Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Me

by J. Keith Saliba

In fall 1965, North Vietnam’s high command smelled blood in the water. The South Vietnamese republic was on the verge of collapse, and Hanoi resolved to crush it once and for all. The communists set their sights on South Vietnam’s strategically vital West-Central Highlands. Annihilate ARVN’s defenses in Kontum and Pleiku provinces, the communists surmised, and the region’s remaining provinces would topple like dominoes. Their first target was the American Special Forces camp at Plei Me, remote and isolated along the Cambodian border.

As darkness fell on 19 October, 1965, two North Vietnamese Army regiments—some 4,000 troops— crept into their final strike positions. The plan was as simple as it was audacious: one regiment would bring the frontier fortress under murderous siege while the other would lie in wait to destroy the inevitable rescue force. Initially, all that stood athwart Hanoi’s grand scheme was a handful of American Green Berets, a few hundred Montagnard allies—and burgeoning U.S. airpower. Cut off and beleaguered, Plei Me’s defenders fought for their lives, while a daring band of close air support and resupply pilots helped keep the beast at bay.

But as the overland relief force bogged down, 5th Group ordered in the legendary “Chargin” Charlie Beckwith and his elite Project Delta to help hold the line. Soon, the 1st Cavalry Division would also join the fray, setting the stage for its bloody Ia Drang Valley fights a few weeks later. Before it was over, the siege of Plei Me would push its defenders to the brink and usher in the first major clashes between the U.S. and North Vietnamese armies.

Drawing on archival research and interviews with combat veterans, J. Keith Saliba reconstructs this pivotal battle in vivid, gut-wrenching detail and illustrates where the siege fit in the war’s strategic picture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction, War

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

J. Keith Saliba is the author of the newly released Crucible 1972: The War for Peace in Vietnam (2025). His first book, Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Me (2020), won the 2021 Military Writers Society of America's gold medal in history. His work has appeared in Vietnam magazine, On Point: The Journal of Army History, and in the edited volume book series Indochina. Saliba is an associate professor at Jacksonville University and lives in Florida with his family.

Reviews

[Tomasz]

Rather shallow, mercilessly padded (often by needless repetition), and, you know, very GENTLE towards the people whose decisions led to unnecessary deaths. Still, not a bad 'un, not superfluous, just... could easily be improved, if anybody cared. What it's all about - hell, it's stated in the title, come on.

[Patrick]

Great book. Very well researched, very detailed. The first couple chapters discuss and detail the start of CIA and then Special Forces actions in the region leading up to the development of SF Camps near the Vietnam Cambodian border and introduce the reader to the various local factions involved; this was very informative and I’ll return to it.

[Daniel Shea]

Impeccable research from North and South Vietnam as well as American sources. The author sets the stage with descriptions of earlier intervention in Laos (White Star) then goes on to describe a siege of the American
Special Forces Camp Plei Me in October 1965. I am biased because I was there BUT
I learned things I never knew 55 years ago.
I also credit Dr Saliba for writing a book that is readable. It is easy to read and understand.

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review
Death in the Highlands presents a very thorough analysis and reporting of the attack on Plei Me in 1965 by the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong, along with its defense by American and South Vietnamese forces. While going into great detail, the author, J. Keith Saliba, still tells a story that portrays the human aspects of sacrifice and perseverance. In addition to using a plethora of written history, Saliba also interviewed a number of the survivors of this long and deadly battle to provide a realism that is hard to pull from documents alone. The author holds no punches in describing the horrific results of the battle. Well researched and documented. A must read for anyone interested in modern military history and especially for anyone interested in the war in Viet Nam.
Review by Bob Doerr (March 2021)

[Cory Jarrett]

This one was a struggle to get through. Macro/overall strategy from the Division/Brigade level concerning a besieged ODA element.

[John Burlew]

Well-written book about a battle in the mid 1960’s that was a prelude to significant U.S. intervention in Vietnam. Reading this book led me to the next book, Delta Force, by the founder of “the unit”, Charlie Beckwith.

[Jacqueline Rodzinski]

OUTSTANDING!!!

Brilliantly researched and presented. A book every American and Vietnamese soldier should read not just to witness the bravery, but to brave the brutality. Be greatly blessed!

[Michael Gaglione]

excellent Account of Both Sides

Welk researched account of the early war in Vietnam. No holds barred either on the folks involved in the battle.

[Doug]

Well researched and provided great accounts of the actual battle. What an intense and life changing event for those involved, and the US wasn't even fully committed to the war yet.

[Mike]

I enjoyed this book. I found it engaging and riveting. The Vietnam war was brutal. This story took place near the start of the US involvement in the war. Very sobering.