Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 132

making would be Davis’s ideal reader. Both men were—
clearly—gifted in understanding strategy. Yet, their
behavioral influences and choices also affected how
they each made decisions. Davis outlines how their
aptitudes developed and how they each were influenced by their ethics. Neither stopped being a student
of war, and each had his own ideas of how to use, or not
use, a general staff. This is invaluable information for
midgrade leaders who aspire to become more beneficial
to their senior leaders or to ascend to higher command.
Lt. Col. John T. Miller, Fort Belvoir, Virginia

LEGEND: A Harrowing Story from the Vietnam
War of One Green Beret’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a
Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines
Eric Blehm, Crown Publishers, New York, 2015,
304 pages

L

egend is a concise biography of retired U.S.
Army Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez. Its
centerpiece is an account of a single day of
combat in 1968 in Cambodia—outside the recognized
battle lines of the Vietnam War. Eric Blehm grips the
reader’s attention in the
opening paragraphs of the
prologue with the final scenes
of the battle. He introduces
the struggle that followed to
give Benavidez full recognition for his actions that day.
Blehm recounts the impoverished upbringing that
forged the traits that made
Benavidez a man who would
defy impossible odds to help
his friends in need. He then
reviews Benavidez’s early military career, his dogged pursuit
of an airborne assignment,
and his first tour in Vietnam,
which left him paralyzed in a military hospital bed. His
recovery and return to duty are proof of Benavidez’s
indomitable spirit.
Interwoven in Benavidez’s personal story is the history
of the Vietnam War. It provides a broad context for those
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less familiar with the subject. Blehm briefly delves deeper
into the history and the politics of the parallel secret war
in Cambodia, providing the reader a sense of the intrigue
that surrounded Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Sihanouk
and of the tenacious mindset of the Viet Cong enemy.
Both set the stage for the battle to come.
Blehm’s straightforward, no-nonsense prose captures the pace of the action that unfolds. Once the
battle begins, the reader will not want to put the book
down. The actions of the small team from the Studies
and Observations Group, of the aviators of the 240th
Assault Helicopter Company, and of Benavidez himself, could potentially leave the reader in total disbelief—if not for Blehm’s earlier illustration of how such
men develop to be so tough.
This book is a worthwhile contribution to the
history of the Vietnam War. Its depiction of the values
and determination that led a man to risk his life and
overcome extreme adversity has much wider appeal.
Anyone unfamiliar with the story should ignore
Internet videos on the subject and learn about it for the
first time as Blehm reveals it.
Consider this book required reading for anyone
thinking of trying out for Special Forces because it
clearly describes the mind-set and determination
expected to earn the Green Beret. For
those who served in Special Forces, this
book is a reminder of the principles for
which they fought and should continue to fight. Readers of John L. Plaster’s
book SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s
Commandos in Vietnam will find Legend an
eye-opening expansion upon the shorter
summary Plaster provides of the battle.
While Benavidez’s autobiographical Medal
of Honor provides greater detail on other
aspects of his life, Legend updates the tale
with accounts from additional witnesses,
archives, and declassified files.
The greatest service of this book is in
keeping the legend alive—not merely of
Benavidez but of all of those with whom he
served that day—and their generation. It is a vivid reminder to adopt, as Benavidez did, the credo of “Duty,
Honor, Country.”
Maj. Thomas Nypaver,