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Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei
When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) planned to send forty thousand troops to attack the six thousand US Marines at Khe Sanh in 1968, it expected a decisive victory. Certainly, the small US Special Forces camp in the way at Lang Vei would be quickly overcome.
The tough, tenacious defenders at Lang Vei had other ideas. The two dozen US Army Green Berets and their four hundred tribesmen at Lang Vei gave the NVA such a monumen-tal headache that they became known as the “Route 9 problem” all the way to the highest levels of the North Vietnamese government. Even the NVA’s tanks—their first use in the war—couldn’t completely defeat the stubborn US fighters.
More than an intense, moment-by-moment description of the battle, Route 9 The Battle for Lang Vei details the personal side—who these men were, how they got there, who was waiting for them back home.
The tough, tenacious defenders at Lang Vei had other ideas. The two dozen US Army Green Berets and their four hundred tribesmen at Lang Vei gave the NVA such a monumen-tal headache that they became known as the “Route 9 problem” all the way to the highest levels of the North Vietnamese government. Even the NVA’s tanks—their first use in the war—couldn’t completely defeat the stubborn US fighters.
More than an intense, moment-by-moment description of the battle, Route 9 The Battle for Lang Vei details the personal side—who these men were, how they got there, who was waiting for them back home.
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 5, 2020
How would you like the pleasure of causing your enemy some huge problems? The North Vietnamese Army or NVA did not expect that the US Special Forces camp in Lang Vei will be their Route 9 Problem.
But the history of the battle for Lang Vei is proof that you should never underestimate your enemy.
Well, I think that the NVA was likewise strategic in their moves but the US Green Berets just happened to be smarter and slicker at war, no matter the number of warriors they had up against the enemy.
They can “turn tension into preparation” and that is the mark of a real warrior.
I recommend this book with a high-level of confidence plus the hope that you too will revel at its evident value for history and humanity.
But the history of the battle for Lang Vei is proof that you should never underestimate your enemy.
Well, I think that the NVA was likewise strategic in their moves but the US Green Berets just happened to be smarter and slicker at war, no matter the number of warriors they had up against the enemy.
They can “turn tension into preparation” and that is the mark of a real warrior.
I recommend this book with a high-level of confidence plus the hope that you too will revel at its evident value for history and humanity.
August 6, 2020
An untold story of survivors, MIAs, families, covert struggles, and patriotic victories.
This book has gone real deep and I appreciate it so much for giving me the opportunity to get to know the brave men who fought the battle for Lang Vei. This would be the most personalized way to honor them and I felt happy meeting them through the book.
I am likewise very attracted to the strategic and tactical way the US Special Forces operated during the war. That was an insightful learning at its best. In the same way, I was a bit surprised but I also learned tremendously from the enemy or the North Vietnamese Army’s own operations. I really admire the author for including those in the book in an effort to present the big picture and strip it off any personal bias.
This book has gone real deep and I appreciate it so much for giving me the opportunity to get to know the brave men who fought the battle for Lang Vei. This would be the most personalized way to honor them and I felt happy meeting them through the book.
I am likewise very attracted to the strategic and tactical way the US Special Forces operated during the war. That was an insightful learning at its best. In the same way, I was a bit surprised but I also learned tremendously from the enemy or the North Vietnamese Army’s own operations. I really admire the author for including those in the book in an effort to present the big picture and strip it off any personal bias.
November 25, 2017
I found myself hoping that by some chance I lived near one of the true-life heroes of Lang Vei. Dave allowed me to get to know the people, their lives and their families while relaying in vivid detail the desperate conditions in which they found themselves during the battle for Lang Vei. "Route 9 Problem" is a war story of the highest order and one that fully engages the reader's emotions and imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and applaud Dave Stockwell for presenting the words of the survivors in such a wonderful way.
January 25, 2017
Inspiring! This Vietnam war story (with no foul language!) is for every parent, spouse, sibling, son or daughter who have had a loved one deployed in harm's way.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews