VALLEY OF DECISION

                                                                     The Siege of Khe Sanh

                                                                 John Parados - Ray W.Stubbe

Here for the first time is the complete history of the pivotal battle of the Vietnam War, that grimy, bloody face-off known as the Siege Of Khe Sanh. As the first formal military history of this crucial battle, "Valley Of Decision" is  unique among the many books about Vietnam published in recent years: its sense of drama and action and its use of on-the-scene testimony will intrigue any general reader in the most controversial war in U.S.History.

John Parados, a brilliant young historian and researcher, has been able to uncover secret U.S. government records-especially communications between General Westmoreland and his superiors in Washington- and  North Vietnamese Army material. Equally important, the book draws on thousands of pages of notes, personal letters, diaries, and eyewitness accounts collected over two decades by co-author Ray W. Stubbe, the renowned "Chaplin of Khe Sanh" who lived through every day of the action.

A careful weave of document and narrative, Valley of Decision

tells the whole incredible story. Here is the larger political context, the generals and colonels, the Pentagon and the Oval Office. Here are the patrols day and night, the sound of mortar

and machine gun, the tactics on the first electronic battlefields in the history of warfare- and more,here are the words and deeds of the men of Khe Sanh.

This book advances our knowledge of every aspect of the Khe Sanh campaign. Nothing in print today even comes close.

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Historian's notes.  Ray Stubbe was the Chaplin of the 26th Marines, garrisoned at Khe Sanh during the siege and kept detailed notes of daily activities that went on around that red clay plateau. Although this book has many errors and has left out much detail regarding the "Hill Fights" of 1967 it does enlighten the reader of many of the previous unknowns. I found it to be very interesting.

There are several errors regarding the Hill Fights. This is primarily due to the changes of orders on the ground versus what was contained in "after action reports" and Command Chronologies. After action reports put Hotel Company on 881 North assisting Echo Company. Hotel Company was never on 881 North. Many may think they were they but were not.

While Hill 861 is given much attention Hill 881 South and 881 North was where the most action took place during the Hill Fights. Little if anything  is mentioned about Hill 773........northwest of Hill 803 where Foxtrot (Reinf-) was trapped in a saddle and required the assistance of a Platoon from Echo Company. 

All in all the book is an excellent one. It is  revealing and will hold the readers interest until the very end.

Paul Marquis

Web Master

Jim Cannon

Historian

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