Rice Paddy Recon

Andrew R. Finlayson served for 25 years in the U. S. Marine Corps retiring as a colonel and went on to work in the defense industry in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Romania. He is the author of several defense and intelligence related articles and studies. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.

“fascinating...deserves our full and undivided attention”—Leatherneck Magazine; “Finlayson has penned a fascinating account of his 19 months in Vietnam. In this extremely well-written memoir, Finlayson takes the reader on a very personal narrative of his experiences in combat. His detailed accounts...provide a revealing glimpse into the deadly cat-and-mouse pursuit-and-escape clashes between reconnaissance Marines and North Vietnamese soldiers in the remote jungles and mountainous terrain of Base Area 112...gripping. His spellbinding description of the action is riveting. Finlayson has a unique ability to weave infantry tactics into his narrative without making the story read like a textbook. This wonderfully written book is more then a personal memoir; ‘it is firsthand account of how one young Marine officer fought in that war’”—Proceedings; “the author offers a well-researched and well-written account of his experiences in Vietnam, and his recollections of his service with force reconnaissance, infantry elements, and especially the PRU provides readers with a wide scope of America’s history of involvement in Vietnam. While his inclusion of so many elements of the war, ranging from his own personal experiences to sweeping discussions of the US military strategy in its entirety, offers a wide lens through which to view the war, Finlayson ultimately achieves the goal of his memoir by broadening the value of American understanding of the war in Vietnam.”—H-Net Reviews; “Finlayson’s formidable analysis of strategic logistics and strategic geography is very fine.”—Catholicism.org; “recommended...well-written...McFarland has done the serious reader of Marine Corps Officers memoirs a service. This book ranks right up there at the top of the genre’s heap”—The VVA Veteran.

• Table of ContentsList of MapsviiiAcknowledgmentsPreface1. Back to Vietnam and the War2. Deja Vu3. An Hoa—Patrols Redux4. Base Area 1125. The Idylls of March6. The Arizona Territory7. Liberty Bridge8. The Que Son Mountains9. Hill 65 and the Palace Guard10. Qua’s Story: The Life of a Viet Cong Guerrilla11. The House on Doan Cong Bu Street12. The CIA Embassy House13. First Impressions14. Bad American Policy—A New Focus15. London Interlude16. America’s Most Valuable Spy17. The Pru Winter Offensive of 196918. The Cambodian Invasion19. My War EndsEpilogueGlossaryChapter NotesBibliographyIndex