Rating: 
Summary: My counterpart at Fire Base 5, My last mission in Viet Nam.
Review: I was the radio operator for B Troop fo the 7/17th Air Calvary. I met John Paul Vann at Headquarters in Pleiku where he review maps with my commanding officer. My last day in Viet Nam was with him and two other officers on Fire Base 5 in December of 1971. For this reason I take a very special interest in this book. Many details about Viet Nam are missing. This book tries to give a good picture of the confusion that results when a war that cannot be won. John Paul was like so many of the people that committed themselves to the Viet Nam war. Hopefully this book will lead you to others about the war. I would be interested in discussing this by e-mail.
Rating:
Summary: An eye opener!
Review: A truly fascinating piece of work which educates the reader about the causes for U.S. failure in Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant - A mandatory text in Management
Review: All senior managers should be required to read this text - the lesson is that those selected for greatness too early (in corporations or the military) often fail to learn how things actually work in their system. I compared this to my ten years in Shell, where bright people are taken out of the line around 30-34 to work with the leaders of the firm which then cuts them off from where the blood is invested, out in the field.As a piece of history, it shows how a "can do" culture can so easily march full speed into a deep bottomless bog from which escape is impossible. This applies to both business and the military. As a case study, Coles Myer Corporation in Australia has the same "can do" culture that shoots first and perhaps thinks second - from my two years there in 1990-1992. Retailers are too easy to draw into a battle where someone else makes the rules and choses the battleground, just as the NLF did in Vietnam. Read this book if you ever want to manage anything at all well, and despair at what was wasted in terms of people and opportunity Westmoreland and his fellow travellers of defeat.
Rating:
Summary: I`vw read other books but none as detailed and informative!
Review: I found that this story and the history of Viet Nam are very detailed with information, that til Iread this book, did not know about. The wars in Viet Nam need never been fought. All that was needed, was for larger nations to listen to smaller nations. Their resolve, desire, need, for independence. I learned that good intentions don`t always end with good results!
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent work on the Vietnam War
Review: John Paul Vann was a man who rose from incredibly humble circumstances, enduring a childhood that would have given Charles Dickens nightmares, to become a real leader and force in American involvement in the Vietnam war. Whats more, Vann seems to be one of the few, the VERY few, that seemed to understand just what was going on there. The book could have used some editing, and the writing was a bit sloppy at times, but Sheehan gives us an insight, through Vann, of the war that wrecked the American Military's reputation for nearly a decade after the conflict ended. Had America followed Vann's advice, we might have had a different ending to the conflict Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read about the Vietnam War
Review: I think my summary above says it. I am an amateur Vietnam War Historian with a sizable library of tomes. My library includes virtually all non-fiction -- from personal experiences of Vietnam Veterans to works on the historical and political origins of the struggle by the Annamese peoples to throw off centuries of foreign domination. Sheehan's book is a must read about Vietnam. It ranks right up there with the best of them, e.g. - "The Best and the Brightest" by David Halberstam, "Vietnam, A History" by Stanley Karnow, and another must-read from the most decorated Vietnam Veteran, David Hackworth, "About Face."
Rating:
Summary: Well Balanced Account of the war
Review: This is an excellently researched book and it is obvious that Mr. Sheehan thoroughly knows his subject. As other reviewers have noted the book ends when J. Vann dies and doesn't delve into the issues surrounding the winding down of the war. But, I don't think that detracts from the quality of the book. The only thing I was dissapointed in was that the writing was at times a little sloppy. This is surprising given the length of time Sheehan spent writing it and his experience as a journalist. I guess ultimately this indicates a weak editing job. But, this shouldn't stop anyone from reading it. What Sheehan does do well is present a balanced view of the issues surrounding the war interwoven with specific details from Vann's past that provide a good flavor for what the war was like.
Rating:
Summary: Serving in 1969 the truth is now known. An excellent book.
Review: The Vietnam War's truths are revealed and the lack of compassion for the people of Viet Nam and the American soldiers who served with pride. We can hold our heads up for completing our tasks as men and women, and not as losers. The soldiers did not lose the war, but the ego's of the Generals and their staff. If you served in Nam, the author clears the air for you. A great job of writing, and it helped me wash away the pain that clings to my soul.
Rating:
Summary: This book will really make you think!!!! EXCELLENT!!!!!!
Review: Mr Sheehan has done a fantastic job on a work which is complex and deep in its content. It is readable, yet it does require more than just a glance at its passages. For someone who is a "gen x'er" who was not "conscious" of the events at this time, this book taught me alot about why people are concerned today about "another vietnam." More books should be written in this style-- that is for a history of a period to be centered around a key figure like JP Vann. This work is very valuable.
Rating:
Summary: Best overall Vietnam chronicle ever written.
Review: This book should be standard reading for all officers at the Army War College. The book does more to illustrate the folly of fighting the new war using the last wars tactics. Vann sees in 1962 what the Pentagon crowd didn't see until 1972. This book, paired with Colonel Hackworth's "About Face" changed my opinion of what went wrong in Vietnam by 180 degrees. The story reads well as a history and as a biography. This is a book that is hard to put down and even harder to stop thinking about long after it's finished.
| 
