A Shau Valor

 Thomas R. Yarborough's A Shau Valor takes you to the action that brought individuals recognition with wards of Congressional Medals of Honor and other distinctions for courage, bravery, and service. A lot of those recipients received the awards posthumously. Although there is discussion about the war overall, the actions are restricted to the A Shau Valley and areas close by. I knew one of the Medal of Honor recipients and was glad to see his story retold in this volume. It was because of him that I was familiar with at least the name of the valley. 

The book takes the reader from one mission to another, often explaining how the particular mission related to the larger plan. The action is intense and bloody. Outstanding stories of courage and valor leap from the pages. There are just so many of them that a sort of fatigue comes over the reader--at least that's how it was for me. The missions, the weapons, the helicopters, the establishing and defending of bases, the taking and retaking of hilltops, and the rescues in terrible conditions all becomes overwhelming. As I often do in such cases, I took a break and read a different book or two before heading back into the A Shau. After that, I continued through to the end.

One can't read the experiences without feeling admiration for the courage and sacrifices of the soldiers and other personnel involved in the fighting. The American ground troops exhibited tremendous bravery and always seemed to be outnumbered, usually attacking/defending or scouting in small units. The chopper crews defied the odds, flying in where angels would fear to tread in order to insert or rescue ground forces or the crews of other downed choppers. I couldn't believe how many choppers were shot down. It may be more precise to say I'm surprised that more weren't shot down.

The book reveals an utter failure of leadership and strategic planning in the A Shau. While there may not have been a winning possibility, given all the circumstances at the time, the decision to wage a war of attrition, simply withdrawing from ground taken at tremendous costs only to go back and retake it again after giving the enemy an opportunity to reoccupy and strengthen the position seems like the peak of foolishness, guaranteeing reduced morale and high casualties. It's hard to look at that approach and imagine it could ever be successful against a determined and dedicated enemy.

Read the book. The accounts of these heroes should be read and their valor recognized.

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I spent the week going over book two of my boys' adventure books for Raconteur Press for structural edits. The story pulled me in again and I enjoyed the wild, wild ride on the high road to adventure. I believe the plan is still for publication in September. Meanwhile, I'll get back to work on book three, which is over half complete.