Blackjack-33: With Special Forces in the Viet Cong Forbidden Zone

by James C. Donahue

“You have to react instinctively. In this game there’s no second place, only the quick and the dead.”   In Vietnam, Mobile Guerrilla Force conducted unconventional operations against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. Armed with silencer-equipped MK-II British Sten guns, M-16s, M-79s, and M-60 machine guns, the men of the Mobile Guerrilla Force operated in the steamy, triple-canopy jungle owned by the NVA and VC, destroying base camps, ambushing patrols, and gathering the intelligence that General Westmoreland desperately needed.   In 1967, James Donahue was a Special Forces medic and assistant platoon leader assigned to the Mobile Guerrilla Force and their fiercely anti-Communist Cambodian freedom fighters. Their to locate the 271st Main Force Viet Cong Regiment so they could be engaged and destroyed by the 1st Infantry Division.   Now, with the brutal, unflinching honesty only an eye witness could possess, Donahue relives the adrenaline rush of firefights, air strikes, human wave attacks, ambushes, and attacks on enemy base camps. Following the operation the surviving Special Forces members of the Mobile Guerrilla Force were decorated by Major General John Hay, Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division.

Genres: Military Fiction, War, History, Nonfiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lee Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donahue tell of his 14 days mission leading a team of Cambodian anti-communists 'behind enemy lines' is very well written and intriguing.
It's intriguing because thanks to a very both minimal and effective style, you can literally 'see' the scenes, and feel like you were there.
Donahue enjoyed what he did there, there's no doubt about it. He knew the crazy efforts and risks he was going to face, and yet he loved the jungle, he loved the men he was fighting with and had a certain felleings for risking his own life and the thrill of fighting too. Such a intellectual honesty is rare to find in any Vietnam memoir, which is the main reason I loved this book so much.
Then of course, sometimes the narration gets repetitive, but I have very few defects to mention about this fighting memoirs that I consider a 'must read' forany serious Vietnam-war avid-reader.

[Marshall Clowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very vivid account of a two week mission deep inside enemy territory. Unlike a lot of military science fiction, it's pretty obvious that Donahue has actually been there and done that. The tension is almost measurable at times, particularly when you realize how close proximity the enemy forces were. It's also an indicator of how dense the jungle was in the operating environment.
There's a bit of humor here and there, and no glorification or romanticism of combat, just a bunch of grunts patrolling through the jungle taking care of one another.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a personal story about an audacious operation into the heart of VC territory where no regular units dared enter. Selfless service, professionalism, and bravery abound. “Predictability was an invitation to sudden death,” and “It was the small things that made the difference between life and death,” encapsulate the essence of this operation. This book is full of useful and effective TTP that unfortunately some of which current PC driven ROE do not allow anymore. It reveals the value of small mobile counter-guerrilla units operating in insurgent territory.

[john egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into Sf ops that few people are aware of even in 2021. the indigenous Cambodians when properly trained were just as good in country as the experts attached to their units. this book is fast paced but would require a modicum of military experience to fully appreciate the deployments and tactics employed in rear gunner ops and snap ambushes. the medical side is to me 100% spot on as in the field treatment for wounded. great read and you can see the mutual respect within the herds.

[Frank Lassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leadership in war showen in this book

A very special book about the war in Vietnam and Combodia also it passes on to the younger people that in a war how important it is to listen and follow orders or you you could be the next to die. Knowledge and wisdom are two things you can never have enough of in a war.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a thrilling & captivating read. a very vivid & candid tale of combat. Its written from personal experience rather than being the carefully chosen words from a professional author. His approach is unique, some times a little repetitive, but in no way did that spoil the enjoyment of the book. Would highly recommend this to anyone who likes reading about Special forces in Vietnam.

[Jonathan Oosterhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with clear prose and astounding attention to detail, blackjack 33, details the life of the mobile guerrilla force in vietnam over the course of 14 days. There's no plot, no climaxes, or story beats. This is the real depiction of horrific warfare. Donahue more than manages to immerse you into this event with both wonderful and horrible descriptions of terrain, jungle, and warfare.

[Frank Topham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unsung heroes of Vietnam.

A fantastic account of special forces operating in South East Asia. J. Donahue writes and describes the atmospheres and tension which makes you understand the sacrifice that these men undertook.

[Lou Drendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving account of combat

This is a can’t put it down account of what the Special Forces were all about in the Vietnam War. An Amazingly detailed narrative of just one operation, it makes you really feel like you are there, and you understand why they really are SPECIAL forces!

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than average tale (non fiction) of U.S. Special Forces and their Cambodian indigenous troops in Vietnam, May 1967.

If a reader likes combat related action, this is a good book for you to read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating story, very interesting look at the Vietnam war

[Josh The Elfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most perspective changing book on the sacrifices of warriors.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. One of the best military nonfiction books I've ever read.

[John D Schuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story

A story of brave men who accomplished an amazing mission. What the did should be in the history books.
A fast paced read

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Or as I like to call it, the "Whack whack whack. Whump whump whump. Karoumph!" book (for all its repetitive sound effect interruptions to dialogue), it is a very effective and visceral description of combat, wounding, strain, and all the wages and gambles of life in a dirty guerrilla fight. The sound effects are at first odd and annoying until you see them for what they are; sucking you into the audio of that soldiers world until you know the (whack=M16, whump=AK47, Karoumph=bomb/mortar, ta-to-to=Sten, etc) sounds add a new dimension and you know what the soldiers know just by the sound what is going down without narrative taking a sentence to crudely catchup. There are few books so detailed about Vietcong tactics, traps, etc. and counter-tactics. That authenticity takes you closer into their boots. A stirring footnote is made in the pages of notes about the characters after-stories; almost all the Cambodians (pro south Vietnam revolutionaries) are eventually killed in combat after the book, if not then losing their families to the Khmer Rouge and fleeing from the death squads when they got home. It is the first time you got a glimpse of indigenous personnel, and you can't help but admire them. I at first was annoyed that these one-name people would be introduced pretty much ten pages before they were greased, but the fact was there was so much going on, it was about the only way to tell the story without getting bogged down into describing the whole platoon only to wipe them one at a time with little else in between. They were dropping like flies in the narrative and you rarely got to know anyone except as a segue to their grizzly end.

[Doug DePew · Rating 5 out of 5]

James C. Donahue has done an excellent job in "Blackjack 33" of capturing what it was like to serve in the jungles of Vietnam. His descriptions of both combat and the jungle are incredibly vivid. This book is filled with action from beginning to end, but what hit me as most authentic were the dialogues. His conversations in the book with his fellow American advisors and the Cambodians he served beside are remarkably real. He captures the bond of brothers in arms in a way that few other authors have. His descriptions of the various booby traps used by both sides are also enlightening. Besides Barry Sadler, we don't hear much about what it was like to be a Special Forces medic in Vietnam. Donahue fills that gap with extremely detailed descriptions of the medical side and the combat side of what he did.

I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in military history or what it was like to serve in Vietnam. It's a well written book packed with action. I look forward to reading more of Donahue's work.

[Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a near minute by minute account of about a month of time when the author was serving as a medic with Special Forces during Vietnam. It is extremely detailed, which I wonder about the details the author kept in a diary, as the book was released 30 years later. They are so intricate in-fact that they must be seared into the author's memory.

This is not the Vietnam that most men served in as it is about the Mobile Guerrilla Force that was made up of experience American soldiers and teams of Cambodian's working to regain their freedom from the Vietnamese.

I did not know before reading this book that large parts if not the entire Mekong Delta used to be a part of Cambodia back in the 17th or 18th century. This sets the stage for why the Cambodians were involved in the conflict.

The details in the book did get a bit gruesome in detail at times. They tended to match what was happening.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Blackjack 33’ vividly conveyed the James Donahue’s wartime experiences in Vietnam. Donahue’s focus on the American Special Forces (in which he served) was quite interesting in and of itself. But the tactics of the mission (a guerrilla raid deep inside the Viet-Cong/NVA forbidden zones) and the participation of ethnically Cambodian irregulars (trained by the Americans) made it even more so. In particular, I appreciated the author's comments on tense, but extremely important relationship between Cambodia and the United States during the Vietnam War. 'Blackjack-33' also explored another interesting, but neglected subject: the critical role American-trained Cambodian irregulars played in overthrowing the Cambodian monarchy.

[a.t.m. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and a great book detailing day today operations against enemy forces in scar south Vietnam.

The book wins you over with the details of life and death in the Jungle. Everything becomes critical and teamwork is essential if the team is going to survive. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know how special operations teams of the Vietnam era evolved to the highly specialized units of today's military.

[Steve Parcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good informative read.

Especially liked the empthasis on the in field medical procedures during the battles. Really gives you an insight in to the emergency treatment that was administered during fighting.

Also liked the explanation of how booby traps were set to inflict fatal and comprehensive damage. Not for the faint hearted.

Good summary at the end as to who was killed and what the survivors are doing now and after Vietnam.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of American soldiers working side by side with indigenous troops behind enemy lines. This first person narrative is filled with hair raising accounts of stalking the NVA behind enemy lines. Not filled with fluff it delivers non-stop action.

[ian porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Great read"

Wot these guys did is truly amazing an they where prepared to die doing it. These special forces really were special. An they deserve all praise we can give them. An be grateful we have soldiers like this. Truly a great book..

[Rick Vanbuskirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, don't put it down after he first 2-3 chapters gets very good the rest of the way. As an OIF and OEF these guys truly had challenges I could have never imagined! These guys are the true Hero's!

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, but then a little repetitive.

[Cooperbahr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the same reoccurring phrases and descriptions came up. The scenery never really changed, and the day to day life was very repetitive.

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vivid account from an unusual mission from the Vietnam conflict. Whilst not fantastically told, the story and accounts pull you in as you read the horrors of this war.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book, not novel like others (Illington, etc). Facts only.