Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN

Andrew Wiest

NYU Press, Dec 1, 2007 - History - 368 pages

2009 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award for Biography

Examines South Vietnam’s complex relationship with the United States through the stories of two Vietnamese soldiers' diverging paths

Vietnam’s Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN chronicles the lives of Pham Van Dinh and Tran Ngoc Hue, two of the brightest young stars in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Both men fought with valor in a war that seemed to have no end, exemplifying ARVN bravery and determination that is largely forgotten or ignored in the West. However, while Hue fought until he was captured by the North Vietnamese Army and then endured thirteen years of captivity, Dinh surrendered and defected to the enemy, for whom he served as a teacher in the reeducation of his former ARVN comrades.

An understanding of how two lives that were so similar diverged so dramatically provides a lens through which to understand the ARVN and South Vietnam’s complex relationship with America's government and military. The lives of Dinh and Hue reflect the ARVNs battlefield successes, from the recapture of the Citadel in Hue City in the Tet Offensive of 1968, to Dinhs unheralded role in the seizure of Hamburger Hill a year later. However, their careers expose an ARVN that was over-politicized, tactically flawed, and dependent on American logistical and firepower support. Marginalized within an American war, ARVN faced a grim fate as U.S. forces began to exit the conflict. As the structure of the ARVN/U.S. alliance unraveled, Dinh and Hue were left alone to make the most difficult decisions of their lives.
Andrew Wiest weaves historical analysis with a compelling narrative, culled from extensive interviews with Dinh, Hue, and other key figures. Once both military superstars, Dinh is viewed by a traitor by many within the South Vietnamese community, while Hue, an expatriate living in northern Virginia, is seen as a hero who never let go of his ideals. Their experiences and legacies mirror that of the ARVNs rise and fall as well as the tragic history of South Vietnam.

What people are saying

VIETNAM'S FORGOTTEN ARMY: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN

User Review  - Kirkus

Admiring biography of two officers in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), which fought far better than most American histories have acknowledged.Vietnam has a long martial tradition, writes ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - madcatnip72 - LibraryThing

Vietnam’s Forgotten Army is both a history of the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and a biography of two of its most distinguished junior officers, Pham Van Dinh and Tran Ngoc Hue. One was ...

Contents

• Welcome to Vietnam: 1
• 1 Coming of Age in a Time of War: 11
• Battle Politics and the Americanization of the War 19631966: 31
• Years of Attrition and Pacification 19661967: 65
• The Tet Offensive: 95
• The Year of Hope: 124
• The Untold Story of the Battle for Dong Ap Bia: 157
• Vietnamization 19691970: 177
• Operation Lam Son 719: 197
• 9 The Making of a Traitor: 229
• Life in the Wake of a Lost War: 273
• Conclusion: 298
• Notes: 305
• Bibliography: 329
• Index: 339
• About the Author: 350

Popular passages

Page 36 - Minh states that he, rather than the Committee of Generals, is making decisions, it is not clear that this is actually so. In any event, neither he nor the Committee are experienced in political administration and so far they show little talent for it. There is no clear concept on...

About the author

Andrew Wiest is Professor of History and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is co-editor of War in the Age of Technology: Myriad Faces of Modern Armed Combat (NYU Press, 2001) and author or co-author of numerous books, including Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land: The Vietnam War Revisited, Atlas of World War II, and The Vietnam War, 1959–1975. He lives in Hattiesburg, MS.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN
• Author: Andrew Wiest
• Contributor: Jim Webb
• Publisher: NYU Press, 2007
• ISBN: 0814794513, 9780814794517
• Length: 368 pages
• Subjects: History / Military / General; History / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War