I am a reference and history librarian at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, Tennessee. I have a strong interest in the Vietnam War. This
goes back to when I turned 18, joined the Marine Corps, and went to
Vietnam. Older and wiser now, my interest in Vietnam has
continued. This webpage has my Vietnam-related articles, book chapters,
encyclopedia articles, and book reviews. |
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"'Home is Where You Dig It' (Observations on Life at the Khe Sanh Combat Base)," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 4:3-4, 1992, pp. 94-98. My first article. This war story isn't about how I killed 17 Viet Cong with my bayonet while saving my best buddy's life. It's about rats.
"Civic Action: The Marine Corps Experience in Vietnam," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5:1-4, 1994, pp. 127-132. Civic action is the application of non-traditional military force; roadbuilding and police work, not infantry and artillery. The Marine Corps has a long history of civic action.
"The Khe Sanh Veterans Reunion," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5:1-4, 1994, pp. 53-56. These reunions are held yearly. I don't attend very often, but this one (1993) was a great experience for me.
"The Helicopter Road to Vietnam," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 6:34, 1995, pp. 77-80. Today helicopters are a fundamental component of the American way of waging war war. This article describes how helicopters became so important to our military.
"The Story Behind the McNamara Line." An edited version appeared in Vietnam, February, 1996, pp. 18-24. The McNamara Line was a high-tech barrier built by the U.S. in Vietnam Laos in an attempt to stop infiltration by Communist forces from North Vietnam into South Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese Marine Corps," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol 7:1-2, 1996, pp. 73-77. Mostly, the South Vietnamese armed forces did not have a good reputation. Their Marine Corps, modeled on ours, was an exception.
"The 109th Quartermaster Company (Air Delivery) and the Defense of Khe Sanh." An edited version of this article was published as "The Joint Effort that Broke the Khe Sanh Siege," in Army, Vol. 47, No. 5, April 1997, pp. 44-48. Describes the efforts by the Army to provide the Marines at Khe Sanh with air drops of food and other supplies.
"Big Guns of Camp Carroll," in Vietnam, August, 1997, pp. 26-32. Article discusses U.S. artillery doctrine in Vietnam in general, and the history of this important Marine artillery base. Camp Carroll was the first place I was stationed in Vietnam.
"The Withdrawal from Khe Sanh," The History Net [online], August, 1997
[http://www.thehistorynet.com/vn/blwithdrawalfromkhesanh/]. Describes how the Marine base at Khe Sanh, previuosly described as critically important, was quietly abandoned."The Unexploited Vulnerability of the Marines at Khe Sanh." An edited version of this article was published as "Perspectives -- Khe Sanh Could Have Been Another Dien Bien Phu if the NVA Had Cut Off the Marines' Water Supply" in Vietnam, August, 1997, pp.58-60.
"Another faraway war got a different response at VU," in Vanderbilt Register, May 3-9, 1999, p. 3. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News/register/May3_99/commentary.htm. A look at anti-war protest at Vanderbilt University during the Vietnam War.
"Uncommon Ground: Interservice Rivalry in I Corps" in Vietnam, Vol. 12, No. 3, October, 1999, pp. 22-28. In addition to fighting the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army, the U.S. Marine Corps also had a fight on its hands with the U.S. Army and Air Force.
"Aerial Lifeline to Khe Sanh," in Vietnam, Vol. 12, No. 4, December, 1999; pp. 30-37. The 1968 seige of Khe Sanh the longest and most bitterly contested battle of the war. Aerial supply was crucial to the defense of Khe Sanh. The US Army played a vital role.
"Operation Niagara." An edited version of this article appeared on Vietnam magazine's website, The History Net (www.thehistorynet.com) in December, 1999. Operation Niagara at Khe Sanh has been called the biggest bombing campaign in the history of aerial warfare.
"Reassessing the Viet Cong Role after Tet." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 14, No. 5, February, 2002, pp. 34-43, 64. The first editor of this magazine rejected my article on this topic. The next editor, General David Zabecki, agreed to publish it.
"Dissing Vietnam" in Viet Nam War Generation Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, April 2002, pp. 59-74. During the war the United States frequently described their enemy in demonic terms. Yet when compared to certain aspects of US history, the Vietnamese Communists appeared more rational in their behavior.
"The Ontos."An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 15, No. 3, October 2002, pp. 10-14. Ontos was a Marine Corps anti-tank weapon. Although it was never used as designed, Ontos did see wide service in Vietnam.
"Higher and Higher: American Drug Use in Vietnam." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.15, No. 4, December 2002, pp. 46-53, 70. Especially in the later years, the U.S. military forces in Vietnam had a serious drug problem.
"What Really Happened at Cam Ne?"An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.16, No. 2, August 2003, pp. 28-33. Morley Safer's television report on Cam Ne was the first big atrocity story of the Vietnam War.
"Dr. Tom Dooley." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 16, 64-65. In addition to being a national hero, Dooley was also a key instrument in the government's propaganda campaign against Communism.
'The Plight of "Elephant" : Laotian Army Battalion BV-33 and the first Use of Armor in the Indochina War.' An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 5, February 2005, pp. 29-32. The luck of this Laotian army unit was about as bad as it gets.
"The Buddhist Crisis in Vietnam." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 6, April 2005, pp. 18-24. The 1966 clash between Buddhists in Central Vietnam and the Saigon government found the U.S. Marine Corps in the middle of the fighting.
"Hating Jane: The American Military and Jane Fonda." Everyone makes mistakes, but Vietnam veterans won't forgive Jane Fonda for hers. An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 6, April 2006, p. 10, 54.
"Recounting the Casualties at Khe Sanh." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 1, June 2007, pp. 28-37. Khe Sanh was the most important battle of the war. The US claimed victory at Khe Sanh based on a favorable body count kill ratio. But since a close examination of actual American casualties shows they were underreported by a factor of five, the claim of victory is hard to sustain.
‘Khe Sanh in the Pantheon: What a New President’s Reflections on an Old Battle means to One Marine Who Was There.” This article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 22, No. 1, June 2009, pp. 50-51. In his January 20, 2009 inaugural address, President Obama acknowledged the contributions of several groups of Americans, including veterans of the battle of Khe Sanh in the Vietnam War. This essay discusses the significance of Obama's Khe Sanh reference to veterans of that battle and Vietnam veterans in general.
“Rise and Fall of the Dragon Lady." This biographical article of Madame Nhu appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 22, No. 3, October, 2009, pp. 32.37. "Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu's venom and vengeance set the stage for diaster and quafmire."
Book chapters:
"The Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968," in The Tet Offensive, Marc J. Gilbert and William Head, eds., Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996, ch. 12, pp. 191-213.
"The War's 'Constructive Component,'" in Vietnam, a Reader, David Zabecki, editor, New York : ibooks ; London : Simon & Schuster, 2002, pp. 85-96. History of the Marine Corps' civic action efforts in Vietnam.
"The Significance of Local Communist Forces in Post-Tet Vietnam" in Military Aspects of the Vietnam Conflict (New York: Garland), 2000, pp. 193-204. This is volume 2 of the series The United States and the Vietnam War : Significant Scholarly Articles, Walter L. Hixson, series editor. The article was also published in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall, 1998, pp. 67-78. In a previous article I wrote for Vietnam magazine (see preceeding entry), the magazine's editor said it was a valuable contribution even though my conclusion ignored "last seven years of the war during which guerrillas played an insignificant part . . . ." To defend myself I wrote another article describing how the Viet Cong did indeed play a significant role in the later years of the war. The editor, Col. Harry Summers, Jr., refused to publish this second article, so I sent it to JTWS, who did. I was quite pleased when Hixson included it in his series of significant scholarly articles.
Encyclopedia articles:
Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a Political, Social, and Military History, edited by Spencer C. Tucker (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO), 1998; articles on Operation Hastings, Operation Niagara, the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Marine Corps, the McNamara Line, contributions of New Zealand to South Vietnam, contributions of the Republic of China to South Vietnam, the Battle of Con Thien, and the Battle of Khe Sanh, (joint author with William Head). These articles appear in the one volume edition of this encyclopedia published by Oxford University Press, (Oxford, UK ; New York), 2000.Encyclopedia of the Cold War, edited by Ruud van Dijk (New York: Routledge), 2008; article on the Viet Minh.
Book reviews (citations). I will send copies of these reviews to anyone who does not have access to the publications they appeared in originally. Send me an email and I will reply with the review as an attachment.
No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam (Lawrence, KS, University Press of Kansas, 1992) in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5: 1-4, 1994, pp. 57-58.
Suicide Charlie: A Vietnam War Story (Westport, CT, Praeger, 1993) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, Spring 1997, pp. 252-255.
The Vietnam War: Handbook of the Literature and Research (Westport, CT, Praeger, 1993) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, Spring 1997, pp. 255-258.
Vietnam Above The Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports (New York: Praeger, 1992) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall, 1998, pp. 155-158.
Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a Political, Social, and Military History (New York: Oxford, 2000) in Choice, Vol. 38, No. 3, November 2000, pp. 511-512.
What Should We Tell Our Children About Vietnam (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, ©1989) in Vietnam, Vol. 14, No. 4, December 2001, pp. 50-54.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Vietrnam War (Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2000) in Vietnam, Vol. 14, No. 5, February, 2002, pp. 52-53.
A Study Guide to the Vietnam War (URL: http://www.refstar.com/vietnam) in Choice, Vol. 39, No. 5, January 2002, p. 861 (Internet Resource review).
Searching for the Good (Wilton, CN: Quaise Publications, 2000) in Vietnam, Vol. 15, No. 1, June, 2002, pp. 52-53.
Vietnam, A Visual Encyclopedia (London : PRC Publishing, 2002), in Choice, Vol. 40, No. 7, March 2003, p. 1165.
Top Secret : the Vietnam War : Confidential Files on the Siege and Loss of Khe Sanh (The Woodlands, Tex. : New Century Books, c2001) in Vietnam, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2003, pp. 52-53.
Vietnam: An Illustrated History (New York: Hippocrene Books, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2003, p. 53.
Why the North Won the Vietnam War (New York: Palgrave, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, pp. 53-54.
Diem's Final Failure (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.
How We Lost the Vietnam War (New York: Cooper Square, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.
Ho Chi Minh: The Missing Years, 1919-1941 Berkeley, University of California Press, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.
Marines in Vietnam (London : Greenhill, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 54.
The Vietnam War on Trial : The My Lai Massacre and the Court-Martial of Lieutenant Calley (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.Of Spies and Lies : A CIA Lie Detector Remembers Vietnam (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) ) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.
The Hill Fights : The First Battle of Khe Sanh (New York: Ballantine Books, 2003) ) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.
CNN's Tailwind Tale : Inside Vietnam's Last Great Myth (Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, 2003) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 5, p. 53.
Patriots : the Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides (New York : Viking, 2003) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 53-54.
West Dickens Avenue : A Marine at Khe Sanh (Presidio Press, Novato, CA, 2003) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 5, p. 54.
Britain, America, and the Vietnam War (Westport, CN: Praeger, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 2005, pp. 51-52.Down South: One Tour in Vietnam (New York: Ballantine Books, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 2005, p. 52.
Impact Zone: The Battle for the DMZ in Vietnam, 1967-1968 (Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2004), ) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 2005, p. 52, 54.
The First Battle: Operation Starlite and the Beginning of the Blood Debt in Vietnam (Havertown, PA: Casement, 2004) ) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 2005, p. 54.
The Last Valley : Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004), in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 4, December 2005, p. 50, 51.
America's Miracle Man in Vietnam : Ngo Dinh Diem, Religion, Race, and U.S. Intervention in Southeast Asia, 1950-1957 (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 5, February 2006, p. 52.
Military Medicine to Win Hearts and Minds : Aid to Civilians in the Vietnam War (Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 5, February 2006, p. 52.
US Marine Corps Tank Crewman 1965-70 Vietnam (Oxford, UK: Osprey, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 5, February 2006, p. 54.
Vietnam Veteranos : Chicanos Recall the War (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 18, No. 5, February 2006, p. 54.
Looking for a Hero : Staff Sergeant Joe Ronnie Hooper and the Vietnam War (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 1, p. 53.
Next of Kin : a Brother's Journey to Wartime Vietnam (Washington, D.C.: Brassey's, 2003) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 1, p. 53.
The Search for Peace in Vietnam, 1964-1968 (College Station : Texas A&M University Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 1, p. 53.
At the Water's Edge : American Politics and the Vietnam War (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 2, p. 64, 66.
The Deadly Bet : LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 2, p. 66.
Rattler One-Seven: A Vietnam Helicopter's Pilot's War Story (Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 2, p. 66.
A Patch of Ground : Khe Sanh Remembered (Central Point, OR: Hellgate Press, 2004), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 65.Our Brother's Keeper : My Family's Journey through Vietnam to Hell and Back (Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 65-66.
The Cambodian Campaign : the 1970 Offensive and America's Vietnam War (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 66.Eleven Bravo: A Skytrooper's Memoir of War in Vietnam (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2004) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 66.
Flying Through Midnight: A Pilot's Dramatic Story of His Secret Missions Over Laos During the Vietnam War (NY: Scribner, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 65.
Vietnam Today : a Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads (Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 65-66.Unraveling Vietnam : How American Arms and Diplomacy Failed in Southeast Asia (Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 66.
At the Cutting Edge : Cold War Campaigning with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos 1967-1971 (Charleston, S.C. : BookSurge, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 66.
Combat Corpsman (NY: Berkley Caliber Books, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 66.
Nam-Sense : Surviving Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division (Havertown, PA. : Casemate, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 66.
The Tet Offensive : Politics, War, and Public Opinion (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 5, p. 63.
Blue Lanyard, Red Banner : the Capture of a Vietcong Headquarters by 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment Operation Crimp 8-14 January 1966 (Maryborough, Queensland, AU : Banner Books, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 5, p. 63.
Battlelines (Lincoln, NE: IUniverse, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 5, p. 63.
Vietnam : the Chopper War ( DVD videorecording). (Eagle Media Productions, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 5, p. 63.
By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in a Time of War ((NY: Dutton, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2007, p. 62
The Vietnamese Boat People, 1954 and 1975-1992 (Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., 2006) in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2007, p. 64.
Wizard 6 : A Combat Psychiatrist in Vietnam (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2007, p. 64.
Over the Beach (NY: Norton, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2007, p. 64.
Terry Colt, Green Beret (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 62.
Fire From the Sky: Seawolf Gunships in the Mekong Delta (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 62.
Kamikaze Peacocks & Oink : Coming of Age in an Unfunny War (Lithia, FL. : Raja and Assoc., 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 62.
War for the Hell of It (NY: Berkley Publishing, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 62.
The Father of All Things : A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam (Pantheon Books, 2007) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 62-63.
Left for Dead : a Second Life after Vietnam (Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 63.
Raza Si!, Guerra No! : Chicano Protest and Patriotism During the Viet Nam War Era (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005), in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 63.
After the Killing Fields : Lessons from the Cambodian Genocide ( Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press, 2005) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 63.
The Lotus Unleashed: the Buddhist Peace Movement in Vietnam, 1964-1966 (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2006), in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 63.
Mud : A Military History (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2006) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 2, p. 63.
The Vietnam War (Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2007) in Choice, Vol. 44, No. 11, July, 2007.
Perfect Spy : the Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent (N.Y. : Smithsonian Books, 2007) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 4, p. 60.
Expendable Warriors : The Battle of Khe Sanh and the Vietnam War (Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2007) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 4, p. 62.
Special Agent, Vietnam : A Naval Intelligence Memoir (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2006) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 4, p. 65.
Wiring Vietnam : the Electronic Wall (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2007) in Vietnam, Vol. 20, No. 6, pp. 64-65.
Vietnam’s Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN (NY: New York University Press, 2008) in Vietnam, Vol. 21, No. 3, October 2008, p. 61.
Eagle Days : a Marine Legal/Infantry Officer in Vietnam (Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2007) in Vietnam, Vol. 21, No. 4, December 2008, p. 65.
Fighting to Leave: The Final Years of America's War in Vietnam, 1972-1973, (Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press, 2008), in Vietnam, Vol. 21, No. 5, February 2008, pp. 64-65.
Gunbird Driver: A Marine Huey Pilot’s War in Vietnam, (Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2008), in Vietnam, Vol. 22, No. 1, June 2009, pp. 62-63.
Grunts: the American Combat Soldier in Vietnam (Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, 2008) in Journal of Military History, Vol. 73, No. 2, April 2009, pp. 692-693.
Until the last Man comes Home: POWs, MIAs, and the Politics of Loss at the End of the Vietnam War (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2009), in Vietnam, Vol. 22, No. 3, October, 2009, pp. 59-60.