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A review by mburnamfink
The Village by Bing West
5.0
The conventional wisdom among historians is that America lost the Vietnam War in the villages and hamlets. Large American units didn't understand the locals, used air power and artillery as a blunt instrument, and drove the villagers into the hands of the Viet Cong. The Village presents an alternative to that narrative, about an operation where a Marine rifle squad lived and worked alongside the government's Popular Forces, and over the course of a two years, managed to regain control of the village of Binh Nghia.
The book presents a vivid and unvarnished account of the paradoxes and contradictions of counter-insurgency warfare. The Marines had to learn the rhythms of the village, the odd quiet on a night patrol that hinted at VC infiltrators. Psychology and presence were worth more than firepower, and both sides were hostages in the great game. The VC could kill police and soldiers, but families were off limits because their own families lived in the same village. The Marines could use fire support, but only at the price of walking past the burnt ruins every day for the rest of their tour. And so the war went on in skirmish and night ambush, making the villagers erect defenses and tear them down, and head games against the other sides leaders. And in the course of their time there, the Marines came to love and respect the village, and the village came to respect and love them. In many ways, the men of the CAP were exceptional, and its unclear if a thousand more like them could have been found, but they managed to save the village without destroying it. By the time they left, the VC in Binh Nghia were crippled, unable to tax, recruit, or move supplies along the river.
The Marines of The Village paid a heavy toll for their victory, but unlike so many other Americans in Vietnam, they knew what they were fighting and dying for. The lesson is the COIN cannot be successful without endurance, and that you cannot endure without loving. From the short-timer looking to survive his last patrol, to Presidents looking for 'peace with honor', almost every person involved in the War appeared to hate Vietnam. Perhaps that was why we lost.
The book presents a vivid and unvarnished account of the paradoxes and contradictions of counter-insurgency warfare. The Marines had to learn the rhythms of the village, the odd quiet on a night patrol that hinted at VC infiltrators. Psychology and presence were worth more than firepower, and both sides were hostages in the great game. The VC could kill police and soldiers, but families were off limits because their own families lived in the same village. The Marines could use fire support, but only at the price of walking past the burnt ruins every day for the rest of their tour. And so the war went on in skirmish and night ambush, making the villagers erect defenses and tear them down, and head games against the other sides leaders. And in the course of their time there, the Marines came to love and respect the village, and the village came to respect and love them. In many ways, the men of the CAP were exceptional, and its unclear if a thousand more like them could have been found, but they managed to save the village without destroying it. By the time they left, the VC in Binh Nghia were crippled, unable to tax, recruit, or move supplies along the river.
The Marines of The Village paid a heavy toll for their victory, but unlike so many other Americans in Vietnam, they knew what they were fighting and dying for. The lesson is the COIN cannot be successful without endurance, and that you cannot endure without loving. From the short-timer looking to survive his last patrol, to Presidents looking for 'peace with honor', almost every person involved in the War appeared to hate Vietnam. Perhaps that was why we lost.