Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
A couple days ago I pulled my dusty old copy of John Del Vecchio's "The 13th Valley" off the shelf, am reading it with a very different perspective than when I first read it 20+ years ago.

There is really three layers to this story. There is the war story of small unit tactics vs the NVA in the Central Highlands in 1970. Great stuff. (and what I primarily remember from my first read). Then there is the personal dramas of deployed soldiers and their strained relationships with their significant others, with all of the complicating factors of distance, politics, and the barrier created by the changes a man goes through in that type of combat situation that are as significant as they are impossible to explain. Lastly, he uses the wise company commanders guided debates between the street smart platoon sergeant, the long-suffering, well educated Vietnamese scout, the angry black soldier with ties to the civil rights movement back home, and the studious Chicano RTO and the culturally shocked new guy to weave in a very sophisticated debate about the nature of insurgency, the problems of intervention, etc. It is that third story line that has me re-reading this book today. I highly recommend it to senior policy leaders.
I highly second any recommendation of "The 13th Valley." Del Vecchio's stuff is ALL multi-layered (including his look at Cambodia "For the Sake of all Living Things").