Tan Phu: Special Forces Team A-23 in Combat

I read all three of Leigh Wade's books, 'Tan Phu: Special Forces Team A-23 in Combat', 'The Protected Will Never Know', and 'Assault on Dak Pek', in order, and loved them all. Wade spent multiple tours in 'Nam, between '63 and '70. He was not only a professional soldier, but a professional Special Forces soldier, so his point of view is a lot different from Joe Smuckatelli the Average Grunt. These books are gritty and honest and I hightly recommend them all- Tan Phu being first in the series and covering the pre-buildup Vietnam of 1963. In fact, I think I'd go so far as to say that I enjoyed these as much or more than any other series-type books on Vietnam (and I've read a pile of 'em.)

I enjoy Leigh Wade's writing style and had read one of his other books. This book is his account of his first tour in Vietnam as a junior commo sergeant in a remote A-Team. Lt. Nick Rowe was on this team, and Wade's account of the operation that lead to the capture of Rowe (author of Five Years to Freedom) and Cpt. Rocky Versace (who was awarded a CMH posthumously for his actions as a POW) is a good addition to the historical record. After reading this book I re-read the beginning of Five Years to Freedom. It is very enlightening to read the two first person accounts of the battle. Both were accurate and insightful, and the differing perspectives helped illustrate some of the chaos of battle and fog of war. This book is a good personal record of the war from a junior green beret's point of view, uncensored and unapologetic.

Leigh Wade proves that with American ingenuity, and old fashion guts, you can do a lot of damage while minimizing friendly casualties. He also shows the reader that regardless of your primary MOS - he was a commo man - while assigned to a Special Forces A-Team, you are going to fight and kill like a proven grunt, which he did well, and often. Reading Wade's story helps me put Vietnam in perspective. He tells it the way it happened to him, and there's plenty to get your attention. He - through his writings - makes me proud to be an American. Way to go, Leigh!

This author kept my attention the whole time. Read this book, its great.

Tan Phu was the Special Forces camp from which three Americans were captured in South Vietnam on 29 October 1963. If you read James N. (Nick) Rowe's Five Years to Freedom, then you'll want to read Tan Phu to get the rest of the true story on what happened to the 12-man Special Forces Team A-23. As the cover says: "every night you fought just to stay alive." Well written, and a good book to whet your appetite for reading more history about Special Forces operations. After reading Tan Phu, rent The Green Berets video starring John Wayne, which did a good job overall in portraying the daily struggle of isolated Special Forces camps to stay alive surrounded by the Viet Cong