Never Without Heroes [Mass Market Paperback]

Lawrence C. Vetter Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1996

FOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS OF HONOR,
THIRTEEN NAVAL CROSSES,
SEVENTY-TWO SILVER STARS . . .
In four and a half years in Vietnam, the Marines of the Third Reconnaissance Battalion repeatedly penetrated North Vietnamese and Vietcong sanctuaries by foot and by helicopter to find enemy forces, learn the enemy's intentions, and, when possible, bring deadly fire down on his head. Heavily armed, well-camouflaged teams of six and eight men daily exposed themselves to overwhelming enemy forces so that other Marines would have the information necessary to fight the war.
It's all here: grueling, tense, and deadly recon patrols; insertions directly into NVA basecamps; last-stand defenses in the wreckage of downed helicopters; pursuit by superior North Vietnamese forces; agonizing deaths of men who valiantly put their lives on the line.
NEVER WITHOUT HEROES is the first book to recount the story of a Marine reconnaissance battalion in Vietnam from the day of its arrival to its withdrawal. In Vietnam, Larry Vetter served as a platoon leader in Third Recon Battalion. He supplements his own recollections with Marine Corps records, exhaustive interviews with veterans, and correspondence to capture the bravery, and self-sacrifice of war.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

FOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS OF HONOR,
THIRTEEN NAVAL CROSSES,
SEVENTY-TWO SILVER STARS . . .
In four and a half years in Vietnam, the Marines of the Third Reconnaissance Battalion repeatedly penetrated North Vietnamese and Vietcong sanctuaries by foot and by helicopter to find enemy forces, learn the enemy's intentions, and, when possible, bring deadly fire down on his head. Heavily armed, well-camouflaged teams of six and eight men daily exposed themselves to overwhelming enemy forces so that other Marines would have the information necessary to fight the war.
It's all here: grueling, tense, and deadly recon patrols; insertions directly into NVA basecamps; last-stand defenses in the wreckage of downed helicopters; pursuit by superior North Vietnamese forces; agonizing deaths of men who valiantly put their lives on the line.
NEVER WITHOUT HEROES is the first book to recount the story of a Marine reconnaissance battalion in Vietnam from the day of its arrival to its withdrawal. In Vietnam, Larry Vetter served as a platoon leader in Third Recon Battalion. He supplements his own recollections with Marine Corps records, exhaustive interviews with veterans, and correspondence to capture the bravery, and self-sacrifice of war.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804108072
• ISBN-13: 978-0804108072
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Asia > Southeast Asia
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Strategy
  • #73 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Vietnam War

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, June 2, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Centtreville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Without Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

Well done,

As a former U.S.Marine and member of "B" Recon 65/66 I enjoyed reading this book.

We lost members of our company in April through November of 65, as well as a number of us WIA during our tour.

I realize that the author wrote about his experience and had to rely on whatever documentation that he was able to revew concerning our outfit during our deployment from K-Bay Hawaii, to Camp Schwab, Oakinawa and on to Viet Nam.

Aside from a few errors concerning "B" Recon, the book is a must read for any Recon Marine and those who wish they were.

Semper Fi,

Anthony P. De Bellis

(FIRST IN LAST OUT)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Line Company Checks In, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Never Without Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

I was a grunt in a Line Company with the 3rd Marines on Operations Taught Bow at Charlie Ridge, Hastings and Prairie on the DMZ.

We might have been a little louder than recon liked, but we carried about 50#lbs more on our back than they did and we were invited to their parties. He did make it sound like we were gate crashers!

An excellent book, "Home Is Where You Dig It". It is worthy of the saying, "From the outside, you can't understand it, from the inside, I can't explain it, Semper Fi.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It pulls you into the heads of the characters, August 6, 1998

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Without Heroes (Mass Market Paperback)

In a true story from his own experience, backed by exhaustive reseach, Vetter starts out sounding like a Marine Corps manual with names, places, dates, troop movements but quickly moves on. Going through the opening content is well worth the price as he gradually makes you more intimate with the real-life characters in the battalion. He makes his point over and over again interestingly and convincingly without being boringly repeitive. The text will bring tears sometimes and laughs another. The story is woven into the context of the times: the news media's reports, the political manipulations, the "high" command's good points and bad points; all convincingly. A good read for anybody who cares about what Vietnam was about at the ground level but, also, a must read for those who don't think they care. Vetter finds homeplate on at least two points: The American public's lament at the time that, "there aren't any heroes left;" and that the intelligence i! nformation was almost always there and good, but it didn't always fit the some of the generals' agendas. A good "keeper" in the shelf as a constant reference source for this aspect of the combat in Vietnam. Vetter summarizes his book at the end with the best concise statement written so far on what "Recon" is all about and how it should be used. It should be required reading by all who would be Marine officers at the US Marins Corps Basic School at Quantico!