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  • The Village

    I just finished reading "Bing" West's Amazon.com: The Village: Books: Bing West over the weekend. It is the story of a single Combined Action Platoon (CAP) in Vietnam in the village of Binh Nghia, consisting of several individual hamlets and a population of nearly 6,000. For a year and a half, the Marine squad living in the village takes the fight to the Viet Cong (NLF) and eventually drives them from the village after discrediting their efforts to uproot the CAP. In the process, the Marines endear themselves to the village with their dedication and sacrifices - nearly half of the original squad members are killed in their efforts.

    The book is told simply in a narrative form without any strong linkage or attempts to analyze the larger picture. However, the book does make you wonder about how Vietnam might have been had we not fought GEN Westmoreland's big war. On the one hand, the book points to success that the CAP had against the NLF and to a smaller extent the NVA; however, on the other hand, it also reveals that even if the "shooting war" became a non-factor, we still faced a huge political handicap in finding a government that could represent the people (told through some anecdotes of the strong-arm tactics of the VNQDD in fixing local elections).

    So, while the book doesn't aim at the higher levels, it is brilliant in telling how it was at the lower level and illustrating that we had some success in fighting a COIN fight. In the end, even if you aren't a student of Vietnam or counterinsurgency, I'd recommend this story - it is a compelling story that showcases some of the best of what America has to offer.
    "So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

  • #2
    Excellent book!!!

    W

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