Customer Reviews

Force Recon Diary, 1969

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This is a great read. For those interested in small unit tactics and leadership this is a must read. The final chapters brought tears to my eyes because you almost come to know the team first hand in each mission only to read about their deaths in the last patrol; it is numbing. It is with gratitude to know that there are those who become warriors for love of country, to endure hardships and to look death in the face to sustain loyalty to their comrades and the legend of the Corps. Thank you Doc and Force Recon Marines.

This is a story about Bruce Norton, who joined the Navy and then became a
> Navy medic.(Corpsman)
> > He was assigned to 3rd Force Recon Company in 1969-1970 in Vietnam. He
> served with Alex Lee, who wrote his own book about commanding 3rd Force
> Recon Company.
> >
> > Norton, like the Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock, was raised in the woods,
> and learned to shoot and find his way around the woods as a kid. This came
> in handy in Vietnam.
> > He learned to shoot rats in the city garbage dump in his home town in
> Mass. They hunted at night, with flashlights taped to their rifle barrels
> to spot the rats.
> >
> > While in Vietnam, he went through a typhoon and was in the jungle, with
> his 6 man team. They tied themselves together, and to some banana trees to
> avoid being blown away by the 120 mile per hour winds.
> >
> > He was on patrols that encountered a bear on one, and a tiger on another.
> >
> > He lost several friends in the Ashau Valley. Alex Lee describes the
> Ashau Valley as spooky and filled with evil spirits in his book, Force
> Recon. Horton, on the other hand compares it to the Garden of Eden.
> > While in the Valley, he describes how he got very sick on water the North
> Vietnamese poisoned by killing a pig and throwing the carcass in a pond.
> Norton drank the water, not realizing there was a dead carcass in there,
> even though the North Vietnamese left signs on the nearby trees announcing
> this.(The Marines could not read Vietnamese)
> > The 3rd Recon Company was disbanded when he was there, after Gen
> Nickerson, who created the Company, got transferred back out of Vietnam.
> >
> > Norton notes the outstanding leadership in the Company. Alex Lee, Major,
> Commanding, had the Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Bronze Star, 3 Navy
> Commendation medals, Navy Achievement medal, 2 purple hearts. Today, Lee is
> still considered a genius at small unit tactics. Clovis Coffman, another
> officer won the Navy Cross.
> > Two of his best friends, died bravely in the Ashau Valley winning medals.
> Charles Sexton, won the Navy Cross in the Ashau Valley and Paul Keaveney
> won the Silver Star.
> >
> > Norton stayed in the military, leaving the Navy and made a career
> > of the Marines, and was a Major when writing this book in 1990.
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>

A friend of mine turned me on to Major "Doc" Norton's books about the Marine Corps, and I must agree, this Major can tell a great story! I served in the Marine Corps for 22 years and had just one tour in Vietnam. No one else can "bring in home" like this guy can. You feel as though you are out on patrol with Doc and his recon team in 3rd Force Recon Co. The best part is that he writes a sequel about his time in 1st Force Recon Company. If Spielburg had half a brain he'd make Norton's books come alive on sreen. It would be the Vietnam version of Saving Private Ryan. If readers are interesetd in "credibility" than here is a story of heroic young men in combat. Truth is better than fiction and this book proves it. Any Marines I know would be proud to have guys like Norton and his teammates, Bishop, Silva, Keaveney and Furhman, in their team. Where do guys like these come from? The are the legends of the Corps. A GREAT Book! Go out a buy it. That's an order!

This is a very sobering and informative account of the author's 1969 stint in Vietnam. The early part contains background on how the author joined the marines and became a medic. Later chapters recount particular missions into the DMZ. You get to experience the danger of what's it like to be part of a small team, sometimes just a few yards away from an enemy of greatly superior numbers.

This short work is extremely well-written, direct, and very interesting. The author provides great insight into the special comradeship within the US Marines.

I'm a new student of military history and I'm particularly interested in the Vietnam War. This book came highly recommended and I'm glad that I have read it. It is by far, one of the best Vietnam books I have ever read. I have recommended it to my fellow students. Major Norton has done a great job of telling the story of his Force Recon Marines!

Absolutely the most accurate book yet about 'Nam and the Marines of Force Recon. Doc Norton is an articulate, sincere and personable author. Semper Fi (expletive deleted)!

I've read both '69 and '70. This is by far one of the best books about real experiences in Vietnam that I have read. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. At one point I felt as if I was the one hiding in the bush just 10' feet from the NVA as they passed by! A real heart pounder!

I highly recommend any of Major Norton's books. This book is very well written, and provides an honest opinion of his experiences during his first tour in Vietnam. It also gives a good, personal look at the inner workings of Marine Recon teams in Vietnam.

Major Norton's easy and honest writing style make his books very hard to put down once you start reading them. He also does a great job of bringing the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of combat in Vietnam to life for the reader.

Most of all, Major Norton does an outstanding job of making one proud of all our fighting men & women who served in Vietnam; they did a great job and books like this one are long overdue.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to all who might be interested in the personal experiences of Vietnam combat, as well as for anyone interested in the extremely tough job of gaining intel on enemy forces in Vietnam.

If you need info on vietnam READ THIS BOOK. The detail of each mission is acurate to the last detail. One of the best books I.ve ever read.

I have read many war novels but this book is on the top of my list as one of the best most exciting books I've read. I couldnt put the book down. There was never a dull moment. All emotions were packed into this book. I recomend this book to anyone who enjoys war novels.