Rating: 
Summary: "The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness"
Review: Award winning author Neil Sheehan chronicles America's involvement in Vietnam by reviewing the life of legendary soldier, John Paul Vann. How this man, who rose from humble beginnings to become the equivalent of a major general, railed helplessly against the system that constantly proclaimed victory was eminent when the Viet-Cong were making gains daily, indicts American military and political leaders for deluding themselves on what was happening. His gloom-and-doom prophesies made many enemies up and down the chain of command. Unfortunately, he was proven correct.The story of Vann's childhood shows how this illegitimate son of an alcoholic prostitute became determined to succeed against all odds. It also showed how the seeds of destruction that ultimately ended his military career and his marriage, were sewn. Readers interested only in Vietnam can skip this part. As a divisional advisor, Vann observed that the South Vietnamese usually avoided contact and always left the Viet Cong with an escape route. Their deficiencies were graphically displayed at the Battle of Ap Bac in 1963. The Army of the Republic of South Vietnam's (ARVN) defeat and America's whitewash of it established the pattern that was followed throughout our time there. Clearly, we were headed for trouble. Vann was later forced to leave the Army due to a private vice that would haunt him throughout his life. This section shows how child abuse can affect an individual. If you skipped the part on his early life, go back and read it. As a military and later civilian advisor through AID, Vann never ceased attempting to sell his plan to power-brokers who could change America's tactics and give us a realistic chance to win. His advice was ignored until it was too late. The reader is left to ponder the question, what if this "voice crying in the wilderness" had been heeded? Where would South Vietnam be today? John Vann's tragedy is America's tragedy as well. Confronted by a political/military establishment that was convinced of its own invincibility after World Wars I and II, he worked tirelessly to show his leaders we could and would lose if radical changes were not made. His futile efforts at preventing that loss is an indictment of the system that failed to heed the warnings of those on the ground who actually saw what was happening. Every student of the war and every military planner should read this incredibly interesting account because, it could happen again.
Rating:
Summary: wkrc wcpo cpo
Review: What is the bright shining lie?
Calley Medina?
that c can type? or that type would garner a link?
the formaldehyde tupperware the eyeball the mushroom the
mind fogged lighter in the drawer
you have technology
they have tachycardia gun
how do you know phan
trust me.. i know
krc seems to have a homeobox generator
industry follow
big board solid in vietnam
how do you know phan
generator for adv. revenue only
artemis yahoo wait for personalized pleasure lever
homoeobox model
they are listable
that's all?
there must be hausing for vinny at least
we list scholarship also
what daedalus
Albright and TW Wright Albrink algol 55
that only cirucit on exchange... rest abaccus
trust me... i know
ok phan... you're in it for the Aldrich
trust me... homeobox dealer wait for no man
ok phan... you know i trust you
you smell krc ozone today.. trust your own nose
i know
Rating:
Summary: Did He Lose His Principals As A Result of His Opportunities?
Review: Neil Sheehan's "A Bright Shining Lie" is a compelling story focused on how one man lost sight of a truth the national was just struggling to come to terms with. Not only does Sheehan takes us deep into the life of a complex man with amazing clarity and a strong sense of balance, he does so in a fashion that makes it a real "page-turner".
Despite his numerous character flaws, the reader can't help but feel sympathy for Vann. He gave his life to the military and to a conflict he had once thought unwinnable, but at the terrible expence of his relationship to his family.
If you are looking for a great read about the Vietnam War, I strongly recommend "A Bright Shining Lie".
Rating: 
Summary: Bright Shining Bias
Review: Normally I give rabidly anti-Vietnam War books like this one star. In Mr. Sheehan's case, Ive ramped him up for two reasons. First, unlike most of his kind, he uses South Vietnamese sources and shows many of them at least a modicum of respect and sympathy. Also, he does an excellent job of critiquing the American War effort during the Westmoreland years.
In this novel, the author tries tell us of the folly of the American war effort in Vietnam by looking at it through the life of John Vann. Lieutenant Colonel Vann blew the whistle on the poorly thought out American war effort when he served as a military advisor in the early 60s. He advocated focusing on improving the lot of the average South Vietnamese over fighting Communists. He essentially believed that if rank and file Viets were happy with their lot in life, they would not help the Communist effort to take over the Republic of Vietnam. Sadly, the military bureaucracy ignored him. Vann retired from the military but returned to the war as a civilian advisor. He participated in the war from the mid 1960s until his death in 1972.
The best part of this book is the part that deals with Westmoreland and his predecesors' poorly thought out strategy. They thought that all they had to do was bring in a large American field army and kill Communists. As we all know, the plan was a disaster. Sure, they killed lots of Communists. But there was always more flowing down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Add to that, Westmoreland and company were sigularly uninterested in civil affairs. So besides not killing enough Communists, there were always sufficient recruits in the South who were disgruntled with things as they were. All an all a well crafted analysis.
Sadly, the rest of the book is worthless. Sheehan begins with the assumption that Ho and his murderers were the only legitmate leaders for Vietnam. Anything opposing them was futile (if not downright evil). If the subject matter didnt involve the deaths and enslavement of millions, Sheehan's inconsistancies would be hilarious. At one point he states the South Vietnamese Diem government was illegitimate because it took on the trappings of the old style Viet dynasties. Yet within a few pages of this conclusion, he states the Communists were the right people to lead Vietnam because they were descendants of and acted like the old style Mandarin leaders! Huh?!!?? Heres another one. Sheehan is harshly critical of the Republic of Vietnam Land Reform policies. Fair enough. There were problems. But he curiosly wraps up Ho's land reform program that led to the murder of thousands by claiming it was a mistake by Ho's underlings! Say what?? Mr. Sheehan, I hope youre reading this because I would like to educate you on something. North Vietnam was a police state. People didnt sneeze (let alone execute thousands) without permission from the leadership. Not only that, land reform based murders were commonplace in Communist revolutions.
Which brings us to another problem. Sheehan bends over backward to excuse Communist thuggery but cuts absolutely no slack for the South Vietnamese and their allies. A previous post notes Sheehan obsesses over My Lai but gives little analysis to the NVA atrocities in Hue. The systematic murder of thousands is described as a "stupid mistake" while the criminal actions of one American lieutenant violating numerous orders is characterized as shorthand for why the US war effort was illegitimate. Add to that, Sheehan tries to minimize the Hue murders as the actions of hot headed renegade Viet Cong. This is not true. The Hue massacre was done by North Vietnamese soldiers carrying lists of tagets likely drawn up in Hanoi. Heres another gem. Sheehan brushes off the Communist penchant for killing droves of innocent bystanders in shellings and terrorist bombings by noting they sent out warning messages. This in contrast to his harsh condemnation of US killing of civilians in Free Fire Zones (Gee Neil, the US gave warnings too you know). Oh and one more. Sheehan notes Ho and the Communists came into prominence after WW2 by murdering off all the non-Communist nationalists. He says this is okay because the non-Communists were trying to kill the Communists. Besides that, the non-Communists just werent patriotic enough. Isnt that special!
The book is also fatally flawed by its premise. Basically, it shows Vann to be a sell out. Sheehan does this by showing how Vann changed from his civil affairs focus in the early 60s to a "bomb them into the stone age" mindset by the late 60s and early 70s. Sheehan actually puts lots of evidence in the book showing this was a legitmate change but just cant seem to put two and two together. The fact is, by the end of the 60s the battle had switched from an insurgency battle to a traditional war against an invading army. Distributing high quality rice seed and giving land to peasants just doesnt stop North Vietnamese Army juggernauts very well.
Another problem is its behind the times. In particular it paints the North Vietnamese as free willed patriots and the South Vietnamese as illegitimate puppets unable to survive without the aid of foreigners. Its fairly common knowledge today that the Chinese had almost the same number of troopers in North Vietnam (conducting security and engineering work to free up NVA units for combat) as the US did in South Vietnam. Still, one would wonder if good old Neil ever wondered why all the equipment captured from the VC and NVA was stamped "Made in China" or "Made in the USSR".
A major disappointment. But then again what did you expect from a known pro-Hanoi reporter!
Rating: 
Summary: Vietnam War as Seen Through the Prism of John P. Vann
Review: Vietnam was a complex and divisive war, one which has had longlasting effects on American culture. Our longest conflict, it was an epic struggle in which the US tried to prevent the southern half of the country from being unified with the Communist north after the departure of the French in 1954. In doing so we ended up propping up a corrupt south that was badly fractured by ethnic, political and religious rivalries. Through the character of John Paul Vann, who came to Vietnam as an Army advisor in 1962 and was finally shipped home in a coffin after he repulsed a large North Vietnamese force in 1972, Sheehan reveals the tainted struggle over Vietnam that he witnessed as a journalist and as a close friend of the brilliant, brave and fatally compulsive Vann.
Rating:
Summary: "The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness"
Review: Award winning author Neil Sheehan chronicles America's involvement in Vietnam by reviewing the life of legendary soldier, John Paul Vann. How this man, who rose from humble beginnings to become the equivalent of a major general, railed helplessly against the system that constantly proclaimed victory was eminent when the Viet-Cong were making gains daily, indicts American military and political leaders for deluding themselves on what was happening. His gloom-and-doom prophesies made many enemies up and down the chain of command. Unfortunately, he was proven correct. The story of Vann's childhood shows how this illegitimate son of an alcoholic prostitute became determined to succeed against all odds. It also showed how the seeds of destruction that ultimately ended his military career and his marriage, were sewn. Readers interested only in Vietnam can skip this part. As a divisional advisor, Vann observed that the South Vietnamese usually avoided contact and always left the Viet Cong with an escape route. Their deficiencies were graphically displayed at the Battle of Ap Bac in 1963. The Army of the Republic of South Vietnam's (ARVN) defeat and America's whitewash of it established the pattern that was followed throughout our time there. Clearly, we were headed for trouble. Vann was later forced to leave the Army due to a private vice that would haunt him throughout his life. This section shows how child abuse can affect an individual. If you skipped the part on his early life, go back and read it. As a military and later civilian advisor through AID, Vann never ceased attempting to sell his plan to power-brokers who could change America's tactics and give us a realistic chance to win. His advice was ignored until it was too late. The reader is left to ponder the question, what if this "voice crying in the wilderness" had been heeded? Where would South Vietnam be today? John Vann's tragedy is America's tragedy as well. Confronted by a political/military establishment that was convinced of its own invincibility after World Wars I and II, he worked tirelessly to show his leaders we could and would lose if radical changes were not made. His futile efforts at preventing that loss is an indictment of the system that failed to heed the warnings of those on the ground who actually saw what was happening. Every student of the war and every military planner should read this incredibly interesting account because, it could happen again.
Rating:
Summary: a must read for all
Review: Being in my early thirties, as with most of my peers, I did not learn much about Viet Nam in school. This book sheds "a bright shining" light on the (mis)information and (un)intelligence that involved the United States in a "war" we had no business being a part of. This book provides a great deal of history about Viet Nam's struggles against "occupiers" from ancient China onward and a first-hand view of what was going on in there during the turmoil. There is a LOT of information in this over-700 page book, but it's worth the read and the attention one must pay to all the details.
It's also a good example of how out nation's leaders and military officials blindly engaged in war based on ego. It makes one hyper-aware to what's going on in the world now and how history could very well be repeating itself.
Om shanti.
Rating:
Summary: Where Have All the Young Men Gone?
Review: Neil Sheehan does an amazing job with this book. In my experience (for what that is worth), books by journalists often tend to lack depth--both analytic and empathic. Sheehan does not have this deficiency. This volume certainly deserved the Pulitzer it won. I have no doubt that John Paul Vann is the perfect focal point for the story of America's involvement in Vietnam--he was young, idealistic, committed, unaware of his own shortsightedness, and, both knowingly and not, part of a great big lie. It is amazing that, after the passage of nearly thirty years, the existence of a myriad of analyses of the quagmire of Vietnam, and the silent witness of a black granite wall in Washington bearing over 58,000 names, we still refuse to learn the lesson that the world is not as simple as we might like it to be, and that it is not so easily remade in our image. This book is a must-read for anyone starting to engage the subject of the Vietnam War, and, more generally, for those interested in how good intentions can go bad (and bad intentions only get worse). In addition, I would recommend Barbara Tuchman's "March of Folly." On a final note, those with a taste for cinematic adaptations of non-fiction might be interested in the made-for-cable movie from the 1990's of the same title. I thought it left some things to be desired, but it was, all things considered, a fair treatment of the book
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