The Hill Fights : The First Battle of Khe Sanh

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Summary: I fought on Hill 881 S and Hill 861
Review: A profoundly detailed account of what we lived through and the often bitter circumstances that we faced in combat. Murphy lets you taste the bitterness of circumstances gone wrong and smell the sweet victory when it works well. I could never understand why we were given the M-16 rifle with serial no's that began with EM16-E1XXXXXXXX (experimental model) until the truth of the politics behind it was revealed in this work. They were next to worthless as originaly issued. The research on the book was exhaustive and done with a heart to reveal the truth without being mean spirited in conveying the truth. When Ed interviewed me and I had a foggy recollection, he challenged me with facts that made the memory come clear or proved to me that I was not recalling it correctly. Brilliant insight into why we fought some of the battles we fought and who thought we had to fight over what turf and why. The names in print alongside mine are all correct, a testament to the authors thoroughness. He did a good job weaving our comments together into an integrated story that is exciting to read. I've enjoyed reading it and still go back to it. Have given it as a gift on several ocasions.

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Summary: A Story That Needed To Be Told
Review: A well written account of the events taking place around Khe Sanh in the Spring of 1967.
However some errors were noted in the accounts of actions taking place leading up to the Hill Fights and that made the whole book suspect for me..

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Summary: Forgotten in the Longrass
Review: At last some daylight comes to this forgotten chapter of marine corps history. The 3/3 marines were rendered combat ineffective by this series of vicious and wicked fights north of Khe Sanh. The very tool (M-16) the marines were given to do the job jammed after several hundred rounds were fired. Although this book does not go into exacting details for the failure of the M-16 rifle, it does an excellent cover of the men involved in the fighting. Be not deceived, marines are trained to clean their rifles as needed. I am glad to hear that the U.S. Marine Corps is finally giving the men who fought these battles the long overdue recognition they so richly deserve. My brother Thomas Wheeler and the 3/3 marines, fought hard for their lives on those lonely hills north of Khe Sanh not so long ago. This book indeed does justice to the men who did the job they were told to do not so long ago.

Rating:
Summary: Forgotten in the Longrass
Review: At last some daylight comes to this forgotten chapter of marine corps history. The 3/3 marines were rendered combat ineffective by this series of vicious and wicked fights north of Khe Sanh. The very tool (M-16) the marines were given to do the job jammed after several hundred rounds were fired. Although this book does not go into exacting details for the failure of the M-16 rifle, it does an excellent cover of the men involved in the fighting. Be not deceived, marines are trained to clean their rifles as needed. I am glad to hear that the U.S. Marine Corps is finally giving the men who fought these battles the long overdue recognition they so richly deserve. My brother Thomas Wheeler and the 3/3 marines, fought hard for their lives on those lonely hills north of Khe Sanh not so long ago. This book indeed does justice to the men who did the job they were told to do not so long ago.

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Summary: The heroes of the Hill Fights finally get recogonition
Review: Edward F Murphy delivers his finest book yet about a battle that has long been over shadowed by the siege of Khe Sanh. I've waited for this book to come out a long time and I wasn't disappointed. His writing style is sharper and more intimate than his already great previous works. He is now on the level of Keith William Nolan. Edward F Murphy has now written some of the finest books on the Vietnam war.
The Hill Fights starts off with a bang and masterfully chronicles some of the heaviest fighting in the Vietnam war.
Khe Sanh was a special forces base until NVA activity in the area heated up. Westmoreland doesn't want the base to fall like the Ashau valley base did in 1966 so Marines get the call to go and prop up the base. Marines arrived at Khe Sanh Combat base and slowly take over. The infiltrating NVA intially lay low and the Marines had little luck in pinpointing them. The spring of 1967 turns deadly as the NVA decides to take a stand. On Hill 861 the entrenched NVA ambush a platoon of Marines. Low on ammo and in harsh terrain the Marines fight hard. Sadly the Marines are commited piecemeal and suffer heavy casulties before taking Hill 861. The Marines suffered 24 KIA, 46 WIA, and 8 MIA taking this hill that over looked the Khe Sanh combat base. Battalions of Marines arrived as reinforcements and they set out clearing the NVA out of the area. Hills 881 South and 881 North were assaulted next. Brutal combat takes place as the NVA holds it's own against the elite Marines. Finally the Marines superior firepower, training, and will to win allows the brave Marines to defeat the NVA. After 12 days of battle 168 Marines and Navy corpsman were KIA, 443 were wounded. 2 Marines were also MIA. The NVA lost 824 dead & 551 probably killed. Finally the hills fights were over and those that were there would never forget. One of the problems that hindered the Marines was the M16 which jammed much too frequently. Much blood was shed by dead and wounded Marines before the weapon would be fixed. The Khe Sanh area would grow relatively quiet until the well documented 77 day siege the following year.
The Hill Fights was one of the biggest battles in the Vietnam war and now can no longer be overlooked by history. This is a fine book and a must have for those into the Vietnam war or for those curious as to what it was like.

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Summary: Forgotten battles and deaths
Review: This is a book from the fire team, squad and platoon viewpoint of vicious fighting and death. The book covers events in 1967 of fighting in the hills surrounding the Khe Sanh airbase. The author provides a brief overview of how the Marines got into the Khe Sanh area at the insistence of General Westmoreland, MACV Commander. And the problems that move caused for the Marines fighting a long way from their support in difficult terrain. Most of the book provides in great detail the actions by individuals, NCOs and junior officers of their terrible hardships and blood shed in those hills and jungle. The author also covers the serious problems the Marines had with their M16 rifles which had just been introduced into the field prior to the Hill Fights. Thirty-six years later the M16 works a lot better in combat, but in 1967 it failed our Marines in the hills. The appendix provides a short bio of the key individuals mentioned and what happened to them after the fighting in their later years.