Bibliography
There have been many books written about Khe Sanh and the Siege, and more recently, books and articles about Combined Action are also appearing. The below are just a handful, but I hope to increase the listing as time goes by.
Books
Edwin E. Moïse and Clemson University offer an amazingly comprehensive bibliographical compendium, the Vietnam War Bibliography.
Bonds, Ray, ed. "The Vietnam War: The Illustrated History of the Conflict in Southeast Asia" New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. 1979
Camp, Richard D. Col. USMC (Ret.) "Lima-6 - A Marine Company Commander in Vietnam June 1967 - January 1968" Ed. Eric Hammel. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 1989.
Clarke, COL Bruce B. G., Expendable Warriors - The Battle of Khe Sanh and the Vietnam War, (Praeger International Security Westport, Connecticut & London, ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99480-8) ( http://www.expendablewarriors.com ) COL Clarke (then a CPT) was the US Army Advisory Team OIC and was present in the District HQ / O-1 compound in Khe Sahn village before and during the initial Tet Offensive assaults on Jan 21st 1968, when he directed the air and artillery support, while the NCOIC of O-1 led the ground forces. After a stunning victory of the tiny garrison against great odds, the Marine command at Khe Sanh ordered an aerial withdrawal of the Marines and Army, but failed to provide transport for their ARVN and RF-PF native counterpart troops. Loathe to abandon them to their fate, COL Clarke refused air evacuation, instead marching them back to Khe Sanh Combat Base and finding a place for them on FOB 3, the Special Forces / SOG base adjacent to the Khe Sahn Combat Base. COL Clarke later served on FOB-3 for the duration of the Siege. This is his story of those dramatic hours and days.
Corson, William R. The Betrayal, (W.W. Norton, New York, 1968) The late Bill Corson was an expert on counterinsurgency warfare, and was one of the founders of the CAP concept and program. He later wrote this hard-hitting indictment of US policy in Vietnam, which almost got him court-martialed. It is still worth reading. It is no longer in print, but still available from some booksellers.
Cosmas, Graham A. and Murray, Terrence P. "U. S. Marines In Vietnam; Vietnamization and Redeployment, 1970"
Dres, Ronald & Brinkley, Douglas "Voices of Courage" (Bulfinch, 2005) - includes a quote from John ("Doc") Roberts on p. 107, which places me in O-2 during and after the assault. However, Doc was mistaken in this, as I was still in the hospital at NSA Da Nang, and my pipes were not recovered, though my Scottish Royal Standard was.
Ewing, Michael "The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War: Khe Sanh" New York: Bantam Books. 1987
Hamel, Eric "Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds" (2 volumes) New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. 1989
Hays, Ronald E. "Combined Action: US Marines Fighting a Different War, August 1965 to September 1970" History Division, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA (available from the Marine Corps University ). His latest book, "The Marine Corps Combined Action Program in the Vietnam War" is available on Amazon. (For more about Gene and his work, see:
Jones, Gregg "Last Stand at Khe Sanh: The U.S. Marines' Finest Hour in Vietnam" (Da Capo Press 2014) Gregg gives a brief account of some of the actions Oscar Company was involved in, including the fight in Khe Sanh ville, and the action on Hill 471.
Klyman, Robert A. "The Combined Action Program: An Alternative Not Taken," (Honors thesis, University of Michigan, 1986)
Lanning, Michael Lee, and Dan Cragg "Inside The Vc And NVA: The real story of North Vietnam's Armed Forces" New York: W.W.Norton & Company. 1993.
MacDonald, Peter. "Giap: The Victor in Vietnam" New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 1993.
Millett, Allan R. "Semper Fidelis; The History of the United States Marine Corps"
Page, Tim and Pimlott, John "NAM; The Vietnam Experience, 1965-75"
Peterson, Michael E. "The Combined Action Platoons: The U.S. Marines' Other War in Vietnam," (M.A. Thesis. University of Oregon, 1988)
Pike, Douglas. "Viet Cong; The Organization and Techniques of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam" Massachusetts: M.I.T. Press 1966.
Pimlott, John "Vietnam: The Decisive Battles" New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 1990
Pisor, Robert "The End Of The Line: The Siege of Khe Sanh" New York: W.W. Norten & Company, 1982
Saal, Harve “SOG" (Vol. III) Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, MI, 1990 - Harve presents a version of the SF SOG body recovery mission on Hill 471. However, this version has a number of factual errors, due to incorrect information Harve had received. Unfortunately, he passed away before a revised edition could be done.
Sherman, Steve "Who's Who from MACV-SOG” (Radix Press, 1996). Oscar Co. members mentioned as being on the lines at FOB 3 on p. 339. (The list is incomplete and contains some errata, including people who were not there, but Mr. Sherman has been notified for future editions.
Shore, Moyers S. "The Battle for Khe Sanh" Historical Branch, G-3 Division Headquarters USMC
Smith, Charles R. "U. S. MARINES IN VIETNAM; High Mobility and Standdown, 1969"
Stolfi, Russel H. U.S. Marine Corps Civic Action Efforts in Vietnam, March 1965-March 1966, Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, 1968
Stubbe, Ray and Prados, John “Valley of Decision,” Dell, NY, 1993. Ray said there was almost twice as much material in his original draft, but that the editor made him cut his work substantially. It is also somewhat dated now (there is now more information available than Ray had when he originally wrote this). However, it is in my opinion still the definitive book on Khe Sanh. Available from Amazon and other booksellers.
Also see Ray's more recent works: "Final Formation" and "Battalion of Kings" The former lists all who died at Khe Sanh from 1962 until 1972. Details on units and personal information on KIAs. Includes details and incidents of patrols. Procedes from the sale of this book are donated to Khe Sanh Veterans, Inc. To order, contact:
Ray Stubbe
8766 Parkview Court
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Tucker, Spencer C. "The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War; A Political, Social & Military History"
Weltsch, MAJ Michael D. "The Future Role of the Combined Action Program," (Master of Military Science thesis, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 1991).
Woolverton, Larry L. "Memories of a Khe Sanh Marine: 1965-1970" - the author of this memoir was a "plank owner " in Oscar Company and one of our longest-serving members. Larry enlisted in the US Marines in October, 1965, completing boot camp at MCRD San Diego and ITR at Camp Pendleton. Larry was sent to Viet Nam in 1966 with the 26th Marine Regiment, later joining Oscar Company, 1st Plt. as a radioman. This memoir is Larry's account of his service. It can be ordered in paperback at Amazon.
Articles available on the Internet
USMC Historical Reference - Civic Action Effort in Vietnam March 1956 - March 1966
Peter Brush - Civic Action: The Marine Corps Experience in Vietnam
A New Kind of War - LGEN Victor Krulak
MAJ C. L. Williamson III - The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Program (CAP)
Wikipedia Article on CAP - (I have contributed heavily to this site, and try to keep it up to date and correct.)
Other Books and Articles of Interest
"The Men Who Persevered" - a history of the Australian Army Training Teams in Vietnam (AATTV). This was the most highly decorated units in the Vietnam War, and one of the only foreign "allied" units who were not paid by the US to go (even the ROK troops were paid and equipped by the US). The Aussies were genuine volunteers.
Available in the US from:
Dalley Book Service
90 Kimball Lane
Christiansburg VA 24073
Email: gdalley@dalleybookservice.com
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(Note: This site represents the result of many years of investigative work and research. I have tried to be as accurate throughout as possible, but there is no such thing as 100% perfect. In cases where I was not present, I have relied on the accounts of those who were present and / or official records, correspondence, statements from comrades, their friends and family, and other sources. Statements, quotes, poems, or any material other than my own reflect the views of those who made them. Neither this author nor this site assumes any responsibility for any errata made in good faith, nor for any of the views expressed other than my own. All the photos, documents, text, and other materials are copyright, and they belong solely to the authors, photographers, etc., who retain all rights to the materials. All material is copyright, and may not be used without express written permission of the owners or their heirs and assigns. All material used with the express permission of the owners, who are named where known. Unattributed material will be attributed when the owner contacts me. I receive no financial or material reward or incentives of any kind for any reviews or links on this site. They are posted because I have personal experience of them and / or their products, and think they are good quality and might be of interest to our readers. Your contact information will NEVER be used for solicitation by us, nor will it be traded, hired, lent, sold or otherwise distributed. You will only be contacted if you request us to do so.)