Vietnam Primer [Paperback]

S. L. Marshal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1983 | ISBN-10: 031836168X | ISBN-13: 978-0318361680

The Vietnam Primer is a critique of U.S. Army tactics and command practices in the small combat unit, digested from historical operations from May 1966 to February 1967.

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

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David H. Hackworth

Hack's military career as a sailor, soldier and a military correspondent has spanned nearly a dozen wars and conflicts, from the end of World War II to the recent meltdown in the ex-Yugoslavia.

Currently a syndicated columnist for King Features (Defending America), David Hackworth is co-author of the 1989 international best seller, About Face, subtitled,The Odyssey of an American Warrior and the subsequent, Brave Men.

He also co-authored Hazardous Duty which has been a best seller all around America and is still on the shelves in paperback, in addition to Steel My Soldiers' Hearts, which has been a best seller around the nation. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 58 pages
• Publisher: Lancer Militaria (June 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031836168X
• ISBN-13: 978-0318361680
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,672,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the wait..., April 15, 2005

By 

Steven Cain (Temporal Quantum Pocket) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vietnam Primer (Paperback)

Hack's classic has been on the way back for some time now, and it's an essential purchase now that it's here.

Like WW II Special Forces commanders Chapman and Wingate before him, Hack realized that The Jungle Is Neutral i.e. it did not favor the Enemy. He set out to understand the Enemy and the realities of asymmetrical jungle warfare, with a view to being able to Out Guerrilla the Guerrilla. He succeeded.

I shall be buying a few copies for some of my Vietnam Vet friends, as a reminder of how good the US troops could be with the right leadership and tactics. With a man like Hack out front.

I agree with another reviewer that this would benefit any combat troops, whatever the situation they are being deployed to.

Perhaps the saddest thing to reflect on, is that even after Hack turned the hopeless into hardcore with his proven tactical innovations, raw troops were still arriving in Nam having been trained for a conventional war.

Outstanding.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Document on How to Approach the Vietnam Battlefield, September 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnam Primer (Paperback)

The number of people who have actually sat down and provided specific advise on how to tactically approach combat in Vietnam is exceedingly small. Plenty of literature out there on "this happened to us" or "that happened to us" but almost none on how to actually move and fight.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those heading to Iraq or Afghanistan, December 3, 2004

By 

Sam A. Fuller (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vietnam Primer (Paperback)

Yes. I know its called The Vietnam Primer, but many of the points and lessons in this book can be applied to the here and now. The advice on small unit tactics, the proper use of intel, setting defensive perimeters, communications, etc. should be read and reread until it becomes second nature.