The Magnificent Bastards: The Joint Army-Marine Defense of Dong Ha, 1968

I read this book to learn about the legacy of my former Marine unit, 2/4. I did not anticipate a moving military history on par with the best: The Reason Why, Infantry Attacks, Black Hawk Down, and the Campaigns of Napoleon.

Professor Nolan vividly relates the extreme heroism and sacrifice of the soldiers and Marines in and near Dong Ha, in no small part due to the wealth of oral history collected by the Corps in the aftermath of the battles. I was most impressed by Nolan's ability to convey the tactical and operational nuts and bolts, without sacrificing the tone of immediacy and personal desperation the participants must have felt.

I've always been proud to have briefly been a member of 2/4. Nolan's book taught me what made the Bastards show more truly Magnificent. show less

I have to admit that the author's chronicling of the events during this two-week battle north of the Marine Dak To basecamp was as thorough as can be. Mr. Nolan stated that the story comprised from his researching tons of documents (I assume after action reports) and through personal interviews of those who were there. It was truly a bloodbath on both sides; the Americans lost many officers during the battle and squad-sized platoons carried on the fight while led by enlisted men and a handful of NCO's. The small village of Dai Do was just a dot on the map a few miles south of the DMZ, but it was significant in the fact that an entire NVA Division was well-concealed, heavily supplied, and well trained in a match-up with the "Magnificent show more Bastards" of 2/4 Marines and the Army "Gimlets" of the Americal 3/21 infantry battalion. It was an unmerciful battle for both sides.

I did have trouble getting through the book as the author flooded the document with many names of soldiers, nearby towns, and waterways; so much so, that I was compelled to create my own list of characters/units so I could keep the battle in perspective. Nolan gives an overview of a particular part of the battle and then goes into fine detail about a certain individual, squad or unit as told from individual interviews. I would almost compare "The Magnificent Bastards" to a high-school textbook. The characters are just names which made it difficult for me to get close to or connect with any of them. There are also many typos throughout the story that caused me to pause momentarily to figure it out; missing letters which might be due to my Kindle when compared to a printed copy. I also thought that much of the story was redundant as many of the scenes played out the same with the different characters.

All in all, it was a story that had to be told so that those who weren't there could see how brave and resilient these soldiers were during the many ongoing battles over the same real estate. I have to commend Mr. Nolan for telling the story the way he did as there was no other way for readers to fathom the complexity of the fight. Many brothers were lost during those two weeks, and those who survived, experienced more physical, mental, and emotional stress in those two weeks than in several life times. I'm also certain that the battle continues to play out for them every night. Slow hand salute to the survivors and to those who gave their all for their brothers in arms.

Thank you, Mr. Nolan for telling it like it was! show less