Book Review: Brutal Battles of Vietnam 1965-1972
Brutal Battles of Vietnam 1965-1972 is VFW's contribution to the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. This 480-page book covering some 100 military actions is an outgrowth of VFW's award-winning magazine series called Vietnam's Deadliest Battles. Running over seven years, its excellence was organized with 13 national magazine awards.
It provides the most comprehensive battle history of the war yet published in a single volume. Brimming with compelling stories, the book focuses exclusively on the perspective of the fighting man. 
The high drama of the battlefield is felt through words and 700 pictures, many rarely seen before.
Stirring first-person accounts reveal the raw emotions of the men at the tip of the spear. Actual participants tell what it was like to be in life-and-death situations. Readers will learn about both elite and regular units far too often forgotten. Famous battles such as Khe Sanh and Hue and other numerous firefights that are long overdue recognition.
Unlike many histories that treat the war, Brutal Battles present a complete picture of the fighting to the bitter end. Special features, fascinating sidebars, helpful maps, numerous charts, a listing of the war's most highly decorated veterans, splendid illustrations and the most in-depth combat chronology ever compliment the riveting chapters.
In all, this book contains a treasure trove of information backed by extensive research, making it a collector's reference for every home library.
Editorial Review
The narratives do not get into the politics of the war nor do they spend time describing the events on the home front. The stories are down in the dirt, sweaty, smelly, and sometimes terrifying accounts of the conduct of the war on the major battlefields of Vietnam.
This work is about the "trigger pullers" who faced the enemy in deadly contests day in and day out from the Mekong Delta to the Demilitarized Zone. First-person accounts describe the life-and-death struggles faced on a daily basis - the heroism of many, the hardships of duty in the field and the determination shown in hard-fought battles.
Make no mistake about it. This book is not a puff piece attempting to give equal credit to all. It recognizes those few of the many who know battle and faced the most trying days of their lives. It gives much-deserved full credit to the fighting soldier. It is a valuable resource not only to veterans but also to their families. It is filled with facts that will help tell the true history of the Vietnam War for generations to come.
Editor
Richard K. Kolb: Publisher and editor-in-chief of VFW magazine for 27 years (1989-2016), Kolb worked on this project over 10 years with input from hundreds of veterans. He partially authored and edited Faces of Victory (a two-volume history of WWII), Battles of the Korean War: Americans Engage in Deadly Combat, 1950-1953, Cold War Clashes: Confronting Communism, 1945-1991, and Combat Action: Cambodia to the Balkans, 1975-1991. Kolb served in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry and 101st Airborne divisions during 1970-71 in the Central Highlands and I Corps as a radio operator attached to the artillery.
The book is available for $29.95 on Amazon.com and the VFW Store.