Review: Vietnam through the eyes of a US Army Special Ops Captain
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 22, 2013
Tension builds from the moment Green Beret Captain Mark Brinson’s plane lands in South Viet Nam for a one-year tour of duty. In my opinion, the story offers a superior representation of combat operations than readers will find in most of the popular literature on the subject, especially literature about Vietnam. The soldiers are presented as the professionals they are. Special Ops teams are the best of the best. Team members meld skills and disciplines in a way that allows a small team to perform with maximum efficiency.Captain Brinson’s primary duty assignment places him in Saigon, however, he finds himself on loan to a Forward Observation Base (FOB) on more than one occasion. It’s where he first has an opportunity to demonstrate his craft and to learn from others who have even more skill. It’s where he builds a reputation, most of it deserved… some exaggerated. While on these special assignments, duty calls him to serve in black ops along the Ho Chi Minh trail.Between his trips to FOBs, events take on disturbing twists. Early on the teams learn of attempts by the NVA to infiltrate their operations. In the meanwhile, Brinson falls in love with the daughter of a Vietnamese government official.The novel builds with superbly crafted character, increasing difficult assignments and intrigue. If you want to see a microcosm of 1967, the war in Vietnam through the eyes of a combat professional and get the feel for the planning and precise execution of operations, you’ve got to read this book. I disagree with the reviewer who said this is all tell and no show. I found it to be the opposite. I felt myself moving with stealth through elephant grass while smelling organic decay; patrolling with the ever-present realization that all hell could break loose at any moment.This is a story about the people in a combat zone; their hopes, dreams, emotions, fear, elation and disappointments. As the story builds toward a climax, you’ll find yourself in Saigon during the Tet Offensive when the NVA attacked during a jointly agreed upon truce.I enjoyed Where There Were No Innocents (Mack Brinson Series), and highly recommend it to you!