First Recon-Second To None

by Paul R. Young

Whether they were beating through razor-sharp elephant grass or spending all night soaked and shivering in the monsoon, walking into an ambush or getting caught in a hot LZ, sudden death for the First Recon was never far away. Second Lieutenant Paul Young had to be concerned not only with his own life but also with those of the men in his command. For Vietnam too often seemed like a monster with an insatiable appetite for blood.

Genres: Military Fiction

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 23, 1992

Reviews

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not one, not two, but three ships were named for William A. T. Maddox, Second Lieutenant in the USMC, who served notably in the Creek and Seminole Wars, and the Mexican-American War, particularly in the Middle District of California during the Mexican uprising at Monterey and in the Battle of Santa Clara, CA, in the late 1840s. Fashioned as one of 58 Sumner-class destroyers built during WW II, the USS Maddox left Long Beach on March 13, 1964. Taking the scenic route through the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, the gray lady was ordered south to patrol off the coast of South Vietnam, where under JFK's orders, 23,000 US military advisors were plying their lethal trade. The USS Maddox was involved in two skirmishes with North Vietnam's military assets, one quite real and the other quite fictional. The latter of which of course convinced the U.S. Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving LBJ, the 36th president of the US --not a vainglorious basketball figure-- vast authority to expand U.S. military presence in Vietnam, without, of course, a formal declaration of war.

Enter another 2nd Lt in the same Corps but in a different War and a different time from Maddox the devil dog, not the Sumner, hot-dogging in the throes of 1967 to get his own platoon and see some action. Ask and ye shall receive. From the safety of the rear and a cushy assignment for 13 months in-country, PR Young arrives as just another lowly new 2nd Lt, USMC, at Camp Reasoner, 8 km west of Da Nang, Vietnam. Having been 'volunteered' for Recon, he is now on a quest, of course, to stop worldwide Communist aggression. The battalion motto is 'Swift, Silent, Deadly', which is interesting as it's a recon unit, not a search and destroy group. Nonetheless, a vacation it wasn't, and sitting on a muddy hilltop over the Song Trau Valley, he started wondering how he would survive thirteen months of playing hide and go seek with bullets. Because it was a war where people got killed due to movers and shakers from the rear, and who never set foot in the bush, like S-3 pukes, playing pin the tail on the donkey with a map about necessary real estate. Contemplating the meat grinder of combat and the War, he struggled with thoughts of whether the people responsible for America being in Vietnam had any idea what they were doing. Rather quickly, that Elephant was starting to take on a horror of its own, and maybe he wasn't quite ready to lay it all down for the gallant people of the Republic of South Vietnam, those hard core betel-nut chewers, chicken raisers, and pig farmers.

FIRST RECON, SECOND TO NONE is a vivid experience of a novel with rich descriptions to underscore the feel of Chu Lai, Vietnam, including 2-inch flying bugs, leeches, killer ants, rain drops, rice paddies, and the smell of living, struggling and dying vegetation. On top of that is the strain of the heat, dense terrain, and being constantly on the alert in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the jungle. The valleys, of course, weren't a cakewalk either, as elephant grass is a world entirely of its own, not to put bamboo thickets to shame, either. Vegetation played a big part, for in a no-GPS world there was lots of climbing trees to find landmarks to fix the position and to find the enemy and calling for Arty. It almost has the feel as if you're reading a diary, with daily going-on and feelings and commentary about everything. One target for instance are the so-called rules of engagement the Marines cursed and labored under and the higher-ups used to protect their careers with. But, according to PR, when one's been expose to outdoor life in Vietnam, one automatically assumes the worst. Thus, in matters of Claymores, grenades, and Corps-issues amphetamines to overcome exhaustion when needed, PR - or Pork Rind -, the green Lt, believed that if one can do the job, two can do it better.

Alongside the blood and guts routine, the Lt dives into concepts like the Army Supermarket vs USMC mom and pop store supply chaining, malfunctioning M-16 vs the trusty M-14, and the Stoner vs the M-16. Giving in to authenticity, FIRST RECON, SECOND TO NONE blasts out a staggering amount of jargon, including Bird-dogging, RAOR, TOT, SALUTE form messages, and a Swiss seat. Lying more than 50 years in the past, PR's recollections also include obscure references (for most people) to Herman the German, Tojo, Frank Buck, and Buck Rogers. It's almost like a Hollywood production, and for the author, Vietnam was like a movie you sit down to watch after it's started and leave before it's over. There's no beginning and no end, just the in-between parts where you pick up a few stray threads and try to make sense out of it. Before you know it, you're short and counting hours. And at the end you think you're leaving Vietnam, but PR cautions how wrong that is. PR Young hits all the right notes, giving the reader a visceral experience of a real tour of duty, 365 and a wake-up in the hell of Vietnam, making FIRST RECON, SECOND TO NONE.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually signed and given to me by Mr. Young himself. It was honor to meet him and he didn't pull any of punches about his experience in Vietnam.

[Kiefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book alot, I liked how Paul Young was able to tell a serious story about his past while still being able to include comic relief that would bring a smile to my face.