Articles about Vietnam by Peter Brush

I am a retired Reference and History Librarian from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. I have a strong interest in the Vietnam War. This goes back to when I turned 18, joined the Marine Corps, and went to Vietnam. Much older and a bit wiser now, my interest in Vietnam has continued. Here is a partial list of my Vietnam-related articles, book chapters, encyclopedia articles, and book reviews.

Education: BA, MA (history), State University of NY at Plattsburgh; MLIS, University of Kentucky.

"My Brush With History. Tet: First In . . . And Last Out," in American Heritage, August, 1993, pp. 34-35. This is a two-part article from the magazine's "My Brush With History" column. My contribution is the second part ("Last Out").

"Civic Action: The Marine Corps Experience in Vietnam," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5:1-4, 1994, pp. 127-132. Civic action is the application of non-traditional military force; roadbuilding and police work, not infantry and artillery. The Marine Corps has a long history of civic action.

"The Khe Sanh Veterans Reunion," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5:1-4, 1994, pp. 53-56. These reunions are held yearly. I don't attend very often, but this one (1993) was a great experience for me.

"The Helicopter Road to Vietnam," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 6:34, 1995, pp. 77-80. Today helicopters are a fundamental component of the American way of waging war war. This article describes how helicopters became so important to our military.

"The Story Behind the McNamara Line." An edited version appeared in Vietnam, February, 1996, pp. 18-24. The McNamara Line was a high-tech barrier built by the U.S. in Vietnam Laos in an attempt to stop infiltration by Communist forces from North Vietnam into South Vietnam.

"The Vietnamese Marine Corps," in Viet Nam Generation, Vol 7:1-2, 1996, pp. 73-77. Mostly, the South Vietnamese armed forces did not have a good reputation. Their Marine Corps, modeled on ours, was an exception.

"The 109th Quartermaster Company (Air Delivery) and the Defense of Khe Sanh." An edited version of this article was published as "The Joint Effort that Broke the Khe Sanh Siege," in Army, Vol. 47, No. 5, April 1997, pp. 44-48. Describes the efforts by the Army to provide the Marines at Khe Sanh with air drops of food and other supplies.

"Big Guns of Camp Carroll," in Vietnam, August, 1997, pp. 26-32. Article discusses U.S. artillery doctrine in Vietnam in general, and the history of this important Marine artillery base. Camp Carroll was the first place I was stationed in Vietnam.

"The Withdrawal from Khe Sanh," The History Net [online], August, 1997
[http://www.thehistorynet.com/vn/blwithdrawalfromkhesanh/]. Describes how the Marine base at Khe Sanh, previously described as critically important, was quietly abandoned.

"The Unexploited Vulnerability of the Marines at Khe Sanh." An edited version of this article was published as "Perspectives -- Khe Sanh Could Have Been Another Dien Bien Phu if the NVA Had Cut Off the Marines' Water Supply" in Vietnam, August, 1997, pp.58-60.

"Another faraway war got a different response at VU," in Vanderbilt Register, May 3-9, 1999, p. 3. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News/register/May3_99/commentary.htm. A look at anti-war protest at Vanderbilt University during the Vietnam War.

"Uncommon Ground: Interservice Rivalry in I Corps" in Vietnam, Vol. 12, No. 3, October, 1999, pp. 22-28. In addition to fighting the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army, the U.S. Marine Corps also had a fight on its hands with the U.S. Army and Air Force.

"Aerial Lifeline to Khe Sanh," in Vietnam, Vol. 12, No. 4, December, 1999; pp. 30-37. The 1968 seige of Khe Sanh the longest and most bitterly contested battle of the war. Aerial supply was crucial to the defense of Khe Sanh. The US Army played a vital role.

"Operation Niagara." An edited version of this article appeared on Vietnam magazine's website, The History Net (www.thehistorynet.com) in December, 1999. Operation Niagara at Khe Sanh has been called the biggest bombing campaign in the history of aerial warfare.

"Reassessing the Viet Cong Role after Tet." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 14, No. 5, February, 2002, pp. 34-43, 64. The first editor of this magazine rejected my article on this topic. The next editor, General David Zabecki, agreed to publish it.

"Dissing Vietnam" in Viet Nam War Generation Journal, Vol. 1, No. 4, April 2002, pp. 59-74. During the war the United States frequently described their enemy in demonic terms. Yet when compared to certain aspects of US history, the Vietnamese Communists appeared more rational in their behavior.

"The Ontos."An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol. 15, No. 3, October 2002, pp. 10-14. Ontos was a Marine Corps anti-tank weapon. Although it was never used as designed, Ontos did see wide service in Vietnam.

"Higher and Higher: American Drug Use in Vietnam." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.15, No. 4, December 2002, pp. 46-53, 70. Especially in the later years, the U.S. military forces in Vietnam had a serious drug problem.

"What Really Happened at Cam Ne?"An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.16, No. 2, August 2003, pp. 28-33. Morley Safer's television report on Cam Ne was the first big atrocity story of the Vietnam War.

"Dr. Tom Dooley." An edited version of this article appeared in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 16, 64-65. In addition to being a national hero, Dooley was also a key instrument in the government's propaganda campaign against Communism.

"The Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968," in The Tet Offensive, Marc J. Gilbert and William Head, eds., Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996, ch. 12, pp. 191-213.

"The War's 'Constructive Component,'" in Vietnam, a Reader, David Zabecki, editor, New York : ibooks ; London : Simon & Schuster, 2002, pp. 85-96. History of the Marine Corps' civic action efforts in Vietnam.

"The Significance of Local Communist Forces in Post-Tet Vietnam" in Military Aspects of the Vietnam Conflict (New York: Garland), 2000, pp. 193-204. This is volume 2 of the series The United States and the Vietnam War : Significant Scholarly Articles, Walter L. Hixson, series editor. The article was also published in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall, 1998, pp. 67-78. In a previous article I wrote for Vietnam magazine (see preceeding entry), the magazine's editor said it was a valuable contribution even though my conclusion ignored "last seven years of the war during which guerrillas played an insignificant part . . . ." To defend myself I wrote another article describing how the Viet Cong did indeed play a significant role in the later years of the war. The editor, Col. Harry Summers, Jr., refused to publish this second article, so I sent it to JTWS, who did. I was quite pleased when Hixson included it in his series of significant scholarly articles.

Encyclopedia articles:

Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a Political, Social, and Military History, edited by Spencer C. Tucker (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO), 1998; articles on Operation Hastings, Operation Niagara, the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Marine Corps, the McNamara Line, contributions of New Zealand to South Vietnam, contributions of the Republic of China to South Vietnam, the Battle of Con Thien, and the Battle of Khe Sanh, (joint author with William Head). These articles appear in the one volume edition of this encyclopedia published by Oxford University Press, (Oxford, UK ; New York), 2000.

No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam (Lawrence, KS, University Press of Kansas, 1992) in Viet Nam Generation, Vol. 5: 1-4, 1994, pp. 57-58.

Suicide Charlie: A Vietnam War Story (Westport, CT, Praeger, 1993) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, Spring 1997, pp. 252-255.

The Vietnam War: Handbook of the Literature and Research (Westport, CT, Praeger, 1993) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, Spring 1997, pp. 255-258.

Vietnam Above The Treetops: A Forward Air Controller Reports (New York: Praeger, 1992) in Journal of Third World Studies, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall, 1998, pp. 155-158.

Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War : a Political, Social, and Military History (New York: Oxford, 2000) in Choice, Vol. 38, No. 3, November 2000, pp. 511-512.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Vietrnam War (Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2000) in Vietnam, Vol. 14, No. 5, February, 2002, pp. 52-53.

A Study Guide to the Vietnam War (URL: http://www.refstar.com/vietnam) in Choice, Vol. 39, No. 5, January 2002, p. 861 (Internet Resource review).

Searching for the Good (Wilton, CN: Quaise Publications, 2000) in Vietnam, Vol. 15, No. 1, June, 2002, pp. 52-53.

Vietnam, A Visual Encyclopedia (London : PRC Publishing, 2002), in Choice, Vol. 40, No. 7, March 2003, p. 1165.

Top Secret : the Vietnam War : Confidential Files on the Siege and Loss of Khe Sanh (The Woodlands, Tex. : New Century Books, c2001) in Vietnam, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2003, pp. 52-53.

Vietnam: An Illustrated History (New York: Hippocrene Books, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 16, No.4, December, 2003, p. 53.

Why the North Won the Vietnam War (New York: Palgrave, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, pp. 53-54.

Diem's Final Failure (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.

How We Lost the Vietnam War (New York: Cooper Square, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.

Ho Chi Minh: The Missing Years, 1919-1941 Berkeley, University of California Press, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol.17, No. 2, August 2004, p. 54.

Marines in Vietnam (London : Greenhill, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 54.

The Vietnam War on Trial : The My Lai Massacre and the Court-Martial of Lieutenant Calley (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.

Of Spies and Lies : A CIA Lie Detector Remembers Vietnam (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2002) ) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.

The Hill Fights : The First Battle of Khe Sanh (New York: Ballantine Books, 2003) ) in Vietnam, Vol. 17, No. 3, October 2004, p. 53.