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Naval Institute Special Warfare Series
Force Recon Command: 3rd Force Recon Company in Vietnam, 1969-70
THE A SHAU VALLEYWHERE THE NVA WAS KING . . .
In order to prevent surprise attacks on U.S. forces as they were pulling out of Vietnam, someone had to be able to pinpoint the NVA's movements. That dangerous job was the assignment of then-major Alex Lee and the Marines of the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company when he assumed command in late 1969. They became the tip of the spear for Lt. Gen. Herman Nickerson's III MAF. And each time one of Lee's small, well-motivated, well-led, and wildly outnumbered teams was airlifted into the field, the men never knew if the day would end violently.
But whether tracking NVA movements, recovering downed air crews, or making bomb-damage assessments after B-52 strikes, Major Lee's Few Good Men never forgot who they Each of them was in Vietnam to live like a Marine, win like a Marine, and, if need be, die like a Marine.
Forthright and unabashed, Lieutenant Colonel Lee leaves no controversy untouched and no awe-inspiring tale untold in this gripping account of 3rd Force Recon's self-sacrifice and heroic achievement in the face of overwhelming odds.
In order to prevent surprise attacks on U.S. forces as they were pulling out of Vietnam, someone had to be able to pinpoint the NVA's movements. That dangerous job was the assignment of then-major Alex Lee and the Marines of the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company when he assumed command in late 1969. They became the tip of the spear for Lt. Gen. Herman Nickerson's III MAF. And each time one of Lee's small, well-motivated, well-led, and wildly outnumbered teams was airlifted into the field, the men never knew if the day would end violently.
But whether tracking NVA movements, recovering downed air crews, or making bomb-damage assessments after B-52 strikes, Major Lee's Few Good Men never forgot who they Each of them was in Vietnam to live like a Marine, win like a Marine, and, if need be, die like a Marine.
Forthright and unabashed, Lieutenant Colonel Lee leaves no controversy untouched and no awe-inspiring tale untold in this gripping account of 3rd Force Recon's self-sacrifice and heroic achievement in the face of overwhelming odds.
344 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 27, 2019
Colonel Lee is a great author and paints vivid pictures of not only combat operations in Vietnam, but the frustrating circumstances associated with meddling politicians and higher command personnel. Lee has tremendous pride in the Marines that he served with along with members of the U.S. Army aviation element and the 101st Airborne Division. The book is a fantastic memoir, and it also presents many leadership lessons for anyone who reads Lee's work.
May 18, 2009
I found this among the best of the books on combat reconnaissance during the Vietnam war. The author is an accomplished writer and doesn't drown the book in blood-and-guts stories of bravado - though there is some of that. Instead, he writes about what the unit he commanded was supposed to accomplish (militarily) and how it succeeded in doing that. He fleshes it out with some stories of how others failed to understand his unit and its capabilities and how he struggled to overcome that. Well worth the time to read for the armchair historian interested in the Vietnam war.
August 13, 2008
Great book regarding the Marine Corps Force recon unit in Vietnam. These are the bad boys, on par with Navy Seals. Same training, same intensity, great read. Another great book if you are looking for tactics to improve your military occupation.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews