The 13th Valley

Best novel to come out of the War, Written by a Viet Combat Vet.

This book is getting some age on it. I am glad to see it is still available. The events in this book are based on a real operation carried out in I Corps (northern South Viet). Like Jeff Shaara, Del Vecchio takes history and turns it into a very readable novel. Speaking as an infantry veteran of the Viet Nam War, "The 13th Valley" is the best novel written thus far on the Viet Nam War and I've read most of them.

The author unabashedly states in his "Author's Note" that Vietnam was "the most moral war this nation has ever engaged." There are merits to that view in spite of "those in the media, in the arts, and in education who continue to perpetrate the cliches" (p. xi). This is not the venue for a debate on that topic, but if you read this book, you will understand the camaraderie and heroism of the men who heeded their country's call and fought there. The novel chronicles thirteen days of Company A, 7th Battalion, 402nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. As you hump with the boonierats, you will come to understand the psychology of survival that men like Egan, Cherry, Doc, Jax, and Lt. Brooks employ to keep from going insane: "Don't mean nothin. Drive on." The author's turbo-charged prose plants you right there in the Khe Ta Laou Valley up in I Corps. You feel the elephant grass slice your hands as you move into the valley. If you read before bed, you may wake up in the middle of the night imagining that you're being attacked by insatiable blood-sucking leeches crawling into your poncho. The descriptive language alone is a tour de force, while the characters seem so real they materialize before you as you read. The maps help you keep track of unit positions and movements, and the "Activity Reports" at the end of some chapters aptly summarize the military activity of each day in the valley. I just finished reading this novel today, and already I'm going back and re-reading certain passages that I liked. This is the way Vietnam was. The language of the grunts is authentic. I know. I was there during the time frame within which the story takes place. You can go there, too, if you read this novel. In the beginning chapter, Cherry asks a clerk, "Oh-deuce?" The clerk responds, "Yeah, Man. Oh-deuce. Four-oh-deuce. That's where you goin, cherry. That's where you goin." I challenge you to follow along.

If you want to be picked up and dropped in the jungles of Vietnam in the middle of a major operation, then read this book. It was one of the best Vietnam War books I have ever read. Written with both detail and compassion for all involved, it is a brilliant portrayal of the soldiers who fought in the "boonies" during that horrible war. Unlike many Vietnam novels that concentrate heavily on the psychological effects of fighting an invisible enemy, this novel is also about the military aspects of the war, and makes the often-overlooked point that our military had some brilliant successes brought about by the heroic actions of the thousands of valiant soldiers who fought the battles. I highly recommend this dramatic and finely written novel.

As a student in High School we had guest speakers from the Vietnam War come in and speak to us. They had mentioned that "The 13th Valley" was the most accurate account of what really happened in the war. I had never read another war book before, and thought that this may ake as an interesting read for our class. I was awe stricken. The detail and accuracy amazed me, and I couldn't wait to pick up another War Novel. I have now read multiple War Novels, and nothing compares. I have passed my copy around the school to teachers, all say that this is a marvelous book. DelVecchio combines awesome writing skills with great detail, resulting in a Novel worthy of careful reading.