Looking for recommendations on the above, Roh-gews. Figure it's time I read up again. A single-volume history would be good. Helpful if it includes Indo-China, but can always source an independent one.
Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow is quite good. You might also try A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan. This is largely about John Paul Vann, who was one of the key players particularly in the early, advisory stage; but it has a lot of information about the entire war.
784 AND 896 PAGES?! That's what you call history books. Cheers! Only so many times I can rewatch the old PBS series.
Slightly on topic. 12, 20, and 5, A Doctor's Year in Vietnam. I was one of the 12 at one point, after the good doctor had rotated back to the world.
Salute to Gunny, the one-legged Marine that save me from a factory job. I'm fairly sure he was the one that got me an invite to Naval Academy Preparatory School. (I declined. Officers don't swing .50s.)
Read Chickenhawk a long time ago, along with A rumor of war, If I die in a combat zone and Vietnam; the ten thousand day war. Seem to remember getting a book on the 1st RAR(?) in 'Nam from the local library as a teenager. Very pic heavy, a good book.
A Bright Shining Lie is a pretty remarkable book. You know how you approach something seen as a touch political/controversial with some caution? I did that with it, & was wrong. It's an entirely reasonable/fascinating/well-informed viewpoint that works well as a general overview too. Informs/helps with future reading, to the extent my copy has now fallen to bits. Every memoir read afterwards has lead to checking it to see what was shaping the situation a particular serviceman was in.
