Name: Vietnam, a History
ISBN: 9780140265477

Stanley Karnow

A study of American involvement in Vietnam, from French domination to the final withdrawal of American forces, discusses the historical background, politics, military campaigns, participants, and consequences of American involvement

Vietnam, a History

Andrew John Kinney

This was the first book I read about Vietnam. I read it in 1984 while serving on active duty in the US Army with the First Ranger Battalion. The Battalion Commander, XO, Battalion Sergeant Major and several first sergeants were Vietnam vets. My father was on active duty during Vietnam, but only went there on TDY - he was a Major General at the time and was nearing the end of his career, so he did not have to serve a year tour. My god, what a shameful way that war was to throw away lives for nothing. This book is not the most accessible, but it is certainly comprehensive. If you want a quick way to understand the war, watch Ken Burns' Vietnam series. When I was first on active duty, so many NCO's and all the Majors and above were Vietnam vets, so I had lots of first-person accounts. How in hell anyone ever thought that the war, as prosecuted by the US was going to come to a successful conclusion, I do not know. I remember hearing from officers on base, as an 8 or 9-year-old, "Well, we won in Korea, we can win in Vietnam, too", which I later understood was false in so many ways. Korea is a peninsula (I served there in '82-83, by the way) with a waist about 130 miles across, and in 1950 there were virtually no trees in Korea; the Army could put 20 divisions across the center of the country, along with South Korean Army divisions, and create an impenetrable line with clear fields of fire that the Chinese could not breach. South Vietnam had borders over 1000 miles in length, covered in jungle. There was no way the corrupt South Vietnamese government was ever going to match Syngman Rhee's ruthless control of South Korea or his iron determination to survive. The whole Vietnam enterprise was doomed from the start. Kennedy was the last president who could have ordered a withdrawal, and maybe he would have. Once Johnson sent in the First Cav division, the die was cast, and the outcome was going to be disaster, and it was. I remember thinking, in the run-up to the Iraq invasion, "We're doing it again - what the hell is wrong with us?" I don't know the answer. My recommendation is that all politicians' children and grandchildren of military service age be put in the front lines on all future such adventures. Might calm those war hawks down just a bit.

Anyway, this is a decent history of the Vietnam War. There may be better ones these days.

Bouke van der Bijl

The part about the pre-American war is good, but then it becomes way too complicated. I’ve started watching the documentary by Burns and find it much easier to follow, and the visuals make the story come alive much more.

Vietnam, a History

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