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Search and Destroy: The Story of an Armored Cavalry Squadron in Viet Nam, 1/1 Cav, 1967–1968
The 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, of the 1st Armored Division, deployed to Vietnam from Fort Hood, Texas, in August 1967. "Search and Destroy" covers the 1/1's harrowing first year and a half of combat in the war's toughest area of operations: I Corps. The book takes readers into the savage action at infamous places like Tam Ky, the Que Son Valley, the Pineapple Forest, Hill 34, and Cigar Island, chronicling General Westmoreland's search-and-destroy war of attrition against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. Exploring the gray areas of guerrilla war, military historian Keith Nolan details moments of great compassion toward the Vietnamese, but also eruptions of My Lai-like violence, the grimmer aspects of the 1/1's successes. "Search and Destroy" is a rare account of an exemplary fighting force in action, a dramatic close-up look at the Vietnam War.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Keith William Nolan
12 books15 followersKeith William Nolan was an American military historian, focusing on the various campaigns of the Vietnam War. Nolan obtained a history degree from Webster University. Nolan pioneered and excelled at his own special brand of military history: the excellent combining of in-depth interviews with those who took part in the fighting and deep research into the official records. That, along with a fluid writing style, added up to ten (eleven, counting one he co-authored) of the best books on Vietnam War military history. Keith Nolan died of lung cancer in February 2009 at the age of forty-five.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 13, 2011
Search and Destroy: The Story of an Armored Cavalry Squadron in Vietnam: 1-1 Cav, 1967-1968 by Keith W. Nolan. The late Keith Nolan did an excellent job of telling the story of the 1-1 Cav, from January 1967 through the unit's deployment to Vietnam in August 1967 and follows it to December 1968. He takes the unit from their training at Fort Hood, Texas to South Vietnam.
The book is excellent. He does a very good job of telling their story without any sugar coating. I was both shocked and pleased that Mr. Nolan told it like it was. His describing the atrocities committed by the men of the 1/1 Cav as well as the random acts of violence committed by the young troopers upon civilians and enemy prisoners is eye-opening. I found it interesting when decorations and medals were discussed. The fact that some of the medal citations did not match the events of the time is revealing. It was also interesting to see that the higher the rank, the higher the medal was common.
His telling of the two years following those deploying, getting wounded or killed in action as well as the replacements helps one get a feel of being there. Boyd's Bastards and the adventures of Alpha Troop could be a book all by themselves. The extended coverage of the Tet Offensive is riveting. You get a feel for the entire area of operations of the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division) which had operational control of the 1/1 Cav. The battles in Tam Ky, the Que Son Valley, Pineapple Forest, Hill 34, Tien Phouc, and Cigar Island will keep you turning page after page. I found the fighting on Cigar Island insightful. The island was honey-combed with tunnels and spider-traps that ambushed the 1/1 Cav at every turn. It was amazing to read of the tunnels and the horrors of the hidden enemy.
The inclusion of the appendixes in the book add both value, insight, and a memorial for those who served on the 1/1 Cav. Appendix A "Those Who Died" listed the casualties from their arrival to the unit’s final departure in 1972. It shows the real human cost of war.
His inclusion of My Lai in the chronology as events and the calendar dictated is appreciated. Because of 1/1 Cav being under the operation control of the Americal Division it is very appropriate to mention My Lai. I appreciate his the straight-forward manner of including those events. This is more than just a simple battle narrative or unit history. I believe Mr. Nolan made a major contribution to the history of the Vietnam War. It is a must addition to the library of any one with an interest in Vietnam, the Armored Calvary, the Tet Offensive, and would be a great resource because of the honesty of the atrocities inclusion to use as a reference work for case studies in leadership and ethics in combat. Well done.
The book is excellent. He does a very good job of telling their story without any sugar coating. I was both shocked and pleased that Mr. Nolan told it like it was. His describing the atrocities committed by the men of the 1/1 Cav as well as the random acts of violence committed by the young troopers upon civilians and enemy prisoners is eye-opening. I found it interesting when decorations and medals were discussed. The fact that some of the medal citations did not match the events of the time is revealing. It was also interesting to see that the higher the rank, the higher the medal was common.
His telling of the two years following those deploying, getting wounded or killed in action as well as the replacements helps one get a feel of being there. Boyd's Bastards and the adventures of Alpha Troop could be a book all by themselves. The extended coverage of the Tet Offensive is riveting. You get a feel for the entire area of operations of the Americal Division (23rd Infantry Division) which had operational control of the 1/1 Cav. The battles in Tam Ky, the Que Son Valley, Pineapple Forest, Hill 34, Tien Phouc, and Cigar Island will keep you turning page after page. I found the fighting on Cigar Island insightful. The island was honey-combed with tunnels and spider-traps that ambushed the 1/1 Cav at every turn. It was amazing to read of the tunnels and the horrors of the hidden enemy.
The inclusion of the appendixes in the book add both value, insight, and a memorial for those who served on the 1/1 Cav. Appendix A "Those Who Died" listed the casualties from their arrival to the unit’s final departure in 1972. It shows the real human cost of war.
His inclusion of My Lai in the chronology as events and the calendar dictated is appreciated. Because of 1/1 Cav being under the operation control of the Americal Division it is very appropriate to mention My Lai. I appreciate his the straight-forward manner of including those events. This is more than just a simple battle narrative or unit history. I believe Mr. Nolan made a major contribution to the history of the Vietnam War. It is a must addition to the library of any one with an interest in Vietnam, the Armored Calvary, the Tet Offensive, and would be a great resource because of the honesty of the atrocities inclusion to use as a reference work for case studies in leadership and ethics in combat. Well done.
July 31, 2015
I misplaced my copy of this book. It was interesting as far as I had reached in reading. If I find the book and finish it, I will add a review then.
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Finally found my copy of the book!
It was interesting to read, I guess. It moves at a decent pace, for the most part. There was a lot of information in the book, considering the two years it covers. It held my interest throughout most of the book. I guess I would say the book is 'brutally honest' about the good and the bad that occurred by US soldiers in this unit during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, as I read about the various atrocities committed by some individuals, I could not help but wonder if anyone would try to prosecute the surviving perpetrators under war crimes.
The book discusses many heroic acts by the various soldiers, so the misdeeds should not outweigh or overshadow the good in the book. As somebody who did not serve, I do not want to cast aspersions on soldiers for their actions in a time of war, but by the same token, not every soldier behaved 'inappropriately' during the War. The book makes it very clear that specific individuals committed certain atrocities/crimes whereas some actions were merely 'standard operating procedure.' It is easy to judge from the relative peace and security of civilian life, yet at the same time there are plenty of memoirs where soldiers behaved honorably in difficult situations.
The majority of the books I have read about the Vietnam War have involved either ground troops or pilots [be they air force or navy]. This was the first book I have read that focused exclusively on an armored cavalry squadron. This made it interesting to me to read, as I knew tanks and other armored vehicles had been used in Vietnam but not in what capacity. The book enlightened me to a section of the Army and its experiences of which I had been unfamiliar.
I did appreciate that the book did not portray Americans as 'the villains' in the piece. Yes, mistakes were made. Perhaps some of the reasons why American troops were there were not the purest reasons. But one of the reasons was to stop the spread of Communism, and considering what happened to the South Vietnamese after the Americans [and other military forces] left the region, allowing the North to invade one last time, shows the validity of the US mission in the land.
Overall, I guess I liked it. It was not what I expected, but neither did it lambaste the American forces, the men who served.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally found my copy of the book!
It was interesting to read, I guess. It moves at a decent pace, for the most part. There was a lot of information in the book, considering the two years it covers. It held my interest throughout most of the book. I guess I would say the book is 'brutally honest' about the good and the bad that occurred by US soldiers in this unit during the Vietnam War.
I have to admit, as I read about the various atrocities committed by some individuals, I could not help but wonder if anyone would try to prosecute the surviving perpetrators under war crimes.
The book discusses many heroic acts by the various soldiers, so the misdeeds should not outweigh or overshadow the good in the book. As somebody who did not serve, I do not want to cast aspersions on soldiers for their actions in a time of war, but by the same token, not every soldier behaved 'inappropriately' during the War. The book makes it very clear that specific individuals committed certain atrocities/crimes whereas some actions were merely 'standard operating procedure.' It is easy to judge from the relative peace and security of civilian life, yet at the same time there are plenty of memoirs where soldiers behaved honorably in difficult situations.
The majority of the books I have read about the Vietnam War have involved either ground troops or pilots [be they air force or navy]. This was the first book I have read that focused exclusively on an armored cavalry squadron. This made it interesting to me to read, as I knew tanks and other armored vehicles had been used in Vietnam but not in what capacity. The book enlightened me to a section of the Army and its experiences of which I had been unfamiliar.
I did appreciate that the book did not portray Americans as 'the villains' in the piece. Yes, mistakes were made. Perhaps some of the reasons why American troops were there were not the purest reasons. But one of the reasons was to stop the spread of Communism, and considering what happened to the South Vietnamese after the Americans [and other military forces] left the region, allowing the North to invade one last time, shows the validity of the US mission in the land.
Overall, I guess I liked it. It was not what I expected, but neither did it lambaste the American forces, the men who served.
August 22, 2021
I love vietnam books that put you right in the action, this particular one was very smartly written
April 26, 2011
Welcome to the 1 Corps, Republic of Viet Nam.....
If you saw a muzzle flash, you'd shoot at it. If you saw what you thought was a flash from a mortar, you'd shoot at that too. Sgt. Richard P. Rensi
Nolan brings the highs and lows to life. This not the Viet Nma War whitwashed or demonized, this is the complicated reality of what happened to these men in place and time.
1-1 Cav, 1967-1968
If you saw a muzzle flash, you'd shoot at it. If you saw what you thought was a flash from a mortar, you'd shoot at that too. Sgt. Richard P. Rensi
Nolan brings the highs and lows to life. This not the Viet Nma War whitwashed or demonized, this is the complicated reality of what happened to these men in place and time.
1-1 Cav, 1967-1968
January 2, 2015
If you're feeling bogged down reading books that detail grand strategic machinations for the Vietnam war, Search and Destroy is a good counterpoint to center your viewpoint. Taking a close look at the soldiers on the ground fighting, it's a personal look at how this war was fought.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews