A Tour in Chuong Thien Province: A U.S. Army Lieutenant with MACV Advisory Team 73 in the Mekong Delta, 1969-1970

by John S. Raschke

In the summer of 1969, as the Vietnam War was being turned over to the South Vietnamese, Lieutenant John Raschke arrived in Chuong Thien Province deep in the Mekong Delta, eager to have a positive impact. Recounting his assignment to a provincial advisory team of military and civilian personnel, this memoir depicts the ordinary and the extraordinary of life both inside and outside the wire--mortar attacks, firefights and snipers, hot showers, good meals and comradery, the life and death struggles of the Vietnamese people and the bonds he formed with them.

246 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2022

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, a disclaimer, I served with the author on Advisory Team 73 in Choung Thien Province, Vietnam, from 1969 to 1970. However, I unfortunately never met John during our time there since John was assigned to the Province Headquarters in the city of Vi Thanh, and I was stationed in Kien Hung District, one of more remote districts in the province.

At any one time, there only about five or six U.S. Army advisors in my district while there were many more in the Vi Thanh team headquarters. The only safe way for anyone to travel from Kien Hung to Vi Thanh was by helicopter since the roads were impassable in the monsoon season and not safe when the roads were dry. Therefore, I was rarely in Vi Thanh and never crossed paths with John. While we both were lieutenants, John’s background was in engineering, so his assignment was as Province Engineer Advisor while I was assigned as a district intelligence advisor with a program known as “Phoenix” which John briefly discussed in his book.

John’s book was a fascinating read for me for many reasons. It is a thorough and remarkably detailed description about the role of an Army Advisor in Vietnam. His recall of the details of serving as an advisor was amazing. Many of the situations that he described brought back things that I had long forgotten. Since John had a province-wide perspective, he answered some questions that I had wondered about. For example, John talks about several trips to my district for issues I was aware of, but I never realized John was there. He participated in the construction of a new outpost we were building just up the Cai Lon River from my Kien Hung team location. John even spent several nights at the outpost to help with the construction using his engineering knowledge, but I never knew he was there even though I had visited the same outpost as it was being built. At least I have pictures of me at the outpost because I had long forgotten about ever being there.

We both volunteered for assignments outside of our normal roles to keep busy and learn about the Vietnamese people. Part of this volunteering aspect was our young age and a feeling of invincibility. The usual advice for anyone in the military was always “Never volunteer for anything”. Many of our senior enlisted advisors were serving their third tour in Vietnam and had a more realistic opinion of this invincibility. We both were interested in the plight of the Vietnamese people with many years of warfare which dominated their life.

John and I have the some of the same feelings about the protests again the war at home. I always knew why we were there and what we were trying to accomplish. John and I also feel that we abandoned the Vietnamese people after the U.S withdrew, and we both still have regrets about our Vietnamese allies who suffered after the Communist North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in 1975. Many were killed or suffered extreme brutality. Many also escaped Vietnam under very dangerous conditions.

I finally meet John personally about two years ago at a Team 58/73 reunion in Springfield, Illinois. John is the founder, organizer, and driving force behind these reunions which have been held since 2009. John collected all the names of former advisors he could find through thorough research and word of mouth from other former advisors. Fortunately, I came across a website and John contacted me to let me know about this group. Without John’s dedication and perseverance, this group and their reunions would never have happened. I do regret not finding the group sooner because of feeling of comradery and the opportunity to discuss issues I never felt able to freely discuss before. Through this group, I also have been able to connect with fellow advisors I certainly never expected to see again.

[Michael Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a MAT Team Leader in a Province that borders Chuong Thien Province. I can relate to the author's experience. The RF/PF experience is one that is hard to explain. This is a great book, but I think it would be difficult reading for those that never experienced Vietnam. However, if I was still teaching, I would make it required reading in my history classes.

[Robert Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the authors first hand account. The descriptions offered a vivid portrayal of the conditions from scenes and sounds to smells and emotions. Well written and the photographs enhanced the reader experience.