Books about Riverine from Amazon.com

The southernmost region of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) encompassed the vast Mekong River Delta, and area covering 10,190 square miles. Three major rivers run through the Delta, the Song Hou Giang (aka Bassac) and the Song Mekong, which broke into three large rivers (Song My Tho, Ham Luong, and Go Chien). The Nhon Trach delineated the Delta's eastern edge. In all there were some 1,500 miles of natural navigable waterways and 2,500 miles of man-made canals and channels. The canal system was begun in 800 AD and its expansion continued up to World War II. The nation's capital, Saigon, lies on the Delta's northern edge. Few roads and highways served the region with sampans and other small watercraft via the canals being the main means of transportation.

At least 70,000 Viet Cong (VC) were scattered over the area controlling up to a quarter of the population. Three Army of the Republic Vietnam (ARVN) divisions as well as various paramilitary forces battled the VC in the marshes, forests, and paddies. In 1965 the military situation in the Delta had deteriorated and the decision was taken to shore things up by committing a joint Army and Navy Mobile Riverine Force. This force was unique in its composition, mission, and the special craft in which it operated. The Army component was the 2d Brigade, 9th Infantry Division; the Navy component was River Assault Flotilla One. The various watercraft assigned to the Mobile Riverine Force are the subject of this book. These included much-modified landing craft, purpose-built patrol boats including Swift Boats and Monitors, and a variety of auxiliary and support vessels. Task Force CLEARWATER, a much smaller operation in the extreme northern portion of South Vietnam, also used these craft.

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The men of the U.S. Navy's brown-water force played a vital but often overlooked role in the Vietnam War. Known for their black berets and limitless courage, they maneuvered their aging, makeshift craft along shallow coastal waters and twisting inland waterways to search out the enemy. In this moving tribute to their contributions and sacrifices, Tom Cutler records their dramatic story as only a participant could. His own Vietnam experience enables him to add a striking human dimension to the account. The terror of firefights along the jungle-lined rivers, the rigors of camp life, and the sudden perils of guerrilla warfare are conveyed with authenticity. At the same time, the author's training as a historian allows him to objectively describe the scope of the navy's operations and evaluate their effectiveness.

Winner of the Navy League's Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement in 1988 when the book was first published, Cutler is credited with having written the definitive history of the brown-water sailors, an effort that has helped readers better understand the nature of U.S. involvement in the war..
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Volunteering for anything while serving in the Navy is risky business Many a naïve Sailor found himself suffering from "volunteers remorse" shortly after stepping forward to answer the call for a special assignment. Before he could hum the first few notes of Anchors Aweigh, he would come to believe that what he had asked for and what he had received may not be the same. He and others would doubt the wisdom of his decision. "It seemed like a good idea at the time" is one of several responses to the question, "just what were you thinking when you volunteered?" These questions were usually followed by the phrase, "you dumb S.O.B." "What have I got myself in to now" is a well known and often repeated question asked of self by volunteers everywhere. This question is usually followed up with a phrase such as, "you dumb S.O.B." This book chronicles events that evoked laughter along the author's route from a cushy job on shore duty to becoming a "Brown Water Sailor" on River Patrol Boats in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. He found out that there was more to being on River Patrol Boats than the anticipated death and destruction, even on the, "Rivers of Death." The first several chapters outline the education and training the author and his classmates went through to prepare for service on River Patrol Boats. They were transformed from inexperienced Sailors to Sailors with basic skills in boat handling, weapons, and tactics. The remaining seven chapters are a narrative of his experiences while serving in River Division 533 where the real learning took place. There are no "war stories" or "tales of heroism" in this book. Others have already told the stories of the selfless acts performed by ordinary Sailors in the line of duty..
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One of the Navy's brown-water sailors--the soldiers who patrolled the Mekong Delta's Bassac River in hot-rodded cabin cruisers--describes his experiences during the Vietnam War. Reprint. PW. .
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"Our mission was independent, no-holds-barred combat against a stubborn enemy in the enemy's backyard "                

In Vietnam, river warfare was often conducted in the dark. It was always dangerous, sometimes fatal--especially in the eastern end of the Cong-plagued Mekong Delta. In 1967, U.S. Navy Lt. Wynn Goldsmith was the "river rat" who led the first MK II PBR patrol boats in brutal combat.

It was a deadly business. These sailors, famous for their courage and combat effectiveness, faced sniper bullets, machine guns, and mines while searching sampans, patrolling treacherous enemy-controlled waterways like Ambush Alley, and rescuing crews from burning boats in the middle of firefights. During the Tet Offensive, Goldsmith's area saw some of the most hotly contested fighting in the entire Mekong Delta. This gripping account is a tribute to these brave men and their agony, sacrifice, and heroism..
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This is a fascinating depiction of the transformation of the Indian riverine goddess from the manuscript-carrying vina-player to the Buddhist weapon-wielding defender of the Dharma. Drawing on Sanskrit and Chinese textual sources, as well as Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist art historical representations, this book traces the conceptual and iconographic development of the riverine goddess of knowledge Sarasvati from some time after 1750 B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E. Through the study of Chinese translations of no longer extant Sanskrit versions of the Buddhist Sutra of Golden Light the author sheds light on Sarasvati's interactions with other Indian goddess cults and their impact on one another..
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