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Just Another Day in Vietnam
This military memoir examines one of the most vicious and tragically forgotten battles of the Vietnam War from a variety of perspectives. In June of 1967, the Viet Cong sought to isolate and destroy an elite South Vietnamese unit as part of a new offensive strategy. They sent a voluntary POW as an “informant” to dupe the 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion into taking a dangerous position in the III Corps sector of South Vietnam. In the midst of an ambush, the members of the 52nd Ranger Battalion conducted themselves with great skill and valor. As one of those men, Keith Nightingale is uniquely suited to relate the events of that day. Based on firsthand experience as well as After Action Reports from a variety of sources, Just Another Day in Vietnam explores multiple perspectives, affording equal weight to ally and enemy alike. Nightingale offers rare insight into the often misunderstood role of the elite Vietnamese Ranger forces; the intelligence acquired from captured Rangers; and a rare eyewitness account to this fateful yet underexamined Vietnam battle.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 31, 2019
An amazing third-person account of a small-unit action in June 1967, elegantly told with a loving attention to detail. Filled with lyrical word portraits the reader will find both beautiful and horrifying. A vision of war told in all-seeing omniscient eye. Highly recommend! Here is a link to my video review for more details:
https://youtu.be/bMfXyjbizeU
https://youtu.be/bMfXyjbizeU
May 2, 2021
This one was a mixed bag for me...
From his bio at Google books, author Colonel Keith Nightingale "is that rarest of breeds--a hard-core military man who wields a pen as brilliantly as any weapon, and strategically deploys a full literary arsenal. Targeting our senses with the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even the tastes of war, his myriad of minute physical details, visual similes, and extended metaphors invariably strike home. To quote Pulitzer-Prize winner Tom Ricks, contributing editor to Foreign Policy: "If you want to know about war, Keith Nightingale is your man." Nightingale's work is further endorsed by General David Petraeus, General Volney Wagner, Susan Eisenhower, Emmy-winner Dennis Murphy, and other luminaries."
Keith Nightingale:
The story told here by Nightingale is a ground-level account of battle in Vietnam. He mentions in the book's preface that although this is an account that is factually-based, some liberties have been taken for the sake of telling this story in a coherent fashion.
Nightingale tells this story in a somewhat engaging manner, and the narration of the audiobook version I have was also well read. The atmosphere of this story is told here using very visceral descriptions; there are many details of the scenery and climate.
The book also contained many photos, which is always a nice touch.
Although the story here was interesting, there was something about the writing that did not really resonate with me, and I found my attention wandering numerous times while reading this one. I'm not quite sure what that was - possibly just a subjective thing, as I see that this one is very highly rated by others. Nonetheless, I rate books on my personal enjoyment of them, not on how others felt. Accordingly, that will see this one get a 2.5 star rating here...
From his bio at Google books, author Colonel Keith Nightingale "is that rarest of breeds--a hard-core military man who wields a pen as brilliantly as any weapon, and strategically deploys a full literary arsenal. Targeting our senses with the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even the tastes of war, his myriad of minute physical details, visual similes, and extended metaphors invariably strike home. To quote Pulitzer-Prize winner Tom Ricks, contributing editor to Foreign Policy: "If you want to know about war, Keith Nightingale is your man." Nightingale's work is further endorsed by General David Petraeus, General Volney Wagner, Susan Eisenhower, Emmy-winner Dennis Murphy, and other luminaries."
Keith Nightingale:
The story told here by Nightingale is a ground-level account of battle in Vietnam. He mentions in the book's preface that although this is an account that is factually-based, some liberties have been taken for the sake of telling this story in a coherent fashion.
Nightingale tells this story in a somewhat engaging manner, and the narration of the audiobook version I have was also well read. The atmosphere of this story is told here using very visceral descriptions; there are many details of the scenery and climate.
The book also contained many photos, which is always a nice touch.
Although the story here was interesting, there was something about the writing that did not really resonate with me, and I found my attention wandering numerous times while reading this one. I'm not quite sure what that was - possibly just a subjective thing, as I see that this one is very highly rated by others. Nonetheless, I rate books on my personal enjoyment of them, not on how others felt. Accordingly, that will see this one get a 2.5 star rating here...
August 1, 2022
Mr. Nightingale has GOT to be one scary hombre, because apparently no one's had the courage to tell him he's a terrible writer. This book is a multi-page atrocity perpetrated on the English language, which in a sense would make form fit the contents, but... no, not really. Overwrought prose skidding from purple into ultraviolet, rife with grammar, syntax, and spelling errors, this is a sad parody and - however well-intentioned - an actually disrespectful tribute to those who fought and died.
April 29, 2020
Different
I have read well over 100 books about combat in Nam. Some were bad or badly written, then one reads Dispatches and a few others. This book belongs in this first class of Vietnam writings.
I was a grunt with the Wolfhounds of the 25th Division, 68-69. I saw the effects of the B 52’s and more. I applaud this author and put this book on the must read for folks like me.
I have read well over 100 books about combat in Nam. Some were bad or badly written, then one reads Dispatches and a few others. This book belongs in this first class of Vietnam writings.
I was a grunt with the Wolfhounds of the 25th Division, 68-69. I saw the effects of the B 52’s and more. I applaud this author and put this book on the must read for folks like me.
April 11, 2022
Diary of a Bad Day
In the collected wisdom of writing on the Vietnam war, this book stands out as a must-read for military history readers. The author, Keith M. Nightingale, can create in words the feeling of the battlefield. The oppressive heat, the sweat, the bugs, the moments of boredom punctuated by intervals of sheer terror and violence. All of this is brought to the page by the author in all of its macabre beauty.
The author creates this picture while portraying the story from both sides of the close action for all of us to understand. In so doing, he has added to our understanding of the Vietnam war in both the good and the bad.
In the collected wisdom of writing on the Vietnam war, this book stands out as a must-read for military history readers. The author, Keith M. Nightingale, can create in words the feeling of the battlefield. The oppressive heat, the sweat, the bugs, the moments of boredom punctuated by intervals of sheer terror and violence. All of this is brought to the page by the author in all of its macabre beauty.
The author creates this picture while portraying the story from both sides of the close action for all of us to understand. In so doing, he has added to our understanding of the Vietnam war in both the good and the bad.
May 4, 2022
This is a Vietnam War memoir about an American advisor to a ARVN Ranger unit involved in a single battle. It is indeed illustrative of a typical engagement in Vietnam: a unit gets ambushed, the cavalry gets ambushed on the way to help them, they call in artillery, air support, and even an Arc Light bombing that devastates the enemy and allows the surviving unit members to escape. The author has a gift of descriptive language - and he knows it to a fault. Warning: the last part of the book is a detailed - and unnecessary - description of an enemy corpse rotting in a jungle environment. If it was not a war crime, it was certainly a crime against human decency to not bury the corpse.
The book is also poorly edited. Caveat emptor.
The book is also poorly edited. Caveat emptor.
March 23, 2022
A well written primer on combined arms combat
This is a story written from vivid memories of three very bad days. You can only appreciate how vivid if you have similar memories of your own. At the same time, Just Another Day in Vietnam is a fundamental text on combined arms combat. Both sides to this event have valuable lessons for NCOs, officers, and soldiers who want to survive.
This is a story written from vivid memories of three very bad days. You can only appreciate how vivid if you have similar memories of your own. At the same time, Just Another Day in Vietnam is a fundamental text on combined arms combat. Both sides to this event have valuable lessons for NCOs, officers, and soldiers who want to survive.
May 23, 2022
This volume is a bloody, violent, brutal but beautifully written journey of COL Nightingale in one of our world's most devastating wars. If you're a student of Military history or world history, it is a MUST READ.
COL Nightingale, Thank you for your Service, leadership, courage, sacrifice, and your master of the written word.
COL Nightingale, Thank you for your Service, leadership, courage, sacrifice, and your master of the written word.
Read
December 17, 2019Leaves one speechless
I find it difficult to believe that anyone who was not in that place, so long ago, would understand any of this. This book was not written as aggrandizement, but relates what happened in unemotional prose.
I find it difficult to believe that anyone who was not in that place, so long ago, would understand any of this. This book was not written as aggrandizement, but relates what happened in unemotional prose.
August 30, 2020
Interesting book
This book was written differently than most other Vietnam books. It was a good read. I was stationed at Bien Hoa and at that time there was no F4’s there. This was 1966 -67. That likely changed after I left. Over all it was a good book.
This book was written differently than most other Vietnam books. It was a good read. I was stationed at Bien Hoa and at that time there was no F4’s there. This was 1966 -67. That likely changed after I left. Over all it was a good book.
June 15, 2020
Interesting detailed book about a battle In Viet Nam. Analysis of the tactics and outcome was an insight into the strategy of the conflict and eventual outcome.
July 10, 2020
The reader feels as though...
he or she is wading through the jungle with the author in its unrelenting stench, heat, humidity, mosquitoes and terror.
he or she is wading through the jungle with the author in its unrelenting stench, heat, humidity, mosquitoes and terror.
August 9, 2020
Amazing details
Written so you felt you were there on both sides of the battle
The best Viet jam story I've read
Written so you felt you were there on both sides of the battle
The best Viet jam story I've read
October 7, 2022
A non-fictional narrative of an action during the Vietnam war.
Interesting information on the logistics and the major players.
Interesting information on the logistics and the major players.
October 26, 2019
The author forwarded a copy of "Just Another Day in Vietnam" to me in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a narrative that covers every detail of the planning, execution, and aftermath of a battle that took place in June of 1967 in the III Corps area of South Vietnam. The mission was orchestrated by the highest level of North Vietnamese Government; planning and training were months in the making. Their goal was to isolate a large South Vietnamese unit and annihilate them.
A single NVA private had an important role in the plan: he was to surrender (Chieu Hoi) to the American forces, and convince them that he has knowledge about a major enemy build-up and would graciously lead them to the basecamp and into the trap.
The enemy private was quite convincing and the South Vietnamese jumped on the opportunity to kill hundreds of enemy soldiers. The 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion was chosen for the mission lead with backing from other Vietnamese units. The author accompanied the 52nd as an American advisor and artillery forward observer (lieutenant) and writes about the ensuing battle of survival from his first-hand experience.
I found it amazing how Mr. Nightingale was able to put together this narrative with so much input from key players from all sides and many support units. Keith alleges that he was able to gather information from personal interviews with former NVA soldiers, POW's, American and South Vietnamese participants, after-action reports, and observations of his own. His descriptions are vivid and leave little to the imagination, sometimes, creating exceptionally morbid pictures that will give readers pause. However, war and battles are not pretty and the aftermath promises to leave everlasting scars in the psyche of participants.
The Ranger Battalion is outnumbered 10-1, and would have been annihilated had it not been for the overhead forward observer who worked overtime to guide in the many jets and gunships that responded to the Rangers' call for help. The Rangers managed to hold off the NVA for almost two days before help actually arrived on the ground. However, it was at a great cost of their own.
I highly recommend "Just Another Day in Vietnam" by Keith Nightingale. There is little dialog within, but readers are guaranteed to get hooked after the first page. Great job, sir!
This book is a narrative that covers every detail of the planning, execution, and aftermath of a battle that took place in June of 1967 in the III Corps area of South Vietnam. The mission was orchestrated by the highest level of North Vietnamese Government; planning and training were months in the making. Their goal was to isolate a large South Vietnamese unit and annihilate them.
A single NVA private had an important role in the plan: he was to surrender (Chieu Hoi) to the American forces, and convince them that he has knowledge about a major enemy build-up and would graciously lead them to the basecamp and into the trap.
The enemy private was quite convincing and the South Vietnamese jumped on the opportunity to kill hundreds of enemy soldiers. The 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion was chosen for the mission lead with backing from other Vietnamese units. The author accompanied the 52nd as an American advisor and artillery forward observer (lieutenant) and writes about the ensuing battle of survival from his first-hand experience.
I found it amazing how Mr. Nightingale was able to put together this narrative with so much input from key players from all sides and many support units. Keith alleges that he was able to gather information from personal interviews with former NVA soldiers, POW's, American and South Vietnamese participants, after-action reports, and observations of his own. His descriptions are vivid and leave little to the imagination, sometimes, creating exceptionally morbid pictures that will give readers pause. However, war and battles are not pretty and the aftermath promises to leave everlasting scars in the psyche of participants.
The Ranger Battalion is outnumbered 10-1, and would have been annihilated had it not been for the overhead forward observer who worked overtime to guide in the many jets and gunships that responded to the Rangers' call for help. The Rangers managed to hold off the NVA for almost two days before help actually arrived on the ground. However, it was at a great cost of their own.
I highly recommend "Just Another Day in Vietnam" by Keith Nightingale. There is little dialog within, but readers are guaranteed to get hooked after the first page. Great job, sir!
Read
March 17, 2022MWSA Review
Just Another Day in Vietnam tells the story of the 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion’s battle for survival in War Zone D northeast of Saigon in June 1967. With no time to plan or prepare, the Ranger Battalion’s commander, Major Nguyen Hiep, must deploy his forces to attack a suspected Viet Cong base camp located in a bend of the Dong Nai River. After a helicopter insertion into a landing zone near the suspected camp, the Rangers discover they’ve been ordered into a trap and are soon surrounded by numerically superior Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. Only through the heroic leadership of Major Hiep, the incredible fighting qualities of his men, and the assistance of U.S. airpower, does the Ranger Battalion survive.
This is an important story that needs to be told. The bravery and fighting ability of the 52nd Ranger Battalion and the heroism of Major Hiep dispel the myth that all South Vietnamese fighting forces were ineffective in combat. The author’s role as a U.S. military advisor to the Ranger Battalion ensures the credibility of the narrative, which captures as only a combat veteran can the emotions and true horrors of war. If you are looking for a gritty combat narrative covering a battle from planning through execution, you need to read Just Another Day in Vietnam.
Review by David Grogan (March 2022)
Just Another Day in Vietnam tells the story of the 52nd Vietnamese Ranger Battalion’s battle for survival in War Zone D northeast of Saigon in June 1967. With no time to plan or prepare, the Ranger Battalion’s commander, Major Nguyen Hiep, must deploy his forces to attack a suspected Viet Cong base camp located in a bend of the Dong Nai River. After a helicopter insertion into a landing zone near the suspected camp, the Rangers discover they’ve been ordered into a trap and are soon surrounded by numerically superior Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. Only through the heroic leadership of Major Hiep, the incredible fighting qualities of his men, and the assistance of U.S. airpower, does the Ranger Battalion survive.
This is an important story that needs to be told. The bravery and fighting ability of the 52nd Ranger Battalion and the heroism of Major Hiep dispel the myth that all South Vietnamese fighting forces were ineffective in combat. The author’s role as a U.S. military advisor to the Ranger Battalion ensures the credibility of the narrative, which captures as only a combat veteran can the emotions and true horrors of war. If you are looking for a gritty combat narrative covering a battle from planning through execution, you need to read Just Another Day in Vietnam.
Review by David Grogan (March 2022)
July 21, 2021
Just Another Day in Vietnam, by Col (Ret) Keith Nightingale: this is the true story (the author was the American military advisor who was on-scene during the battle) of an elite South Vietnam Ranger unit caught in a brutal firefight against a much larger North Vietnam regiment. The writing is exceptional and the descriptions make the reader feel the desperation of the men involved, the chaos of the battle, and the bravery on all sides. I’ve read countless battlefield books, but I rank this book as one of the best I have ever read. A truly marvelous book written by a remarkable man.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews