When most people think of Vietnam, the use of tanks is not often what springs to mind yet, as this volume proves, they were in fact widely used by the Marine Corps in the III MAF area throughout the conflict but without a high profile. The book does an admirable job of pointing out that, unlike previous wars, their use was not at the large unit level for the most part against other enemy armor but rather at the platoon or company level and often in support of infantry units or as convoy escorts, a hazardous activity under the best of circumstances. The author does a superb job of weaving together the stories of the men who served in these units using first-hand accounts combined with combat unit histories and the larger picture of the war and shifting strategy as time went on. The narrative draws the reader in and indeed is a gripping "you-are-there" account from the soldiers themselves, making the telling up close and personal in a way that only oral histories can by humanizing it at the individual level. Through the voices of the enlisted tankers and their company and platoon officers, the book takes you through the early experiences in the build-up of US troops and the changing mission roles to the street fighting in Hue and the heavy fighting along the DMZ right up to the draw-down of forces and eventual withdrawal from Vietnam. The book culminates with a section of brief accounts of where the surviving soldiers are now, providing a continuity from the events of the past to the present as an apt conclusion.

1Two Thousand Years of War 7 -- 2 1965: Taking Measure 31 -- 3 1966: The Nva Moves South 63 -- 4 1967: A Growing Momentum 91 -- 5 1968: Crisis and Decision 139 -- 6 1969: On the Ropes 199 -- 7 1970-1975: Withdrawal and Final Spasms 241.