Book Review - A Better War: Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam

• Author: Captain Jeanne M. Meyer
• Pages: 05

154 MILITARY LAW REVIEW [Vol. 163

A BETTER WAR:

UNEXAMINED VICTORIES AND FINAL TRAGEDY OF AMERICA'S LAST YEARS IN VIETNAM

REVIEWED BY CAPTAIN JEANNE M. MEYER1

Scientists have proven the existence of synergism, whereby "the combined action of two or more substances or agencies achieve an effect greater than that of which each is individually capable."2 Lewis Sorley has proven the opposite-that two good ideas combined together can achieve a result with less effect than each is individually capable of. In his new book A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam,3 Sorley inartfully attempts to combine into one book what would have been excellent material for two separate books. The result is a book with an identity crisis, constantly fighting within itself to find its focus. At times the book seems to be a history of the last years of the Vietnam War. At other times, it seems to be a biography of the commander of the United States forces during those years, General Creighton W. Abrams.4 Unfortunately, neither subject matter comes out a clear winner, leaving the reader unsatisfied as to both.

A Better War is at its best when Sorley focuses on either the war or General Abrams. Sorley's discussions focusing on the last years of the war are particularly informative and thought provoking. As he points out in his

prologue, little is written about the last years of the Vietnam War, from the Tet Offensive of 1968 until the signing of the Paris peace accords in 1973. A Better War expertly fills that gap, detailing areas generally glossed over in other discussions of the war.5 For example, in the chapter on intelligence, Sorley describes the efforts of the United States to intercept and decode North Vietnamese messages passed along the Ho Chi Minh trail.6 He relates in an understandable and interesting manner the complexity of the North Vietnamese intelligence system and how the United States was able to break it. Sorley then analyzes and explains the tremendous value of this breakthrough-the ability for the United States to track and predict enemy movement along the Ho Chi Minh trail.7

Similarly, in various chapters describing military conflicts that took place during the last few years of the war, Sorley provides clear, interesting descriptions of on-going battles and their military significance. Each of these chapters provides helpful maps and descriptions, allowing the reader to easily visualize the conflicts. It is here, in describing military battles during the war, that Sorley shines. His background as an Army commander...