Utter's Battalion: 2/7 Marines in Vietnam, 1965-66 [Mass Market Paperback]

Alex Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2000

In May 1965, the entire 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment--lock, stock, and barrel--embarked for Vietnam.
Captain Alex Lee was there. . . .

Now combat-veteran Marine captain Alex Lee brings to gritty life the full tour of 2/7. From the search-and-destroy missions to the sudden violent ambushes in the hills and valleys west of Qui Nhon, Lee describes how Marines battled monsoons, malaria, and the enemy as they crept through terrain infested with Viet Cong caves and hideouts.

After paving the way in Qui Nhon for the arrival of more American military, 2/7 was assigned to Chu Lai, where the battalion fought its most bitter, deadly battles. With the scalding ring of truth, Lee captures the conditions of the bone-weary 2/7 Marines as they slogged through jungles and spent night after night in dreary, rain-filled foxholes.

Although they faced a life of constant danger and occasional mindless confusion, in their seemingly endless marathon of effort, agony, and sacrifice, the Marines of 2/7 never faltered, never stopped giving their best.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In May 1965, the entire 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment--lock, stock, and barrel--embarked for Vietnam.
Captain Alex Lee was there. . . .

Now combat-veteran Marine captain Alex Lee brings to gritty life the full tour of 2/7. From the search-and-destroy missions to the sudden violent ambushes in the hills and valleys west of Qui Nhon, Lee describes how Marines battled monsoons, malaria, and the enemy as they crept through terrain infested with Viet Cong caves and hideouts.

After paving the way in Qui Nhon for the arrival of more American military, 2/7 was assigned to Chu Lai, where the battalion fought its most bitter, deadly battles. With the scalding ring of truth, Lee captures the conditions of the bone-weary 2/7 Marines as they slogged through jungles and spent night after night in dreary, rain-filled foxholes.

Although they faced a life of constant danger and occasional mindless confusion, in their seemingly endless marathon of effort, agony, and sacrifice, the Marines of 2/7 never faltered, never stopped giving their best.

About the Author

Lt. Col. Alex Lee retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1978 after a twenty-seven-year career. As an infantryman he held commands ranging from rifle and machine-gun platoons and rifle-company-level assignments to a tour of duty as commanding officer of 3d Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. In combat operations in Vietnam, he commanded two rifle companies and a force reconnaissance company. His staff duties included two tours at the Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., during which he implemented new techniques to improve the equipment-acquisitions process and created a doctrine-based combat-readiness evaluation system.

A graduate of Stanford University and a fifth-generation Californian, he resides in Alpine, California, with his wife and three sons. He is also the author of Force Recon Command: 3rd Force Recon Company in Vietnam, 1969-70.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (January 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804116385
• ISBN-13: 978-0804116381
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #876,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > World > 20th Century
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Strategy
  • #90 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > 20th Century

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utter's Battalion by A. Lee, Lt. Col. USMC (ret), January 16, 2000

By 

JD CONROY JR. D.O. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Utter's Battalion: 2/7 Marines in Vietnam, 1965-66 (Mass Market Paperback)

This work is classic A.Lee. A human drama of the life of a Marine Battalion in training and in combat. This is required reading for any Marine officer in a line Battalion to understand what is expected and the difficulties of functioning in the fog of war. More importantly is the description of how professional Marines continue to function and to fight under deplorable conditions even when the senior leadership and the political leaders have not a clue of the real expense in terms of body bags being sent home. One has the feel of the fear, the closeness of the Marines and the and the futility of fighting with your hands tied. These young Marines went to war under the orders of our goverment and Lee caputures the heart and soul of how a Batalion is the home of the spirit of the Marine Corps. Survial and duty based on the Marine you work with and not the politicians far away. A.Lee later became CO 3/1 1st Mar Div where I served under him as a 1st LT. I can say that the reverence that A. Lee felt to Lt. Col. Utter was the same reverence felt by all the Marines in 3/1 to A.Lee. He demomstrated the highest integrety, fairness,and was always looking out for the individual Marine who, in the end, does the dying for this country. Utter would be proud of Lee's Battalion

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family History, July 19, 2000

By 

"jjshort" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Utter's Battalion: 2/7 Marines in Vietnam, 1965-66 (Mass Market Paperback)

This, to me and to any number of Marines who served in 2/7 is family history. Were we to gather around a dinner table and reminisce, these are the memories we would pass down. LtCol Lee has captured the very essence of a Marine infantry battalion - young men succeding in the worst of circumstances because of the love and respect they found for each other as Marines. As a young Marine I served with 2/7 from January 1967 to April 1968, a time just following the period covered by this book. We heard about LtCol Utter and the "gas incident" and couldn't understand the consternation of those without first-hand rifle company-level experience in Vietnam. We found a reel to reel tape whereon some earlier 2/7 Marines sang (to the tune of Ray Charles' "I'm Busted") "I write to my mom all about Vietnam, 'cause back in the states there is cause for alarm, old Colonel Utter has used the gas bomb, He'll get busted." This book is a well-written, very readable contemporary history covering the earliest days of USMC service in Vietnam. Well worth anyone's time to read; for contemporary Marines - a MUST read.

Semper Fi,

JJ Short Sergeant, USMC (1966-1973)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My father's history, May 6, 2007

By 

WJC (Charlotte, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Utter's Battalion: 2/7 Marines in Vietnam, 1965-66 (Mass Market Paperback)

All of my life I have wondered what my father's Marine Corps and Viet Nam experience was like. He served Echo company, 3rd Platoon under Cpt. FL Tolleson. Lee unloads, unfairly, on Tolleson in the book and takes certain liberties with after action reports, but my father said he was right on in the day to day descriptions. He remembered every single action described between July and Nov. 1965.

7th Marines were the last to go war on troop transports as a complete unit and make a beach head landing. Lee describes the journey to war perfectly. My father kept commenting on how accurate much of the book was.

Thanks to Lt. Col. Lee for filling in the gaps.