The tactical, cultural and social level they experience in a combat environment. How the Marines trained the PF’s and local police and vise-versa. It tells a lot of the situations they had to work through to keep stability in Binh Nghia and secure the town. West was a member of the squad he describes so vividly throughout the book but doesn’t insert himself too much in the story. He just describes what happens in great detail especially during patrols. The detail he uses makes for a strong connection between the reader and the characters making it that much more tragic when they die in the book. He does a great job describing how the Marines conducted their day to day joint patrols with the PF’s and how each learned from one another. When the Marines first got there the PF’s couldn’t shoot worth a damn but they were good at spotting VC at night. In October of 1967 it had been 2 and a half months without firefights or even any sign of VC. The training the PF’s received through the Marines eventually allowed them to be able to keep the village safe on their own. The Marines were no longer needed. Only seven of the original fifteen were
The tactical, cultural and social level they experience in a combat environment. How the Marines trained the PF’s and local police and vise-versa. It tells a lot of the situations they had to work through to keep stability in Binh Nghia and secure the town. West was a member of the squad he describes so vividly throughout the book but doesn’t insert himself too much in the story. He just describes what happens in great detail especially during patrols. The detail he uses makes for a strong connection between the reader and the characters making it that much more tragic when they die in the book. He does a great job describing how the Marines conducted their day to day joint patrols with the PF’s and how each learned from one another. When the Marines first got there the PF’s couldn’t shoot worth a damn but they were good at spotting VC at night. In October of 1967 it had been 2 and a half months without firefights or even any sign of VC. The training the PF’s received through the Marines eventually allowed them to be able to keep the village safe on their own. The Marines were no longer needed. Only seven of the original fifteen were