THROUGH THE VALLEY

                      VIETNAM, 1967--1968

                                                                      James F. Humphries

The fierce close combat in the remote areas of South Vietnam's northern provinces in 1967-1968--the battles of Hiep Duc, March 11, Nhi Ha, and Hill406--has been a strangely under reported slice of the Vietnam War.

Through the Valley brings those battles into sharp focus, chronicling the efforts of the proud units of the Americal Division and the196th Light Infantry Brigade against a stubborn enemy in long- forgotten villages and on torturous hills.

Colonel Humphries draws on both his own combat experience and the eyewitness reports of fifty former veterans. Weaving his account into a narrative frame based on a multitude of official U.S. Army and Marine documents, he creates a powerful reconstruction of combat in Vietnam. He also pieces together information from myriad declassified documents to trace the actions of the opposing North Vietnamese and Viet Cong units and to put a face on an otherwise anonymous enemy.****

Historian's note. Colonel James Humphries (Ret.) began his military career with the 101st Airborne Division and then served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, first as rifle company commander and next as operations officer. He retired from the army in 1988 after commanding the Military Community in Heilbronn, Germany.

It has been some time since I read this book but I remember it to be a four star book for it's actions, it's continuity and interest to it's readers. The author, Colonel Humphries, does an excellent job of providing a description of combat life of all ranks in close up-hands on fighting.

Paul Marquis

Web Master

Jim Cannon

Historian

BACK TO LIBRARY PAGE

Photo submitted by Paul Marquis