Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War

by Mitch Weiss, Michael Sallah, Michael; Weiss Mitch Sallah, et al.

Book Overview

At the outset of the Vietnam War, the Army created an experimental fighting unit that became known as "Tiger Force." The Tigers were to be made up of the cream of the crop-the very best and bravest... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316159972
• ISBN13: 9780316159975
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 403 Pages
• Weight: 1.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.7" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

What War Can Do to the Unloved That Get Sent to Fight

Caveat: This book does not put the significance of Tiger Force into the war's historical perspective - not that anything could excuse the atrocities committed. This is a story about some unfortunate young men that got used up as wars tend to do to the actual fighters. They ended up committing unspeakable acts (most of the worst details are left out) in the Vietnam War and their lives were ruined. It is not a story about the middle aged and above men who directed and produced the script. Those men didn't get caught. The young men recruited into Tiger Force were appealed to on the basis of their patriotism. They knew this unit would be deployed into one hot spot after another and likely suffer relatively high casualties. And they were pumped up with encouragement that they were the ones doing the hard work, the dirty work in the service of their country. The narratives show that Tiger Force had more than its share of social outcasts. They also show that these young men, who had never experienced a normal upbringing, were extremely patriotic. The young men justified what they did at the time in terms of how it would benefit their country and some of them reenlisted. Tiger Force was founded by David Hackworth, a major at the time. Hackworth, a highly decorated soldier (now deceased), understood that the U.S. had to make adjustments in the war effort because it was using WWII tactics against a guerrilla force in the jungle. Hackworth was successful convincing the Army brass to use smaller more mobile and camouflaged units in the jungle. Tiger force was the first of the new units that got established. Tiger force soldiers wore military clothes and gear and carried weapons that didn't even have to be U.S. government issued. Tiger Force members were infantry elites. When they moved through the dense foliage, they were silent and didn't smoke. They did everything - ambush, recon and saving other units pinned down. They came in frequent contact with the enemy resulting lots of casualties on both sides and yet their members volunteered for additional tours more often than other units. With this perspective it is much easier to understand the value of this book. The civilian leadership along with the very top military leadership decided to clear entire geographic areas within Viet Nam to deny the enemy support and sanctuary. This is exactly what presidential hopeful John Kerry complained most about when he became a famous anti-war protester. Tiger Force, simply because it operated as it did, was a logical unit for those most responsible for the atrocities to use in their plans. Tiger Force was commanded to clear areas of civilians. This was not what Hackworth envisioned when he founded the outfit. The Vietnamese civilians that were ordered by the U.S. military to vacate their areas really had nowhere good to relocate. They resisted and kept returning to their homeland, and many became victims of the policies and soldiers carr

Worth reading

Undoubtedly one of the most powerful books I have ever read about the Vietnam War -- not from a political or historical perspective, but a truly human one. This is not going to be a popular book among right-wing military types, and I can already see that in some of the reactions. Unfortunately, the book has served as a forum for those who support what our nation did in Vietnam -- and those who opposed it. The authors describe the once celebrated platoon, Tiger Force, part of the 101st Airborne, and its descent into madness in 1967 in the upper areas of South Vietnam. The soldiers, in their frustration, began torturing and killing civilians. It didn't stop with one event. It went on for months and months, until the men began cutting off the ears of the dead and weaving them into necklaces. Interestingly, the authors write with great care about the soldiers -- never condemning them, but trying to show why the soldiers lost control. This book should serve as a lesson for all the reasons why we should think twice about going into wars and who -- in the end, really suffers. The Tiger Force platoon was eventually investigated for four years by the Army, but the findings were covered up by the top leaders in Washington -- until these authors broke the case wide open. The authors even reaced the original investigators. This book is a tribute to journalism -- and the authors should be commended for their efforts.

A Masterful Book - Incredible

Without a doubt, one of the best books ever written about the Vietnam War. A masterful narrative of sweep and scope - a cautionary tale of what happens to fighting units without strong leadership. Step by step we watch the spritual and emotional breakdown of young men, and the coverup by the U.S. government - a coverup that reached the White House. First, let me preface this by saying: I am a Vietnam vet. I served with the 1/327th in 1967-68. What I saw, I will never forget. In fact, I knew several Tigers. I remember some of their stories - but didn't believe them at the time. How could they be true? When the newspaper series was published, a part of me doubted the findings. How could these atrocities go on for so long without someone finding out? So I called a few Tigers and read documents from the Army investigation. My conclusion: it's true. Believe it. Anyone who says otherwise - like one of the earlier reviewers - is just fooling themselves. The book is conclusive. Anyone who says otherwise just can't face the truth. And we can't forget what happened. Not now. It's too important. Remember, the Army spent an unprecedented 4 1/2 years investigating this unit. They used 100 agents. They substantiated 20 war crimes involving multiple victims. The case was buried because Donald Rumsfeld, who was secretary of defense in 1975, didn't want the information getting out. Just remember: It was Col. Henry Tufts - the founding father of CID -who gave the newspaper the documents. There was a reason for it: The case always bothered him. The book builds on the series. Through the soldiers's eyes, we watch the slow descent into hell. As a Vietnam vet, every word rang true. The book was incredibly rich in detail - and context. At times, I felt like I was back in Vietnam - the authors put me in the field with the soldiers and in the CID office with the investigators. In the end, this was a book for a wider audience - an audience that knows very little about Vietnam - why we got involved in the first place and what our government is capable of doing. This was not a book just for the "boonie rats." And it's so important now with the allegations of U.S. troops killing civilians in Iraq. The authors did their due diligence. This is by far one of the best sourced books I have ever read - all you have to do is go to the bibliography. (I read some of the documents cited in the back). It's apparent that an earlier reviewer had an ax to grind. To him, the Tigers were herioic and the authors were villians for exposing the truth. He doesn't believe the lead investigator had trouble tracking down the Tigers. (The reviewer forgets that in 1971, there was no Internet, CNN, fax machines, ect) Maybe - just maybe - the book hit too close to home. Maybe, just maybe, that reviewer - and others - did not read the book with an open mind. They came in with an ax to grind. They were looking to discredit the story. To me, that's not a reviewer - that's someone who wan