Rice Paddy Recon: A Marine Officer's Second Tour in Vietnam, 1968-1970

A young US Marine officer recounts his experiences of the Vietnam War over a nineteen-month period. He graphically describes what it was like to perform three distinct combat missions: long-range ground reconnaissance in the Annamite mountains of I Corps, infantry operations in the rice paddies and mountains of Quang Nam province, and special police operations for the CIA in Tay Ninh province.

Using official Marine Corps unit histories, CIA documents, and his weekly letters home, the author ...