Force Recon Command: A Special Marine Unit in Vietnam, 1969-1970

Naval Institute Special Warfare Series

by Alex Lee, Alfred M. Gray Jr. (Foreword by)

Author Alex Lee commanded the Third Force Reconnaissance Company in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. Made up of small units of specially trained U.S. Marines, that company conducted long-range patrols deep in Northern I Corps - including the infamous Ashau Valley - to gather intelligence about the North Vietnamese Army. An intelligent, effective operator who led by example, Lee was also brash and excruciatingly honest, and in this controversial, no-holds-barred account, he takes the wraps off this select group of courageous and intrepid Marines.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, War

296 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Nadir · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.