The New Face of War

By Malcolm W. Browne

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 055325894X
• ISBN13: 9780553258943
• Release Date: May 1986
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The War in Vietnam, warts and all.

I ordered and read this book after having read William Prochnau's excellent account of the early War Correspondants sent to Vietnam in the very early 1960's. The book, Once Upon a Distant War, opens with Malcom Browne's own entrance to Vietnam in early 1962, and his personal quirk of only wearing red socks. Prochnau's book spends considerable time on David Halberstam but covers all of the others as well. Browne's own account of his 5 years spent in Vietnam is an excellent primer on the Vietnam War. He gives his first hand experiences throughout his travels through the Provinces and the Hamlets; through the jungles and to the streets of Saigon; through the power plays and intrigues of the Government of South Vietnam and of the lies and self deception of the American Military. He neatly pinpoints the key to the root of this tragic War: the Peasant. Winning of the "Hearts and Minds" was the right idea but incompetently carried out; the whole campaign, and its execution, was an exercise of stupidity and lack of common sense with the blame laid chiefly to the "Wunderkinds" who prosecuted this fiasco and waste of precious blood and treasure. It should also be noted that the early Advisors that we sent were always professional Soldiers, there were no Draftees in the early years, they came later with our full involvement in this sad and sorry War. To the veterans who fought this mess we owe an incredible debt that can never be repaid, only honored for doing what their Fathers did before them in WWII, and what Hollywood reinforced in their childhood. I was an elementary school boy during and opposed it throughout. My earnest and heartfelt Thanks for all those who fought, suffered and came home, and for those who never came back.