Six Silent Men: 101st LRP/Rangers

Six silent men Reynel Martinez 101st LRRP The 101st Long Range Reconnainsce Patrols worked all over Vietnam, from I Corp in the North to the delta in the South. At times they worked with the Marines and the Special Forces. They went out in 6 man teams. The goal was to locate the enemy and target it for others to kill. The 101st arrived in Vietnam in July 1965, at Cam Ranh bay. They were highly trained due to the efforts of Major David Hackworth, the brigade operations officer. In September, 1965, to gather intelligence, the Long Range Recon Patrol group was set up under the command of 1srt Lt. Joel Stevenson. The unit was formally established on 15 October. 337 men volunteered, and 32 were accepted. The book relates the histories of several of the men that the author knew. This is the 1st of 3 books written about the LRRPs by the men who served with them. It covers this authors time there. Other time periods are covered by other authors. The author is the son of one of the Darby Rangers of World War II. He went around in the 1980's and got each person's story for the book. Maps would have helped in this book. Part of the training was knowledge of the rules of 1759, of Rogers Rangers, still valid today, and in an appendix. Doing this kind of work was new for Americans. The Special Forces had been doing it for years, and the LRRPs borrowed some of their tactics. However, the SF worked with local people on patrol It was widely expected that the LRRP all American team would not last a week in the jungle. One problem was the headquarters would want to send the LRRPs out as bait for the North Vietnamese, and then attack the North Vietnamese when the LRRPs were attacked. This tactic was fought by the LRRPs, as they did not have the firepower to stop large groups of enemy. The author goes into lots of detail about who was on each mission, combat loads, and training. In an appendix, is a list of a variety of weapons the LRRPs used as well as the enemy. LRRPs used the Special Forces tiger uniforms that they acquired via barter or stealing. A bunch of times the teams were inserted into hot landing zones and had to be extracted immediately. This included their very first mission, which was being monitored by brass all the way to Saigon. On the first mission they almost lost the classified codes used, and had to go back to retrieve them while being fired upon. Sometimes while under fire chopper pilots refused to retrieve the teams. Braver substitute pilots had to be found. As time went on, a bonding occurred between the pilots and the LRRPs, as the pilots knew that the LRRPs would come and get them if they got shot down. The LRRPs greatly admired the pilot's bravery. The LRRPs carried whatever weapon they wanted. Most used M-16's but some carried shotguns, grease guns from WWII, SKS's, Thompson's, whatever. They borrowed strobe lights from the chopper pilots for use in signaling. Many of the fights were within a fe

What a great book! This has to be one of the most exciting, action packed and (despite what some other erroneous reviewers have said) well written vietnam history/memoirs out there.'Marty' takes us on a sweeping adventure of the first two years of the LRRP's existence. He delves into their training in great detail and then throws you into their first mission...and lookout, the action doesn't stop until the last page. In fact most of the book is a narrative of their individual missions...these missions were usually 6 men, alone in NVA territory, whose job it was to obtain info on the enemy, including location, numbers, type of weapons, etc... Many times the team would be compromised and have to fight their way out of danger, occasionally losing (never leaving) members of the team, but always inflicting heavy casualties on the NVA. Their are some heart stopping missions in here that you will not believe. I simply could not put this book down. And this is coming from a reader who is usually 100% WWII! This book has seriously sparked my interest in learing more about Vietnam and our men's role in that much maligned war. If you enjoy war stories then you would LOVE this book!

I am the author of SIX SILENT MEN Book Two, and though I am proud of Book Two and of Gary Linderer's SIX SILENT MEN Book Three, I think Gary would join me in saying that we are particularly proud of the job Rey Martinez did in SIX SILENT MEN Book One. Rey had the hardest job of research, and at least as difficult a task of rendering the results of his research into a readable and accurate narrative. He did a truly professional job. I think that SIX SILENT MEN Book One is the best of the three---and one of the best narratives to come out of America's war in Vietnam. ... SIX SILENT MEN Book One is Rey's first attempt at serious writing. It was written in Rey's second language, and it is a splendid book. Rey is a man of enviable talents, but that's no excuse for spiteful and ignorant jealousy. This book is the best of the lot!

I read Rey's book second, Although I would have love to have read the books by the numbers I still enjoyed it very much, as a matter-of-fact when I got the other two, I read this one again. I have read all three of them three times, and have enjoyed them just as much each time I read them. I think Rey did an outstanding job of telling how the LRRP companies started. I have never met Rey, I am hoping to get an invite to their next reunion. I am an EX/ LRRP/RANGER. I was with ECHO/ 50th LRRPs then We became ECHO 75th RANGER. Roadrunner 6 out

I first read the novel "Death In The Ashau Valley" by Larry Chambers, also a member of the LRP's in Vietnam, he recommended these novels. Well I have to say he was right in recommending this novel, as well as the other 2. All of them were well written, and you had to love the men as well as their antics.