Stealth Patrol: The Making of a Vietnam Ranger, 1968-70 - Hardcover

Shanahan, Bill; Brackin, John P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306812738 ISBN 13: 9780306812736

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2003

Synopsis

Bill Shanahan was troubled by his line company duty in Vietnam: whenever his unit went on patrol, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong could hear them coming. His unit didn't have a chance against an enemy that quietly emerged from the jungle like ghosts-and just as quickly disappeared. Shanahan wanted a better way to fight...and to stay alive. And so, just four months after he arrived in Vietnam in 1968, he joined the LRPs (Long Range Patrol).The mission of the Lurps, as they were called, was dangerous: Five- or six-man teams were dropped into the dense forest behind enemy lines. They were to observe enemy troop movements and stage ambushes that sometimes ended in fierce firefights. When their mission was over, they called for quick helicopter rescue. Back on base, they debriefed and tried to sleep off the adrenaline. Two days later they were back in the brush. The missions changed, but one goal was always the same-stay alive.In hard-hitting prose, Bill Shanahan, with co-author John Brackin, tells his story of survival behind enemy lines.

About this title

About the Author

Bill Shanahan earned two Bronze Stars while serving in Vietnam with the 74th Infantry Detachment (Long Range Patrol), 173rd Airborne Brigade, and later Co. N, 75th Infantry. He lives in Alabama. John P. Brackin is a freelance writer who has contributed to many magazines. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama. John P. Brackin is a freelance writer who has contributed to many magazines. He lives in Alabama.

Reviews

A two-tour Vietnam infantry veteran and a freelance writer join forces to produce this informative personal memoir that also casts light on the war's effect on American infantry tactics. When he went to Vietnam in 1968, Shanahan quickly discovered that company-sized search and destroy operations were clumsy, noisy and ineffective. Volunteering for the Long Range Patrols (or "Lurps"), he received special training and then went out as part of the group's light, six-man teams. Moving quietly, the Lurps could ambush small enemy units and call down heavy weapons (including the battleship New Jersey) on larger ones. Favored tactics were evasion rather than firefighting, so the patrols' casualties were lower, and the Lurps attracted legendary warriors such as five-tour Ranger Patrick Tadina. The Lurps also gave their members a variety of experiences, such as a waterborne surveillance mission that went awry off the coast and an observation mission through VC territory on which an enthusiastic, then terrified, supply sergeant came along as a guest. Shanahan and Brackin maintain a friendly, conversational tone throughout the book, so that this volume gives readers the feeling that they're listening to a loyal, even-tempered veteran recount his experiences over a few beers. This is a useful book about useful soldiers; one that is likely to appeal to serious and casual students of the Vietnam War.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0306812738
• ISBN 13: 9780306812736
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304