Let me start this review by telling you I was eligible for the draft during the Vietnam War years. I was at Cal Berkeley when the government decided to eliminate the deferment for those of us attending college. My draft number was 152, which, it turned out, was low enough to be called up. I took the non-combat way out and joined the Army Reserve. But I, at least, was aware of the situation the draftees were up against. I definitely do not regret the path I took.
In Swift Sword - The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967, we get a very close, in depth look at a particular battle in Vietnam. My initial reaction was that there was too much time spent on all the details of the battle. But as I went further along, I realized that the author did this so that we could get a whole bunch of comments today from the soldiers who were there. It was very enlightening.
There were a lot of very interesting reveals about this battle and its aftermath. I guess you could say the list below has spoiler alerts on it. So, if you plan on reading Swift Sword, you might want to hold off looking at the list. But just know that you will be blown away by some of these revelations.
1. I liked that the book has sections which focus on the battle from the Vietnamese standpoint. 2. Soldiers from the United States and Vietnam met in 2009 in Vietnam. 3. Approximately 1000 soldiers were killed because their M16 rifles didn't work properly. 4. The U.S. didn't hold on to land they overran, which is considered to be a big tactical mistake. 5. I really liked that the book interspersed the battle scenes with comments made today by soldiers who were there. 6. I was intrigued by how many of the current comments questioned decisions by the commanders. 7. There was an enormous amount of protests when the soldiers came back from Vietnam. They were oftentimes treated poorly. I remember this very well. Since I've always lived in the Bay Area, I was able to see firsthand the reception they got when they came into local airports. 8. There were descriptions of reunions that were very touching. 9. I was shocked to learn that many South Vietnamese actually welcomed the North Vietnamese. They believed that the South Vietnam government was corrupt.
Do you want to know the inside story about the war in Vietnam? Then grab a copy of Swift Sword - The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967. You will hear it straight from the (many) horses' mouths.
