Marshalling the faithful: the marines' first year in vietnam [Paperback]

Charles Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1993

A dramatic account of the Marines' first year in Vietnam offers a soldier's perspective on the era at the front lines and describes their harrowing experiences with friendship, heroism, life, and death. Reissue.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Henderson is a veteran of more than twenty-three years in the United States Marine Corps, with a distinguished career spanning from Vietnam to the Gulf War, after which he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer. In addition to writing his own books and for various publications, he runs his family's cattle enterprise in Peyton, Colorado. His first book was critically acclaimed military classic Marine Sniper, which first chronicled the exploits of U.S.M.C. sniper Carlos Hathcock. He is also the author of Marshalling the Faithful.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Berkley ed. edition (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425139573
• ISBN-13: 978-0425139578
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,578,847 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a professional writer living near Colorado Springs, CO. Besides raising, breeding, and riding my quarterhorses, I love all kinds of music and movies. My taste ranges from Meat Loaf to George Strait, George Thorogood to Wagner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a story everyone thinks they know about, until now, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Marshalling the faithful: the marines' first year in vietnam (Paperback)

This is about a US Marine in Veitnam. A small man caught in a current that he couldn't recognize nor get out of. This book will challenge you, you'll be exhausted, perplexed, and asking why. Worst of all, you can see yourself doing the same. It's a very interesting work. One of the best examinations of Veitnam in several years.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Reasoner's Story, August 12, 2009

By 

fcb (Georgetown, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marshalling The Faithful: The Marines' First Year In Vietnam (Paperback)

I'm one of hundreds of people who knew Lt Frank Reasoner as a member of the West Point class of 1962.

Henderson's book is an extraordinary piece of work - a nonfiction account of the deployment of the 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division from Hawaii to Okinawa to Vietnam, as related by officers and men who served with Frank in the unit in 1965-66, but written in the form of a novel.

The book runs to a about 400 pages and documents a little over a year of unit history, but the first half is largely focused on Frank Reasoner's initial assignment to the battalion, his appointment to Company Command as a 1st LT, and his untimely death.

A lot of people got to know Frank when we were all cadets at West Point - but few of us saw him after graduation. Here's the way that one of his fellow Marines described Frank upon their initial meeting in a club on Okinawa:

"He stood no more than five feet six inches tall, and had his golden-brown hair cleanly cut close to his scalp in a flat-top. He wore sandals and white socks, white Bermuda shorts, and a bright blue Hawaiian shirt with bright red flowers printed on it.

"What caught John DelGrosso's eye was not the shirt, nor the Marine's short yet extremely muscular stature. It was the pipe. A pipe that nearly hid the man from sight. Not since Sherlock Holmes had he seen such a pipe. It began with a small black stem that the man clenched in his teeth, tapered out and bent down to the base of a huge yellow bowl that curved upward four inches. Had it been made of brass, he would have sworn that the man held a saxophone."

The first half of the book is full of insights into Frank's relationship to his men, his chain of command and his fellow officers - and the details of the mission that took his life. The entire book documents the constantly evolving nature of the early USMC mission in Vietnam, with perspectives on events and personalities influencing the conduct of the war for years to come - from the White House to MACV to CBS and beyond.

It's a great read.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, June 27, 2006

By 

Laron D. Shannon "estatesavr" (Bealeton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marshalling The Faithful: The Marines' First Year In Vietnam (Paperback)

my Father, a chopper pilot, was killed in the pre-'65 Vietnam era

Reading this book helped me understand what, where and WHY my Father was there. His sacrifice was not in vain!

Semper Fi

Laron D Shannon