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Tango 1-1: 9th Infantry Division LRPs in the Vietnam Delta
"An absorbing account of special forces operations by Airborne Rangers of the Long Range Patrol in the Vietnam Delta . . . a great story." --Firetrench
LRPs were all volunteers. They were in the spine-tingling, brain-twisting, nerve-wracking business of Long Range Patrolling. They varied in age from 18 to 30. These men operated in precision movements, like walking through a jungle quietly and being able to tell whether a man or an animal is moving through the brush without seeing the cause of movement. They could sit in an ambush for hours without moving a muscle except to ease the safety off the automatic weapon in their hand at the first sign of trouble. These men were good because they had to be to survive.
Called LRPs for short, they were despised, respected, admired and sometimes thought to be a little short on brains by those who watched from the sidelines as a team started out on another mission to seek out the enemy. They were men who can take a baby or small child in their arms and make them stop crying. They shared their last smoke, last ration of food, last canteen of water. They were kind in some ways, deadly in others. They were men who believed in their country, freedom, and fellow men. They were a new kind of soldier in a new type of warfare.
LRPs stand out in a crowd of soldiers. It's not just their tiger fatigues but the way they walk, talk and stand. They were proud warriors because they were members of the Long Range Patrol.
LRPs were all volunteers. They were in the spine-tingling, brain-twisting, nerve-wracking business of Long Range Patrolling. They varied in age from 18 to 30. These men operated in precision movements, like walking through a jungle quietly and being able to tell whether a man or an animal is moving through the brush without seeing the cause of movement. They could sit in an ambush for hours without moving a muscle except to ease the safety off the automatic weapon in their hand at the first sign of trouble. These men were good because they had to be to survive.
Called LRPs for short, they were despised, respected, admired and sometimes thought to be a little short on brains by those who watched from the sidelines as a team started out on another mission to seek out the enemy. They were men who can take a baby or small child in their arms and make them stop crying. They shared their last smoke, last ration of food, last canteen of water. They were kind in some ways, deadly in others. They were men who believed in their country, freedom, and fellow men. They were a new kind of soldier in a new type of warfare.
LRPs stand out in a crowd of soldiers. It's not just their tiger fatigues but the way they walk, talk and stand. They were proud warriors because they were members of the Long Range Patrol.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2021
225 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 26, 2020
Jim Thayer volunteered to fight in the Vietnam War as Long Range Patrol Ranger. The personnel specialist in charge of assigning Thayer thought he was either mentally impaired or possessed of an insatiable death wish. He may have had a point. Tango 1-1 is Thayer’s memoir of his immersion into combat at the very tip of the American spear and it is a hair-raising ride.
Thayer was already a soldier when he re-enlisted to fight in Vietnam, but he had never seen combat. He was familiar with the routines of army life, though service in the LRP was anything but routine. He joined Team 1-1, a small unit of warriors inserted by helicopter, truck, or boat into potentially lethal situations in the Mekong Delta. Most missions were interesting but uneventful, Thayer writes, but his team also captured Viet Cong guerrillas; conducted reconnaissance missions that ended in firefights; set ambushes as hunter/killer teams; and fought pitched battles against NVA regulars. The Rangers used a variety of weapons to suit their missions. Some of those were conducted in a jungle environment but most were out in the open among paddy fields and along riverbank villages. Vietnamese PRUs sometimes went with the LRPs and proved themselves able soldiers.
Thayer became team leader through attrition, and was awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star, which he paid for with a serious wound that earned him some time in Japan. When he returned, Thayer took to going on patrol in bare feet and wore a headband rather than a hat; he “looked more like a Mandalay pirate”. Thayer’s memoir also discusses his down time at USO shows, barracks life, eating a captured pig, and drinking beer, but he focuses more on the drama of Vietnam where he endured falling off a truck at high speed, fire ants, snakes, searing heat, monsoon rains, booby traps, enemy ambushes, watching comrades die, being wounded slightly but eventually severely, and a failed marriage. During the end phase of his tour of duty, Thayer began experiencing PTSD and recognized that combat had worn down his mental acuity and self-confidence and that luck played a large part in his survival. While on compassionate leave, Thayer was assigned to a training unit. After more surgery, Thayer left the army for a career in law enforcement.
Tango 1-1 is more than a personal memoir, but a homage to Thayer’s unit and the men he fought alongside. While the usual Vietnam tropes of heat and smell and culture-shock are in the book, Thayer avoids the sometimes wearisome ‘literature’ of the Vietnam War to tell straightforward stories of men in combat, although why he opted for simple chapter headings rather than give his stories titles eludes this reviewer. In addition, the blurb taken directly from a Stars & Stripes propaganda piece on Rangers does him no favours by casting some doubt on the veracity of his experiences. Nevertheless, Thayer’s memoir is testimony to the real courage these men displayed in alien conditions against a tenacious enemy. Those interested in Vietnam, and in particular LRPs and their tactics will enjoy Thayer’s memoir and learn a lot from it.
Thayer was already a soldier when he re-enlisted to fight in Vietnam, but he had never seen combat. He was familiar with the routines of army life, though service in the LRP was anything but routine. He joined Team 1-1, a small unit of warriors inserted by helicopter, truck, or boat into potentially lethal situations in the Mekong Delta. Most missions were interesting but uneventful, Thayer writes, but his team also captured Viet Cong guerrillas; conducted reconnaissance missions that ended in firefights; set ambushes as hunter/killer teams; and fought pitched battles against NVA regulars. The Rangers used a variety of weapons to suit their missions. Some of those were conducted in a jungle environment but most were out in the open among paddy fields and along riverbank villages. Vietnamese PRUs sometimes went with the LRPs and proved themselves able soldiers.
Thayer became team leader through attrition, and was awarded numerous medals, including the Silver Star, which he paid for with a serious wound that earned him some time in Japan. When he returned, Thayer took to going on patrol in bare feet and wore a headband rather than a hat; he “looked more like a Mandalay pirate”. Thayer’s memoir also discusses his down time at USO shows, barracks life, eating a captured pig, and drinking beer, but he focuses more on the drama of Vietnam where he endured falling off a truck at high speed, fire ants, snakes, searing heat, monsoon rains, booby traps, enemy ambushes, watching comrades die, being wounded slightly but eventually severely, and a failed marriage. During the end phase of his tour of duty, Thayer began experiencing PTSD and recognized that combat had worn down his mental acuity and self-confidence and that luck played a large part in his survival. While on compassionate leave, Thayer was assigned to a training unit. After more surgery, Thayer left the army for a career in law enforcement.
Tango 1-1 is more than a personal memoir, but a homage to Thayer’s unit and the men he fought alongside. While the usual Vietnam tropes of heat and smell and culture-shock are in the book, Thayer avoids the sometimes wearisome ‘literature’ of the Vietnam War to tell straightforward stories of men in combat, although why he opted for simple chapter headings rather than give his stories titles eludes this reviewer. In addition, the blurb taken directly from a Stars & Stripes propaganda piece on Rangers does him no favours by casting some doubt on the veracity of his experiences. Nevertheless, Thayer’s memoir is testimony to the real courage these men displayed in alien conditions against a tenacious enemy. Those interested in Vietnam, and in particular LRPs and their tactics will enjoy Thayer’s memoir and learn a lot from it.
October 8, 2025
An incredibly solid, if short, recollection of one man's Vietnam experience in a specialised squad I was unfamiliar with. The author maintained my interest with his writing style.
March 7, 2020
I've read Tango 1-1 a book about the 9th Infantry Division LRPs in the Vietnam Delta by Jim Thayer. I have to thank Pen & Sword and Netgalley for making it available to me. I find it interesting reading about this conflict for some reason. This is somewhat different from most books about this war and the men who fought it. I can only recommend it for those interested in military history and the Vietnam war.
August 7, 2024
This is a very good book for anyone interested in the history of the men fighting in Vietnam. Still, most people don’t talk about this war that much but I do for I had an uncle who did two tours over there and a cousin who was a helicopter pilot. This story is about men from the 9th infantry who were volunteers for LRP long-range patrol. The activities that they did and the different actions that they were involved in. I found Thayer’s story one I could relate to in that it was similar to my uncle in that he did a lot of the similar stuff fighting in the Delta some of the other things getting a divorce years later and then getting into law enforcement. Overall a good book and one that should be read.
August 21, 2024
Excellent book about one man's year spent in Vietnam as a member of an LRP. Some of his stories are hair-raising while others are tragic or even funny. Thayer spends some time reflecting back on what the war was doing to him and how his time in combat took a toll not just physically but mentally as well.
Certainly, you get the sense Thayer is retelling events that happened so long ago that the details of events and people have been lost to time, but he definitely captures and conveys the feelings of intensity, fear, and euphoria from performing all those dangerous missions. I found it an easy, quick, and enjoyable read overall.
Certainly, you get the sense Thayer is retelling events that happened so long ago that the details of events and people have been lost to time, but he definitely captures and conveys the feelings of intensity, fear, and euphoria from performing all those dangerous missions. I found it an easy, quick, and enjoyable read overall.
August 27, 2025
This was an enjoyable, though fairly short, read. I'd give it a 3.5
My only real gripe is that it didn’t bring much new information to the table for me personally. Other than the stories of course and some facts. It did not touch me in any new way other than seeing what I believe "Forever War" already addressed in a much more universal way.
That said, I still appreciated going through it. If you enjoy military diaries and firsthand accounts, you’ll most definitely enjoy this one! If that’s not your genre, then this book will most likely not be an exception. For me, it’s not quite in the “must-read” category compared to some other books on the topic.
My only real gripe is that it didn’t bring much new information to the table for me personally. Other than the stories of course and some facts. It did not touch me in any new way other than seeing what I believe "Forever War" already addressed in a much more universal way.
That said, I still appreciated going through it. If you enjoy military diaries and firsthand accounts, you’ll most definitely enjoy this one! If that’s not your genre, then this book will most likely not be an exception. For me, it’s not quite in the “must-read” category compared to some other books on the topic.
October 12, 2025
When Duty Called
When duty and a misguided ( being polite here) government called, this man and his fellows answered, the government may have shamed their country but not these men, I am not an American therefore do not have the right to sit in judgment on the whole Indo China situation from back before WW2 but I would be proud and humbled to shake their hands. Please accept this review as that handshake.
When duty and a misguided ( being polite here) government called, this man and his fellows answered, the government may have shamed their country but not these men, I am not an American therefore do not have the right to sit in judgment on the whole Indo China situation from back before WW2 but I would be proud and humbled to shake their hands. Please accept this review as that handshake.
April 17, 2025
well written memories of a warriors time in LR Unit
The people who served in VN either SOG, %LURPor ZLRRP units were some brave young men. This story was well written, easy to stick with and a jo6 to read. Thank you for your. service SSgt Thayer
The people who served in VN either SOG, %LURPor ZLRRP units were some brave young men. This story was well written, easy to stick with and a jo6 to read. Thank you for your. service SSgt Thayer
April 23, 2025
outstanding
A true story of a warrior who gave his all. He learned to love combat but his brother’s in arms even more. If you want to really understand combat and the tension and risk a warrior undertakes, you need to read this story
A true story of a warrior who gave his all. He learned to love combat but his brother’s in arms even more. If you want to really understand combat and the tension and risk a warrior undertakes, you need to read this story
May 14, 2025
My husband was in the Vietnam war & it’s interesting reading about things he could have done. He died so I can’t ask him anymore questions. I know he was Special Forces. This book was interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
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August 11, 2025Excellent read
This book is very well written. It gives a great story of a brave and courageous young man growing up quickly and of his brothers doing the same.
Thank you to all who protect or freedom.
This book is very well written. It gives a great story of a brave and courageous young man growing up quickly and of his brothers doing the same.
Thank you to all who protect or freedom.
November 15, 2025
If you ever wondered what a tour of duty was like for a long range patrol (LRP) army ranger, this would answer those questions. A pretty quick moving personal remanence of the author's Viet Nam war experience. An easily read and thoroughly moving description of one man's courage.
June 5, 2023
Excellent account of one man's experience of guerilla warfare in Vietnam. I haven't decided if these guys were brave or just nuts!
March 10, 2025
Audiobook.
What should have been exciting and nerve wracking comes across as a little glib and maybe this is as much the reader's performance as the writing.
What should have been exciting and nerve wracking comes across as a little glib and maybe this is as much the reader's performance as the writing.
May 24, 2025
Awesome
Great read its amazing what these young men went through how could you not be impressed by their bravery and tenacity.
Great read its amazing what these young men went through how could you not be impressed by their bravery and tenacity.
August 22, 2025
LRRPs in Vietnam Delta
Realistic and personal, recommended to anyone that served with 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam and those stationed in Dong Team or Tan An.
Realistic and personal, recommended to anyone that served with 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam and those stationed in Dong Team or Tan An.
September 25, 2025
Near my AO
Just a very good read,loved it,I have been in those locations
I remember the locations but I was there a couple years later.
Just a very good read,loved it,I have been in those locations
I remember the locations but I was there a couple years later.
October 29, 2025
Better than some of the other Vietnam war memoirs.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews