The battle of Khe Sanh was won by the US, and the Vietnam War was lost at the same time. This work describes the experiences of the soldiers and marines who were expendable in the political chaos of Vietnam in 1968. It also ponders the question of how to win an unpopular war on foreign soil, linking battlefield events to political reality.

Foreword by John W. VesseyixPrefacexiAcknowledgmentsxvAbbreviationsxviiChapter 11Chapter 26Vietnam6Khe Sanh before the Battle8Chapter 315District Headquarters15The Village Participants20Chapter 429Day-to-Day Operations of the Advisory Team29Chapter 539Giap's Strategy39The NVA Tactical Plan43The American Plan43Chapter 647The Situation Changes—The Prelude to the Battle in Khe Sanh47Chapter 752The Battle Is Joined52The Western Approach to the Village—CAC-OSCAR 2's Fight58Air Strikes Take Their Toll60Chapter 865Black Cats to the Rescue65The Black Cats66The Combat Assault68The NVA Await73Enroute to Khe Sanh73Arriving at the Landing Zone at the Old French Fort74Chapter 983The Battle Continues83What Could Have Been Done Differently89The Evacuation of the District Headquarters93Chapter 1095The Advisory Team on the Move95Lang Vei Falls97Life at FOB-399A Corpsman's Perspective100The Northern Half of FOB-3101The Bru104The Extended Siege105The End of the Siege106Chapter 11109Observations on a Lost War109The Need for Unity of Command109The Tension Between Secrecy and Operational Requirements111The Relationship of Battlefield Events and Political Decisions112The Roots of Historical Revisionism/Why History Is Difficult to Chronicle Accurately114Conclusion115Epilogue116The Participants Today116MIA—Still Missing, But Not Forgotten118The Bru Leave Khe Sanh121Appendices131Appendix 1: JCS After-Action Report132Appendix 2: Wichita Eagle, April 4, 1968, Article137Appendix 3: The Participants140Appendix 4: NVA Plan146Appendix 5: Recently Unclassified Intelligence151Appendix 6: Invasion of Laos153Appendix 7: Wichita Eagle Article—After-Action Report155Appendix 8: Award Citations157Appendix 9: Terrain Map of Area Around Khe Sanh Village160Index163

"Expendable Warriors reveals a little-known chapter in the story of the siege of Khe Sanh--how the battle really began and who was targeted in the first and biggest North Vietnamese assault in the opening round of an epic clash."

"Expendable Warriors reveals a little-known chapter in the story of the siege of Khe Sanh--how the battle really began and who was targeted in the first and biggest North Vietnamese assault in the opening round of an epic clash." -- Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of We Were Soldiers Once...and Young and Triumph Without Victory: The History of the Persian Gulf "Warrior, professor, deep thinker, and highly engaging and articulate writer, Bruce Clarke has written with compassion and wisdom borne of his personal experience in the village of Khe Sanh, 38 years ago. Good war stories take a long time to write, and this one is worth the wait. I am fascinated by the tale and the wonderful new insights that this major historian and military analyst brings to the reader. His sharing of the battle before the battle, the defeat of an NVA Regiment before the main Khe Sanh battle ever began, is masterfully told. A real page turner. And the lessons learned that he shares are well worth noting at a time when we are again, as a nation, engaged in war." -- John K. Swensson, Dean, Language Arts Division; De Anza College and Custodian, The DeCillis Viet Nam Conflict Collection "Most books studying the 1968 siege of Khe Sanh focus on the Marine Corps' defense of the base and the hilltops to the north. Other books examine the fall of the nearby Lang Vei Special Forces Camp overrun by North Vietnamese tanks. To most Khe Sanh was a Marine battle. While heavily shelled and the hilltop outposts fought off attacks, the main base experienced only minor ground attacks. There was another battle though, unheralded in most books, the vicious fight for Khe Sanh Village south of the main base. This fight saw 25 Army and Marine advisors and 175 Vietnamese irregular troops fighting off a North Vietnamese regular battalion. Bruce Clark aptly describes the valor and spirit of the defenders as they beat back repeated assaults with little support from the main base. This is a first person account of a virtually unheard of battle characterized by heroism and dedication to duty." -- Gordon L. Rottman, author of Khe Sanh 1967-68 "I'm honored that Bruce Clarke has portrayed the bravery of not only the Americans but all of us who fought and won the largest ground battle of the siege of Khe Sanh. We believed in our cause and dedicated our lives to it and this book clearly illustrates what many efforts about the Vietnam War do not--the bravery and efforts of the warriors who fought beside the Americans in the Vietnam War." -- CPt Nhi, Vietnamese District Chief

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