COAST GUARD ACTION IN VIETNAM (Paperback)

~ PAUL SCOTTI (Author) "Most military exploits sleep in forgotten files or dwell in the fading memories of living participants, unless a symbol saves a deed from institutional bondage..." (more)
Key Phrases: Coast Guard, Viet Cong, South Vietnam (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Both a detailed after-action report and maritime war story of high adventure... -- Kent E. Fischer, LCDR, U.S. Coast Guard

Product Description

A well-crafted and engaging history of the Coast Guard's unusual and dangerous involvement in Vietnam. From the haunting account of the Air Force's accidental and fatal attack on the Coast Guard patrol boat Point Welcome, to the gripping description of sea battles with North Vietnamese gunrunners, Scotti leads his readers on an exciting sortie into the little-known world of the Coast Guard in Vietnam. Includes photos and a well-researched historical overview of perhaps the least-understood branch of the military.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Hellgate Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555715281
• ISBN-13: 978-1555715281
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,083,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Been there, done that!, November 16, 2001

By	Christopher Wood "Vietnam Veteran" (Stafford Springs, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a CG Vietnam veteran having served aboard the CG Cutter Chase, CG Squadron 3 in 1969-70. Paul Scotti's book is the definitive book about the CG operations in Vietnam. Paul gets you up front and personal to the point you can smell the smoke and hear the gunfire. His book vividly describes the everyday life of a Coastie in Vietnam be it on the water, in the air or at the base and will touch your hearts as you read not only about combat but about the many humanitarianism projects that the folks back home never new about. After reading this book you will realize just how important and diverse our Coast Guard is and have a new respect for the brave men and women of our oldest "Naval" military service. "I know, I was there". Read this book and you'll be there too!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Whole New Take on the Vietnam War at Sea., November 7, 2003

By	Gregory Canellis "Student of military history... (Tuckerton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In peacetime, the invaluable service provided by our nation's fifth branch of the armed forces, the United States Coast Guard is certainly well known. Especially after 9/11, the Coast Guard shoulders the responsibility for protecting thousands of miles of coast line. Commercial and pleasure craft alike can count on the Coast Guard to respond to any distress in foul weather and in fair. It is befitting that President George W. Bush had recently bestowed such praise on the men and women that serve in the United States Coast Guard. In wartime, however, the accomplishments of the Coast Guard are often over-shadowed by the other branches of the service. Nowhere is this oversight more glaring than the Coast Guard's participation in America's involvement in Vietnam. In _Coast Guard Action in Vietnam: Stories of Those Who Served_, Paul C. Scotti provides a remedy for this omission with an engaging narrative of a little known chapter in the Vietnam conflict. Scotti blends organizational, operational and oral histories splendidly in a fast-paced account that never gets bogged down in jargon. The author thoroughly outlines the five-fold mission of the U.S. Coast Guard in Vietnam: interdicting enemy supply lines at sea; providing security at South Vietnam's harbors and sea ports; implementing and tending to buoys and other navigational aids; ensuring quality control over civilian merchant shipping; and of course, conducting search and rescue missions. Scotti devotes a chapter to each of the five tasks while delegating others to individual combat missions. Scotti clearly demonstrates that it was the Coast Guard that squelched the North Vietnamese efforts the supply the south by way of open sea. It was the Coast Guard that brought efficiency to South Vietnam's chaotic and primitive harbor facilities, allowing merchant vessels to contribute to the United States mammoth logistical apparatus. And it was the Coast Guard that performed numerous humanitarian missions as well. Scotti writes from experience, having himself served as a gunner on an 82-foot CG patrol boat in Vietnam. It is this craft, the workhorse of the Coast Guard fleet, and the men who served aboard them that provides the nucleus of the book. Scotti became USCG public affairs officer and his observational and organizational skills as a journalist are evident throughout. Nowhere, however, does he allow unit pride to obscure an honest attempt at objective history. The book is generously sprinkled with maps, graphs, and photographs, many from the author's own collection. Numerous appendices containing historical and statistical data, bibliography and notes complete the package. One small criticism, however, it is regrettable that Scotti's work did not receive a hard cover edition for which it is certainly deserving. Reading Scotti's book will leave one with a whole new take on the Vietnam war at sea, and a whole new appreciation for our U.S. Coast Guard veterans. This book comes highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CDR USCG Retired, March 20, 2001

By	Harry Oldford (Winter Park, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

CWO4 Paul Scotti has encapsulated the 9 years of Coast Guard involvement in Vietnam to an informative, action filled, and sometimes suspensful narrative. Reading this book would be a great learning experience for all patriotic Americans. Most citizens have no idea what the Coast Guard does, or has done, away from the shores of the United States.

Smooth flowing and vividly informative, I would recommend it as required reading at all military academies. I completed a tour in "Market Time" in 1967-68 and was never aware of our full Coast Guard involvement. Best book on Vietnam that I have read, thanks Paul..5 Stars!!