Description
By: Jonathan Schell
With a new introduction by Wallace Shawn, a classic work of war reportage that describes, with unblinking vision, the systematic leveling of a Vietnamese village by American troops.
Ben Suc was a relatively prosperous farming village thirty miles from Saigon, on the edge of the Iron Triangle, the formidable Vietcong stronghold. It had been “pacified” many times, but because of security leaks no Vietcong were ever captured, and it always reverted to the villagers.
But on January 8, 1967, American forces launched a surprise assault kept secret even from their South Vietnamese allies. The plan was to envelop the village, seal it off, remove its inhabitants, destroy every physical trace, and level the surrounding jungle.
Jonathan Schell accompanied the operation from its beginning to its successful but dismal end, and reported it in depth as he saw it. This time no one slipped away. The story of the bewildering task of separating the Vietcong from ordinary villagers is the dramatic core of The Village of Ben Suc.
Here is an overwhelmingly affecting narrative of American skill and good intentions squandered in a cause made hopeless by misunderstanding, resistant traditions, and cultural gaps—not only between the Americans and the villagers, but between the villagers and the Saigon government. Schell’s report is devastating.
With a new introduction by Wallace Shawn, a classic work of war reportage that describes, with unblinking vision, the systematic leveling of a Vietnamese village by American troops.
Ben Suc was a relatively prosperous farming village thirty miles from Saigon, on the edge of the Iron Triangle, the formidable Vietcong stronghold. It had been “pacified” many times, but because of security leaks no Vietcong were ever captured, and it always reverted to the villagers.
But on January 8, 1967, American forces launched a surprise assault kept secret even from their South Vietnamese allies. The plan was to envelop the village, seal it off, remove its inhabitants, destroy every physical trace, and level the surrounding jungle.
Jonathan Schell accompanied the operation from its beginning to its successful but dismal end, and reported it in depth as he saw it. This time no one slipped away. The story of the bewildering task of separating the Vietcong from ordinary villagers is the dramatic core of The Village of Ben Suc.
Here is an overwhelmingly affecting narrative of American skill and good intentions squandered in a cause made hopeless by misunderstanding, resistant traditions, and cultural gaps—not only between the Americans and the villagers, but between the villagers and the Saigon government. Schell’s report is devastating.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
Billy and the Mini Monsters #16 Monsters at Easter
Sale priceHK$46.00
Regular priceHK$84.00
In stock
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess International Edition
Sale priceHK$92.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock
Billy and the Mini Monsters #15 Monsters at the Zoo (Zanna Davidson)
Sale priceHK$45.00
Regular priceHK$72.00
In stock
Billy and the Mini Monsters #01 Monsters in the Dark (Paperback) (Zanna Davidson)
Sale priceHK$47.00
Regular priceHK$72.00
In stock
Longman Weekly English Gramma Exercises (with Gramma Video)
Sale priceHK$71.00
Regular priceHK$83.00
In stock
Treehouse, The (正版) Boxset / Bundle with QR code Audio (Andy Griffiths)
Sale priceFrom HK$179.00
Regular priceHK$673.00
In stock
Billy and the Mini Monsters #02 Monsters go to School (Paperback) (Zanna Davidson)
Sale priceHK$45.00
Regular priceHK$72.00
In stock
Usborne Musical Book: The Animal Orchestra Plays Mozart
Sale priceHK$99.00
Regular priceHK$156.00
In stock