Riverine: A Brown-Water Sailor in the Delta, 1967 [Hardcover]

Don Sheppard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

One of the Navy's brown-water sailors--the soldiers who patrolled the Mekong Delta's Bassac River in hot-rodded cabin cruisers--describes his experiences during the Vietnam War. Reprint. PW.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the Vietnam War the U.S. Navy established a river force code-named Operation Game Warden whose mission was to deny Mekong Delta waterways to the Viet Cong. For the four-man crews in their 31-foot fiberglass boats powered with twin diesels and armed with 50-caliber machine guns, the action was almost continuous. Sheppard, who commanded one of the gunboats in 1967, here paints a picture of riverine warfare heavy in blood, prisoner torture and grotesque corpses. He refers to "our slum-clearance efforts," for instance, and describes a burning village as "a frighteningly beautiful display of orgasmic flaming destruction." He has the grace, however, to note that he found killing "a depressing business." Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Commander Sheppard actually did command a unit of the U.S. Navy's River Patrol Force in the Mekong Delta in 1967, but apparently the current breathless and melodramatic style of military memoirs has influenced him heavily and turned many of his recollections into hard-to-accept gory excess by turns embarrassing and mawkish. Though the book has interest when describing the activities of the PBR (patrol boat, river) force charged with the mission of denying the Delta waterways to the Viet Cong and halting their supplies, three serious faults make it ineffective history: a melodramatic style, a flood of dialog (much aimed at informing the reader), and an absence of dates. Thomas Cutler's Brown Water, Black Berets ( LJ 5/15/88) would be instructive for a broader view of the subject.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Presidio Pr (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891414258
• ISBN-13: 978-0891414254
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Riverine: Brown Water Sailor in the Delta 1967, September 3, 2009

By 

Thomas P. Stiller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Riverine: Brown Water Sailor in the Delta 1967: A Brown Water Sailor in the Delta,1967 (Paperback)

The history surrounding Don Sheppard is incorrect. Don was actually the Commander of RIVRON 5, Section 51, part of Task Force 116.1, the most decorated unit in Viet Nam. Don did not usually participate in patrols.
Every time he was on my boat PBR-39 was for a photo op. One time he was on the cover of the Navy Times with a flaming arrow starting hutches on fire with this primative device...bull...the guy not in the picture was behind me using a flame thrower, starting the fires. This is one of several instances for photo ops, the rest I will not indicate.

5.0 out of 5 stars Peace lover's handbook, July 29, 2008

By 

R. Brooks "Toyota Olympia" (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Riverine: A Brown-Water Sailor in the Delta, 1967 (Hardcover)

Don tells the story of working riverboats during Vietnam against the Viet Cong. Don is now gone but he was one of the good ones. This is the middle book of a three book series chronicling his service career.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed!, April 5, 2006

By 

Ronald Brackney (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Riverine: A Brown-Water Sailor in the Delta, 1967 (Hardcover)

For anyone interested in the Vietnam War, and especially the action in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta, this book

is a must. From battle action to humor to human interest stories, this memoir from an officer who was there is highly

entertaining and hard to put down. You won't be disappointed.