Rick's Brown Water Navy Reading List

The following is a collection of books I have found which attempt to describe our experience in Vietnam. Most of us who served in the brown water navy have trouble  articulating the experience since it was another world and most people in the "real world" have no frame of reference. Even though in most cases it was only a year it was a large part of most of our lives. I am glad that some have tried to document our experience, before our small part of a small conflict is completely lost to history.

• Slingshot by Edward Vick
  
  Having served in Tra Cu during operation Giant Slingshot, This book had many historically accurate details, Such as correct call signs that many of us have forgotten. Plus it is a good adventure story. I recommend this book
  
  
  
  

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• Brown Water, Black Berets by Thomas J. Cutler
  
  This was an excellent history of the navy in the delta. Closer to a history book than a personal account. It is still well written.
  
  
  
  

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• U.S. Navy Seawolves and
• Seawolves by Daniel E. Kelly
  Mr Kelly's latest book isn't as good as his first however it is still a good tale of how the selwolve squandron was formed and several of their most memorable adventures.
  
  His first book is a very good book. I thought the author did an excellent job of portraying the many mixed emotions of the time. It not only covered time in country through the eyes of an 18 year old sailor, but also a chapter about survival school in Coronado.
  
  

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• Man of the River : Memoir of a Brown Water Sailor in Vietnam, 1968-1969 by Jimmy R. Bryant
  This book is the story of one sailor's experience. It brought back a few memories.
  
  
  
  

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• Papa Bravo Romeo : U.S. Navy Patrol Boats at War in Vietnam by Wynn Goldsmith
  This book is the story of another sailor's experience. It brought back a few other memories. I liked this book it. I thought it did a good job of describing the operational tempo of a PBR Division in the delta. It is a little controversial in that the Author berates specific people and/or events especially SEALS
  
  
  
  

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• Duty Honor Sacrifice by Ralph Christopher
  This story is primarily on Mobile Riverine Assault force and the integration of the army and navy units. It has a good introduction to the Vietnam War and how we got in this mess. It has numeous stories of heroism which become mind numbing after awhile. 
  
  

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• Laughter on the rivers of Death by Bill Ferguson
  One sailor's humorous experience in Vietnam. Part of this story is on the lower Vam Co Dong river near where I was stationed in Tra Cu.
  
  

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• Men in Green Faces by Gene Wentz, B. Abell Jurus (Contributor)
  This story is of one Seal's experience. Mostly he thinks highly of Seals and looks down on lowly PBR sailors, but its not a bad yarn and I bought it from the author at the Vietnam memorial.
  
  

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• River Patrol - Operation Giant Slingshot, 2000 by Jimmy R. Bryant
  The story in the book starts in Nha Be and moves up to Tra Cu and Operation Giant Slingshot. Tra Cu is the ATSB the most of the action centers around. Although it is written as fiction, It tried to give the PBR Forces center stage.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• My Father My Son by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr. & Lieutenant Elmo Zumwalt III
  This book is the story of the Admiral's son tour of duty and his subsequent fight with cancer. .
  
  

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