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The End of the Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh
A former Vietnam correspondent describes the battle of Khe Sanh, exploring the historical background, politics, tactics, and leaders' roles in the siege
319 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
45 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Robert Pisor
1 book3 followersRobert L. Pisor was a journalist, historian and bread maker during his 77 years. He was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on Dec. 7, 1939, the first son of a U.S. Army artillery officer and an elementary school teacher. He majored in history at the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio. He earned a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
In 1963, he joined the Detroit News, then the largest afternoon daily in the U.S. He also served as the Detroit News' war correspondent in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.
He served three years as press secretary to Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, became editor of Monthly Detroit Magazine and moved to Detroit's WDIV-TV to offer newspaper criticism and political coverage for 11 years. His book on the Vietnam War, The End of the Line, won the Society of Midland Authors' prize for non-fiction.
In 1995 he opened Stone House Bread,an artisanal sourdough bread bakery. He retired in 2006. Mr. Pisor passed away July 7, 2017 from Kidney Cancer.
In 1963, he joined the Detroit News, then the largest afternoon daily in the U.S. He also served as the Detroit News' war correspondent in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.
He served three years as press secretary to Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, became editor of Monthly Detroit Magazine and moved to Detroit's WDIV-TV to offer newspaper criticism and political coverage for 11 years. His book on the Vietnam War, The End of the Line, won the Society of Midland Authors' prize for non-fiction.
In 1995 he opened Stone House Bread,an artisanal sourdough bread bakery. He retired in 2006. Mr. Pisor passed away July 7, 2017 from Kidney Cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 5, 2022
This is a mediocre book with a misleading title. Robert Pisor's focus is not the battle of Khe Sanh. An insubstantial part of his work deals with the siege. The rest is a concise history of the Vietnam conflict that can serve as an introduction to the topic if there are not any other books available. It reads like a guide to some things a beginner needs to know about the conflict.
There is a relatively informative chapter about General Westmoreland, the MACV commander, who was the Douglas MacArthur of the 1960s. The author recounts his career before and in Vietnam, as well as gives an on-point characteristic of his personality – overconfident, egotistical, and irrationally optimistic. Westmoreland's confidence was rooted in richer soil than the racial superiority that many commanders felt: the absolute certainty that American troops would go into combat with overwhelming, unconquerable superiority in firepower, mobility, and flexibility.
Otherwise, Pisor's account is rather mediocre. He jumps back and forward between what was happening on the hills of Khe Sanh and the background information about the Vietnam conflict that he wants to include. His narrative lacks focus, which makes the reader quickly lose interest in the story of the American Marines' sacrifice. I read somewhere that Pisor's work was considered ground-breaking when it was first published, which might be true, considering that it is not heavily biased in favor of the Americans like the bulk of combat memoirs. However, a lot of new information has been declassified since the 1980s, when it was written, so I found it dated. There is nothing here that I did not already know from other historians' works.
Furthermore, to rank among the better accounts of the siege of Khe Sanh, it needs more maps and a narrower focus. Most well-written battle memoirs choose either an individual perspective or a unit perspective. However, Pisor switches randomly from individual Marines to commanders to General Westmoreland, which allows the reader to see neither the details nor the bigger picture. The author was a journalist, not a military historian, and it shows.
I do not know what else to say about his work. As I already mentioned, do not get deceived by the title. There is little about Khe Sanh here, and the chapters that are devoted to this famous battle are confusing and chaotic. After I finished it, I felt that I have wasted several hours of my time. By the time I read the first half, I actually knew that it would be a waste of time, but I decided to finish it so that I would be able to write a review and warn others not to waste their time.
THE END OF THE LINE is to be skipped. Khe Sanh was one of the most bloody and nightmarish battles of the Vietnam conflict. Its history gives plenty of food for thought. It was a tragedy for both sides. Pisor has not succeeded in capturing any of this in his narrative. This book has one impressive aspect – the author's descriptive writing – but it also is overshadowed by the lack of structured storytelling. I do not recommend it.
There is a relatively informative chapter about General Westmoreland, the MACV commander, who was the Douglas MacArthur of the 1960s. The author recounts his career before and in Vietnam, as well as gives an on-point characteristic of his personality – overconfident, egotistical, and irrationally optimistic. Westmoreland's confidence was rooted in richer soil than the racial superiority that many commanders felt: the absolute certainty that American troops would go into combat with overwhelming, unconquerable superiority in firepower, mobility, and flexibility.
Otherwise, Pisor's account is rather mediocre. He jumps back and forward between what was happening on the hills of Khe Sanh and the background information about the Vietnam conflict that he wants to include. His narrative lacks focus, which makes the reader quickly lose interest in the story of the American Marines' sacrifice. I read somewhere that Pisor's work was considered ground-breaking when it was first published, which might be true, considering that it is not heavily biased in favor of the Americans like the bulk of combat memoirs. However, a lot of new information has been declassified since the 1980s, when it was written, so I found it dated. There is nothing here that I did not already know from other historians' works.
Furthermore, to rank among the better accounts of the siege of Khe Sanh, it needs more maps and a narrower focus. Most well-written battle memoirs choose either an individual perspective or a unit perspective. However, Pisor switches randomly from individual Marines to commanders to General Westmoreland, which allows the reader to see neither the details nor the bigger picture. The author was a journalist, not a military historian, and it shows.
I do not know what else to say about his work. As I already mentioned, do not get deceived by the title. There is little about Khe Sanh here, and the chapters that are devoted to this famous battle are confusing and chaotic. After I finished it, I felt that I have wasted several hours of my time. By the time I read the first half, I actually knew that it would be a waste of time, but I decided to finish it so that I would be able to write a review and warn others not to waste their time.
THE END OF THE LINE is to be skipped. Khe Sanh was one of the most bloody and nightmarish battles of the Vietnam conflict. Its history gives plenty of food for thought. It was a tragedy for both sides. Pisor has not succeeded in capturing any of this in his narrative. This book has one impressive aspect – the author's descriptive writing – but it also is overshadowed by the lack of structured storytelling. I do not recommend it.
October 23, 2013
I read everything I can on the French experience in Indochina, especially the climactic battle at Dien Bien Phu. I mentioned this to one of my co-workers and he said that if I want to broaden the scope I should pick up something on Khe Sanh, because General Giap tried to do DBP again there against the U.S. I am glad that the first book I picked up on Khe Sanh was this one, because "The End of The Line" spends a lot of time discussing General Westmoreland's and LBJ's efforts to prevent DBP II. The close look at General Giap in Chapter 6 alone makes this book worth reading. I enjoyed the description of the C-123 as the workhorse in keeping the Marine garrison re-supplied and the in-depth analysis of the U.S. "Why send a man when you can send a bullet?" approach (Westmoreland was, after all, a Field Artillery officer) and the comparison of Giap's strategy to Muhammad Ali's "Rope-a-Dope" maneuver. The book seals the deal nicely via a look at materiel tonnages and casualty estimates (while criticizing "Body Counts"). I think that Pisor also artfully argues that even though Khe Sanh was a far outpost fed by aerial resupply and General Giap was leading the siege, it was never meant to be the apocalyptic battle of destruction that Dien Bien Phu was. The idea that Khe Sanh was instead an effort to tie down Westmoreland's best units during the Tet Offensive (no matter how you feel about Tet, you must agree that it had strategic effects) of 1968 holds some weight, and Pisor does a fine job-- in his narrative on the generals, the Marines, and the diverse participants in this landmark battle -- of pushing that perspective.
January 12, 2022
I read this for research for my third novel that I'm currently working on. It's definitely the most "military heavy" nonfiction book I've ever read, but it was never dense or dry (said by someone with no military background, etc).
I knew a little about the Siege of Khe Sanh from the (Hollywood) film, We Were Soldiers, but to read a non-fictionalized account about what the men on those hills went through for months (the siege lasted from January until July of 1968), was just unimaginable. Resilience doesn't even begin to describe the 5,000 Marines at Khe Sanh who were surrounded by roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops and who had no reinforcements or supplies to them except by air since all of this was happening during monsoon season when the volatile weather would limit flights. They were ordered to fight and hold the base rather than evacuate and what the Marines accomplished at Khe Sanh is a testament to their slogan, "the few, the proud, the Marines."
While the book chiefly focuses on Khe Sanh and events leading up to it, Siege of Khe Sanh is still a good enough read for anyone lacking a more in-depth education on the Vietnam War-the arrogance of some high ranking military officials, the war that was clearly never winnable (even in the early days), and the powerful and utterly brave might of the average American soldier/Marine when so many of them were mere boys.
I knew a little about the Siege of Khe Sanh from the (Hollywood) film, We Were Soldiers, but to read a non-fictionalized account about what the men on those hills went through for months (the siege lasted from January until July of 1968), was just unimaginable. Resilience doesn't even begin to describe the 5,000 Marines at Khe Sanh who were surrounded by roughly 20,000 North Vietnamese troops and who had no reinforcements or supplies to them except by air since all of this was happening during monsoon season when the volatile weather would limit flights. They were ordered to fight and hold the base rather than evacuate and what the Marines accomplished at Khe Sanh is a testament to their slogan, "the few, the proud, the Marines."
While the book chiefly focuses on Khe Sanh and events leading up to it, Siege of Khe Sanh is still a good enough read for anyone lacking a more in-depth education on the Vietnam War-the arrogance of some high ranking military officials, the war that was clearly never winnable (even in the early days), and the powerful and utterly brave might of the average American soldier/Marine when so many of them were mere boys.
June 19, 2021
This is an excellent introduction to the Vietnam Conflict for beginners in the subject as it is really more of a synopsis of the entire war - less than a quarter of the study is specifically on the siege itself. Serious students of the war might not be impressed by his effort, but casual readers will take away a solid foundational base to the tale.
Pisor avoids the traps of most military histories, by not getting bogged down the jargon and intricacies of military operations. He writes for the layman, keeping it short and sweet.
If you want to be frustrated just read some of the chapters about how much the US spent in Vietnam and all the technology we used to accomplish nothing.
Pisor avoids the traps of most military histories, by not getting bogged down the jargon and intricacies of military operations. He writes for the layman, keeping it short and sweet.
If you want to be frustrated just read some of the chapters about how much the US spent in Vietnam and all the technology we used to accomplish nothing.
August 19, 2019
Written in the third person, this book is really an overview of the entire Vietnam War through with an emphasis on the siege of Khe Sahn. It was filled with information and insight, clearly benefitting from the clarity of hindsight and decades of time. Pisor's research was admirable and chapters of the book focused on U S General Westmoreland, North Vietnam's General Giap and the entire Tet Offensive of 1968. There was perspective and a richly nuanced overview.
I learned a lot, sorted out much I already knew and feel like I have a broader understanding of this history.
I learned a lot, sorted out much I already knew and feel like I have a broader understanding of this history.
October 10, 2017
Great historical detail of a well known outpost during the Vietnam war. Lots of detail but easy to follow. Well written and no political bias contained within.
July 15, 2020
Lot of behind the scenes information in this one. All in all a good read.
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January 23, 2021I was serving in Vietnam during the period of the siege although I wasn't aware of the details. Many years later I met Captain Dabney who was mentioned several times in the book.
May 29, 2019
What I liked:
+Great writing that holds the attention of the reader
+Good broad coverage of the military and political backgrounds of the battle of Khe Sanh
+Solid assembly of different first-hand historical sources to support the author's narrative
+Excellently quick read not because of short depth but because of Pisor's ability to take the reader through the story of the battle
What I disliked:
-Misspellings of Vietnamese names
-Author seems to suggest that there is only one right narrative of the Vietnam War
-Not enough analysis of the battle itself and lacks the historical depth expected from initial impressions of the book
+Great writing that holds the attention of the reader
+Good broad coverage of the military and political backgrounds of the battle of Khe Sanh
+Solid assembly of different first-hand historical sources to support the author's narrative
+Excellently quick read not because of short depth but because of Pisor's ability to take the reader through the story of the battle
What I disliked:
-Misspellings of Vietnamese names
-Author seems to suggest that there is only one right narrative of the Vietnam War
-Not enough analysis of the battle itself and lacks the historical depth expected from initial impressions of the book
May 20, 2012
This is a good "backgrounder" that gives a broad overview of Khe Sanh within the context of the Vietnam War. There are several very good chapters that focus on the Vietnamese commander and the history of the town of Khe Sanh, but for the most part this book is really a commentary on General Westmoreland and his Vietnam strategy. If you want something that is a firsthand, nitty gritty look at the siege, a much better option is Valley of Decision by Prados. Hill Fights by Murphy is also a good one. This book is more of a post-hoc accounting.
January 14, 2017
Great read about the siege of Khe Sanh. I first read this in 1983 and was impressed with the portraits of General Vo Nguyen Giap and General William Westmoreland. The fall of Lang Vei was chilling. The Tet Offensive, Operation Niagara, The Hill Battles are all here. LBJ's dilemma... I remember watching this play out nightly on the evening news, when I was a child. I found this book again in my attic and had to re-read it. One thing I know, now, is that we should have never been involved in this war. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews