Buddha's Child : My Life and War in Vietnam
by Nguyen Cao Ky, Marvin J. Wolf (Contributor).
Though famed in his time for his playboy image, all purple scarves and modish hairdo, former South
Vietnamese prime minister Ky proved over time to have been a man of substance. In this revealing
autobiography Ky recounts his rise to and fall from power and the errors great and small that led to
his nation's defeat. "Corruption," Ky writes, "permeated every corner of the Vietnamese social
order." Ky used his office to root out corruption and carve an independent path, often clashing with
he likes of William Westmoreland and Nguyen Van Thieu in the bargain. Proudly relating those
struggles, Ky also defends figures whom history has treated harshly, including Lyndon Johnson and
General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, "the rarest of Vietnamese birds, the honest cop," who will forever be
remembered for executing a Vietcong suspect before Eddie Adams's camera. "My biggest mistake
was allowing the wrong man the opportunity to lead a guaranty of defeat. For this I beg forgiveness
of those who fled into exile, of those who remained, and from those then unborn."
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They Were Ours : Gloucester County's Loss in Vietnam
by John Campbell
There were forty-three men from Gloucester County, NJ, who died in service to our country during the Vietnam War. This book offers a look at their lives through their own words in the letters they sent home, through the eyes and hearts of those who mattered most to them, and through the memories of the men who served with them in Vietnam. The perspectives may vary, but the voices are clear, the passions are strong, and the pride is endless. Each of the forty-three continues to make a difference in the lives he touched and to the people he loved. They were indeed ours and this is how we remember them.
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The Veteran's Bookstore
Hard Men Humble : Vietnam Veterans Who Wouldn't Come Home
by Jonathan Stevenson.Well, not exactly "veterans who wouldn't come home." London editor Stevenson (We Wrecked the Place) offers in-depth profiles of 20 expatriate American veterans of the Vietnam War who now live in Thailand and Vietnam. Most did come home, but later moved to Southeast Asia for a variety of reasons ranging from the political to the hedonistic. Many of these disparate tales are compelling,and Stevenson throws revealing light on an intriguing and little-known American subculture.
The Last Battle
by Ralph Wetterhahn.
On May 12, 1975, just days after the American Embassy in Saigon was evacuated, Khmer Rouge
forces seized the SS Mayaguez. Three days later, President Ford launched a military raid to rescue the crew of the merchant ship. But as the attack began on Koh Tang Island, the hostages were being released from an entirely different location. Incomplete intelligence reports had unwittingly sent the marines into a bloodbath. In the ensuing chaos many soldiers died, and three machine gunners were mistakenly left behind as they steadfastly defended the American retreat.
In this remarkable book, journalist and Vietnam veteran Ralph Wetterhahn recreates the story of the
Mayaguez incident and poignantly reveals, for the first time, the harrowing fate of the three young
marines who were forgotten by their comrades, indeed by their country. The Last Battle is a
riveting narrative of combat, courage, and governmental blunders that serves as a metaphor for the
entire Vietnam War.