Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam

by Michael Lee Lanning, Ray W. Stubbe

Behind-enemy-lines stories of elite Marines in Vietnam

Force Recon companies were the eyes and ears of the Marine Corps in Vietnam. Classified as special operations capable, Force Recon Marines ventured into the enemy’s backyard to conduct reconnaissance and launched deliberate strikes against the enemy. Lanning and Stubbe blend analysis and you-are-there stories of Force Recon in action to create the definitive account of Recon Marines.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Military History

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 1989

About the author

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Lee Lanning (USA, Ret.) is an American retired military officer and writer of non-fiction, mostly military history.

After spending his early life in Texas, in 1964 Michael Lee Lanning graduated from Trent High School (Trent, Texas) and entered Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas), where in 1968 he earned a BS in Agricultural Education.

Upon graduation from Texas A&M in 1968, Lanning was commissioned a second lieutenant and received infantry, airborne, and ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia. After serving as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam where he served as an infantry platoon leader, reconnaissance platoon leader, and rifle company commander in the 2d Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. During subsequent tours of duty he served throughout the United States and Germany, as (among other things) an instructor in the U.S. Army Ranger School, a mechanized infantry company commander in the 3rd Infantry Division, and executive officer of an infantry battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division. He also served in several non-command assignments, including positions as public affairs officer, serving in that role first for General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and later as a member of the Department of Defense public affairs office. In 1979, he earned an MS in Journalism from East Texas State University (Commerce, TX); he was selected to attend the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth, KS) that same year.

Lt. Col. Lanning's first book, 'The Only War We Had: A Platoon Leader's Journal of Vietnam' was published by Ivy Books/Ballantine Books/Random House, Inc. in September 1987.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An offspring of the US Marine Corps Raiders of World War II, Force Recon is an intelligence gathering arm of the United States Marine Corps. The author does an excellent job of describing the organization and operations of Force Recon units during the Vietnam War. This is a good read for anyone interested in that war or in the United States Marine Corps.

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Three fourths of this book is a textbook with accurate dates, ranks, equipment, location, and orders. If you were a marine charged by your commander with researching the details of Recon Marines in Vietnam, here's your book. Who commanded Co. C, 2nd Battalion, in Feb., 1967 and how many men did the table of organization authorize? Here's your answer. As dry as reading a section-by-section soil study of the moon.
One fourth of the book is anecdotes from combat patrols. This is interesting and worth reading: it involves men with lives and personalities and it shows the application of Recon doctrine to the evolving battle. Basically, small units of Recon marines snuck into suspected enemy-held territory and attempted to locate the enemy for the purpose of destroying him using air and artillery bombardment. Meanwhile the enemy, tired of having explosives and napalm fall from the sky without warning, searches for the sneaky Recon marines and shoots the hell out of them when contact is made.
From this book it appears the tactics were effective (the author only tells us this maybe 40 times--he is not an unbiased observer.) My own take is that, though effective, the Recon contribution was too small to influence the larger picture. (Of a growing enemy, moving steadily toward the goal of over-running South Vietnam.)

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The doctrine of reconnaissance says that you fight more efficiently
if you have up-to-date knowledge of the conditions in your target area,
and the best way to accomplish this is with boots on the ground.
Traces the history of the embodiment of this concept in the US Marines
'Force Recon' from WWII through the Vietnam war.

Pretty good read, however I think I'm losing interest in this kind of
stuff.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great history of the formation and early years of Force Recon, mostly through the Vietnam War and the years immediately after. I liked it a lot. It was interesting while still being highly informative and informational.

I wish I knew of a similar book around the Army's LRRPs program, so if anyone knows of any really good ones feel free to PM me.

[Taddow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent collection of Force Recon stories.