Synopses & Reviews
“
Westmoreland is a great book, a classic by an author who knows his subject well and tells the story without hesitation.” — General Donn A. Starry, U.S. Army (ret.), Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command (1977-1981)
Is it possible that the riddle of Americas military failure in Vietnam has a one-word, one-man answer?
Unless and until we understand General William Westmoreland, we will never understand what went wrong in Vietnam. An Eagle Scout at fifteen, First Captain of his West Point class, Westmoreland fought in two wars and became Superintendent at West Point. Then he was chosen to lead the war effort in Vietnam for four crucial years.
He proved a disaster. He could not think creatively about unconventional warfare, chose an unavailing strategy, stuck to it in the face of all opposition, and stood accused of fudging the results when it mattered most. In this definitive portrait, Lewis Sorley makes a plausible case that the war could have been won were it not for Westmoreland. The tragedy of William Westmoreland carries lessons not just for Vietnam, but for the future of American leadership.
Westmoreland is essential reading from a masterly historian.
Review
"[T]wo compelling narratives...capture the Vietnam War at home and on the battlefield as well as, if not better than, any book yet written." Publishers Weekly
Review
"This is a concentrated, visceral remembrance of the Vietnam War in both its military and social dimensions." Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
Review
"Maraniss..is a writer with a masterly sense of narrative pace. Moving between the campus at Madison and the jungles of Vietnam, with side trips to Hanoi and Washington, the tale unfolds with a magisterial sweep that recaptures the war and its era." The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Here is the epic story of Vietnam and the sixties told through the events of a few gripping, passionate days of war and peace in October 1967.
They Marched Into Sunlight brings that tumultuous time back to life while exploring questions about the meaning of dissent and the official manipulation of truth, issues as relevant today as they were decades ago.
In a seamless narrative, Maraniss weaves together the stories of three very different worlds: the death and heroism of soldiers in Vietnam, the anger and anxiety of antiwar students back home, and the confusion and obfuscating behavior of officials in Washington. To understand what happens to the people in these interconnected stories is to understand America's anguish. Based on thousands of primary documents and 180 on-the-record interviews, the book describes the battles that evoked cultural and political conflicts that still reverberate.
Synopsis
David Maraniss tells the epic story of Vietnam and the sixties through the events of a few gripping, passionate days of war and peace in October 1967. With meticulous and captivating detail, They Marched Into Sunlight brings that catastrophic time back to life while examining questions about the meaning of dissent and the official manipulation of truth--issues that are as relevant today as they were decades ago.
In a seamless narrative, Maraniss weaves together the stories of three very different worlds: the death and heroism of soldiers in Vietnam, the anger and anxiety of antiwar students back home, and the confusion and obfuscating behavior of officials in Washington. To understand what happens to the people in these interconnected stories is to understand America's anguish.
Based on thousands of primary documents and 180 on-the-record interviews, the book describes the battles that evoked cultural and political conflicts that still reverberate.
Synopsis
Is this man the real reason the Vietnam War was lost? How did he get there, why did he fail, and how did he last so long? Unless and until we understand General William Westmoreland, we will never understand what happened to us in Vietnam, or why. An Eagle Scout at fifteen, First Captain of his West Point class, Westmoreland fought in World War II and Korea, rising rapidly to command the 101st Airborne Division and become Superintendent at West Point, then was chosen to lead the war effort in Vietnam. That turned out to be a disaster. He failed to understand a complex war, choosing a flawed strategy, sticking to it in the face of all opposition, and misrepresenting the results when truth mattered most. In so doing he squandered four years of support by Congress, much of the media, and the American people. The tragedy of William Westmoreland provides lessons not just for Vietnam, but for Americaand#8217;s future military and political leadership. Lewis Sorleyand#8217;s definitive portrait is essential reading.
Synopsis
A biography of Vietnam general William Westmoreland by the author of A BETTER WAR.
About the Author
Born in Detroit, David Maraniss is an associate editor at andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt;. Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prizeandndash;winning journalist and bestselling author of andlt;Iandgt;First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clintonandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;Rome 1960: The Olympics that Stirred the World;andlt;/Iandgt; andlt;Iandgt;Barack Obama: The Storyandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseballandrsquo;s Last Heroandlt;/Iandgt;; andlt;Iandgt;They Marched into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967andlt;/Iandgt;; andandlt;Iandgt; When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardiandlt;/Iandgt;, which was hailed by andlt;Iandgt;Sports Illustratedandlt;/Iandgt; as andldquo;maybe the best sports biography ever published.andrdquo; He lives in Washington, DC and Madison, Wisconsin.
Table of Contents
Contents
Maps xi
Prologue xvii
1. ORIGINS 1
2. EARLY SERVICE 9
3. WORLD WAR II 14
4. AIRBORNE DUTY 25
5. JAPAN AND KOREA 31
6. PENTAGON 41
7. DIVISION COMMAND 48
8. SUPERINTENDENT 56
9. VIETNAM 65
10. FORCES BUILDUP 77
11. SEARCH AND DESTROY 91
12. ATMOSPHERICS 108
13. BODY COUNT 121
14. M-16 RIFLES 131
15. PROGRESS OFFENSIVE 143
16. ORDER OF BATTLE 159
17. KHE SANH 168
18. TET 1968 174
19. TROOP REQUEST 189
20. HEADING HOME 198
21. CHIEF OF STAFF 206
22. SHAPING THE RECORD 225
23. VOLUNTEER ARMY 233
24. VIETNAM DRAWDOWN 241
25. DEPARTURE 247
26. IN RETIREMENT 251
27. MEMOIRS 259
28. CAMPAIGNER 267
29. PLAINTIFF 278
30. DUSK 295
Epilogue 301
Acknowledgments 304
Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations 310
Notes 313
Selected Bibliography 356
Index 371