly and carefully to fully appreciate the scope. The landscape and bloodshed is hard to imagine and Archer made the scenery, events, feelings, and senses come to life. Learning about those who fought with him, such as Steve Orr, was an element I especially loved. I appreciated the explanations of the acronyms and the historical events around that time. I am amazed anyone walked away from those days and am left to wonder about the miracle of those who were able to return to their homes. Obviously, they are forever changed. The part that bothers me is the ignorance and attitudes they faced when they returned. Their will to survive includes overcoming the reception they received. I’m amazed that Archer and his surviving friends are seemingly not bitter. Even a sort-of fond humor is apparent. Sometimes perplexed or somewhat betrayed, but not angry. Khe Sanh is a significant place and, as Archer puts it, ‘priceless with the blood of their friends’. I’m grateful to have this sort of photo-album view of those events. I will read Archer’s subsequent books and follow Archer’s blog to keep learning. I’m grateful he has taken the painstaking steps to write, heal, and share these important details for those of us who want to understand. He is memorializing the events, the brave men (survivors and those who died), and the battle of Khe Sanh. He is a hero.
May 7, 2024
SFC Bill Maves is mentioned on page 148 (then an 18 year old Marine). He was my platoon sergeant, leading me when I became a combat vet 35+ years later. I don’t wish his experience at Khe Sanh on anyone, but I’m (selfishly) grateful that it shaped him into the leader he became. Because of him (and God’s sovereignty) 300 of us survived a year of convoys in Iraq. He is one of my heroes.
I’ll read anything I can get my hands on about his experience. This book is one of the best. Still non-fiction (😉) but very well written. Doesn’t get bogged down in details the average Joe won’t understand and tells an honest story. Interesting perspective as it’s written from a coms guy - they are typically in the know a bit more than everyone else - so he included lots of great enemy & tactical knowledge.
Well written, Sir. And welcome home. 🇺🇸
I’ll read anything I can get my hands on about his experience. This book is one of the best. Still non-fiction (😉) but very well written. Doesn’t get bogged down in details the average Joe won’t understand and tells an honest story. Interesting perspective as it’s written from a coms guy - they are typically in the know a bit more than everyone else - so he included lots of great enemy & tactical knowledge.
Well written, Sir. And welcome home. 🇺🇸
October 9, 2021
An incredible memoir. I didn't really know a lot about the Khe San seige, and while I can't call this a comprehensive summary, it is definitely a great vision from a single perspective that had some rather unique experiences in that area. I appreciated that the author gave some insight on his childhood and boot camp because they give insight on his worldview, and including post-war experience is equally important, but the meat of this book is laser focused on his time in country at the infamous base. I would highly recommend to others, and hope to read again myself.
November 30, 2022
Great Book
Being a non-combat Marine veteran, this book taught me a lot about Vietnam and some of the Marines who were there. Thank you. Welcome home.
Being a non-combat Marine veteran, this book taught me a lot about Vietnam and some of the Marines who were there. Thank you. Welcome home.
April 29, 2013
When I was younger my Dad told me stories here and there about his experiences in Vietnam but it took time and maturity to realize exactly what he and others like him went through in Vietnam. Fortunately, more veterans are talking about their experiences so that future generations can know their story. Mr. Archer's book is one of many that are being written to make sure that the generations to come will not forget the sacrifices and difficulties faced by this generation of soldiers. Mr. Archer's account is good and he saw Vietnam during one its hottest points; 67-68. There is a lot of history here but more importantly there is a very engaging story about young soldier from California who reached a new level of maturity through the experiences he had in Vietnam. The story is told in an honest refreshing way that helps to paint a window into a strange and difficult time in American history.
I love his opening section and thought that there were valuable insights into the culture of the United States during the 60's. I loved how he defines the generation differences between the WWII generation and their sons who often fought in Vietnam. His father was himself a veteran of World War II who fought with honor and expected his sons to follow in his footsteps. His father seemed like he was a hard man who pushed his sons and particularly this one into the Vietnam Conflict. This was not the same kind of war that his father encountered and as Mr. Archer brings out there was a lack of team spirit among the soldiers of Vietnam; it was something a personal war. His story is not unique and I thought it gave a clear image of the "greatest generation" and the expectations they had for their sons. The war defined the Vietnam soldiers but in a different way than World War II defined their fathers. Much like my father, Mr. Archer went into the military craving the discipline and respect so many young Americans were looking for.
His accounts of the time in Khe Sanh are detailed. He introduces the reader to the characters that he served with and you can sense the desperation and frustration that he felt with the place and the war itself. The determination of the NVA, the ineptness of the ARVN, the deceptive nature of the VC, the U.S. policies set in motion, and the terrain itself are just a few things that made Vietnam a struggle to achieve victory. In the book there are humorous spots and moments of desperation that allows the reader to pick up on the loneliness and isolation that the marines in Khe Sanh experienced. While the military operations were interesting to me, it was the personal stories about the daily struggle and the friends that were lost that served as most intriguing. These guys lived everyday just attempting to survive grind of war and just wanting a chance to get back home in one piece or for that matter, alive. Mr. Archer does a good job painting a picture of how he grew up in this period and his transition into manhood was a big underlying theme of the book. One complaint I had was the fact that I hoped to be able to use this book with High School students but the language in the book would be considered by the school to be inappropriate. Now, he does not curse a lot but it is enough to make it difficult to use with High School students. I have not found much about Vietnam that I can use with 9-12 graders.
What he says about coming home was something that paralleled the experiences of my father. People in America were often angry over the war and took that frustration out on the boys that were returning from active duty. While Mr. Archer and my Dad both had a somewhat negative opinion about the war, they do not seem to appreciate uninformed rants about Vietnam and how negative it was. In other words, people didn't understand what was really going on in Vietnam and painted the communists there as freedom fighters when they were nothing more than glorified thugs. Even if America had no business being there it does not change the fact that the NVA was a oppressive and cruel regime. Our boys were often painted as baby killers who carried out the "evil" designs of an imperialist America while the real "bad guy" was lauded as a hero of his people. Archer's final assessment is that Vietnam was a private war that each soldier went through alone, and I think that it perhaps the most interesting perspectives I have ever heard anyone say about the Vietnam Conflict.
I would recommend this book for any of the following reasons: If you are looking to study Vietnam in detail then this will be a primary source to use. If you are looking to read an engaging military story, or become more acquainted with America in the 60's then this book will be a great source. Lastly, if I were a Vietnam veteran I think I would find that reading about the experiences of other soldiers would be therapeutic in a way. Whatever your reason is for picking up a copy of this work I think it is well worth the read and it helped me to understand the experiences that my Dad and guys like him had while fighting in this war.
I love his opening section and thought that there were valuable insights into the culture of the United States during the 60's. I loved how he defines the generation differences between the WWII generation and their sons who often fought in Vietnam. His father was himself a veteran of World War II who fought with honor and expected his sons to follow in his footsteps. His father seemed like he was a hard man who pushed his sons and particularly this one into the Vietnam Conflict. This was not the same kind of war that his father encountered and as Mr. Archer brings out there was a lack of team spirit among the soldiers of Vietnam; it was something a personal war. His story is not unique and I thought it gave a clear image of the "greatest generation" and the expectations they had for their sons. The war defined the Vietnam soldiers but in a different way than World War II defined their fathers. Much like my father, Mr. Archer went into the military craving the discipline and respect so many young Americans were looking for.
His accounts of the time in Khe Sanh are detailed. He introduces the reader to the characters that he served with and you can sense the desperation and frustration that he felt with the place and the war itself. The determination of the NVA, the ineptness of the ARVN, the deceptive nature of the VC, the U.S. policies set in motion, and the terrain itself are just a few things that made Vietnam a struggle to achieve victory. In the book there are humorous spots and moments of desperation that allows the reader to pick up on the loneliness and isolation that the marines in Khe Sanh experienced. While the military operations were interesting to me, it was the personal stories about the daily struggle and the friends that were lost that served as most intriguing. These guys lived everyday just attempting to survive grind of war and just wanting a chance to get back home in one piece or for that matter, alive. Mr. Archer does a good job painting a picture of how he grew up in this period and his transition into manhood was a big underlying theme of the book. One complaint I had was the fact that I hoped to be able to use this book with High School students but the language in the book would be considered by the school to be inappropriate. Now, he does not curse a lot but it is enough to make it difficult to use with High School students. I have not found much about Vietnam that I can use with 9-12 graders.
What he says about coming home was something that paralleled the experiences of my father. People in America were often angry over the war and took that frustration out on the boys that were returning from active duty. While Mr. Archer and my Dad both had a somewhat negative opinion about the war, they do not seem to appreciate uninformed rants about Vietnam and how negative it was. In other words, people didn't understand what was really going on in Vietnam and painted the communists there as freedom fighters when they were nothing more than glorified thugs. Even if America had no business being there it does not change the fact that the NVA was a oppressive and cruel regime. Our boys were often painted as baby killers who carried out the "evil" designs of an imperialist America while the real "bad guy" was lauded as a hero of his people. Archer's final assessment is that Vietnam was a private war that each soldier went through alone, and I think that it perhaps the most interesting perspectives I have ever heard anyone say about the Vietnam Conflict.
I would recommend this book for any of the following reasons: If you are looking to study Vietnam in detail then this will be a primary source to use. If you are looking to read an engaging military story, or become more acquainted with America in the 60's then this book will be a great source. Lastly, if I were a Vietnam veteran I think I would find that reading about the experiences of other soldiers would be therapeutic in a way. Whatever your reason is for picking up a copy of this work I think it is well worth the read and it helped me to understand the experiences that my Dad and guys like him had while fighting in this war.
April 20, 2013
This is a firsthand account of a siege of Marines at Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War.
The author talks a little about his life before he joined the Marines, when he was a regular teen, uncertain of his future and uncertain of what he wanted from life. Then we go through basic training and shipment to Vietnam with him. Finally we get to the siege of Khe Sanh, where the young soldiers lived underground for weeks as they fought off the enemy.
Not sugarcoated or overtly philosophical, but simply told from Archer's perspective as a radio operator: the story of one soldier.
Nicely done. An excellent read for military buffs.
The author talks a little about his life before he joined the Marines, when he was a regular teen, uncertain of his future and uncertain of what he wanted from life. Then we go through basic training and shipment to Vietnam with him. Finally we get to the siege of Khe Sanh, where the young soldiers lived underground for weeks as they fought off the enemy.
Not sugarcoated or overtly philosophical, but simply told from Archer's perspective as a radio operator: the story of one soldier.
Nicely done. An excellent read for military buffs.
February 24, 2014
I was interested in this because my dad was stationed near Khe Sanh at about this time. I clearly did not read the blub about the book before I bought it. I was wanting more of a history book or military study. This was a memoir. It is going to sound way more disparaging than I mean it to when I say that it reads a bit as self-published. It's not bad, at all. It's a little navel-gazey. But it is important to get these histories down while the participants are alive, so this is a good thing in that regard.
January 17, 2014
This book is probably more like 3.5 stars. It was pretty good but not fantastic. It's the story of Michael Archer's experiences surviving the siege of Khe Sanh basically as his introduction to service in Vietnam. He does a nice job telling the story and shares some interesting opinions on the war from an insider perspective. If you are interested in the subject matter I think you will probably like it.
December 9, 2016
This is a well written, very personal memoir of being at Khe Sanh during the siege of 1968. It is a great complement to more academic histories of the war. The more you know about the battle the easier it is to follow Archer's narrative. The beauty of the book rests in his personal, first hand remembrances, his honesty and his lack of agenda. He is sharing his story with us, nothing more. This is what makes it so valuable.
March 13, 2021
A good deal of this book has to do with the author's close friend, Tom Mahoney, who was killed at Khe Sanh in combat. I went to grade school with Tom, and while not a close friend, I had heard of his death and wanted to learn about it. An internet search led me to this book. The bulk of the book concerns Archer's tour in Vietnam as a Marine radio operator during the effort to hold Khe Sanh. It skillfully combines the strategic and human interest aspects of those events.
March 21, 2013
the Vietnam war obviously is the setting for this book, but it is more of a diary of how an average American boy experiences all the nasty elements of war and comes home a changed man. What he comes home to is a sad testimony, as these boys were just playing their roles and hoping to survive, and this book strongly gets that point across.
July 10, 2016
A private reminiscence of Khe Sanh
Easy read on early part of Vietnam where the Americans tried the same strategy as the French. As a signaler at Khe Sanh gives a good account of the artillery tactics used to defend base from attack. Also provides his experience of being under artillery fire.
Easy read on early part of Vietnam where the Americans tried the same strategy as the French. As a signaler at Khe Sanh gives a good account of the artillery tactics used to defend base from attack. Also provides his experience of being under artillery fire.
February 23, 2013
Archer does a fine job bringing his squad mates to life and putting us there with them during the interminable seige. A wonderful glance at daily life amidst bombings and attacks for the group of soldiers who held Khe Sanh against a far greater (numbers wise) enemy.
June 27, 2013
A very well written book. It really gives you insight into what war is like for the simple soldier on the ground. Also, it is well written - there is very good organization of the materials in a very readable manner.
August 19, 2010
Khe Sanh is one of the greatest stories in USMC history; unfortunately this book does not capture it ; more a collection of anecdotes
February 19, 2013
This was an intimate and engaging memoir of Viet Nam. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to feel what it was really like.
February 22, 2013
I found this book interesting but difficult to read. What an experience this young man had, and his story is only one of thousands. War is a horrible thing.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews