MovieChat Forums > Hamburger Hill (1987) Discussion > OT but only slightly...read THIS novel!

OT but only slightly...read THIS novel!

posted 15 years ago by nickm2
5 replies | jump to latest

Guys:

For anybody who's seen 'Hamburger Hill' & enjoyed it, I would like to HEARTILY recommend a novel for you:

John Del Vecchio's 'The Thirteenth Valley', a 1981 novel set during late 1970 that follows a 'fictional' operation by the 101st ABD searching for an NVA regimental HQ/Base Area 'somewhere in the A-Shau Valley'. The author had a BRILLIANT eye for the terrain, the weather, the jungle, the 'grunt-speak' & soldier interplay, the weaponry & it's effects--on the jungle & on people. Even though it was set nearly a year after the movie the dialogue was sharp & evocative, that when I FIRST saw 'Hamburger Hill' I was IMMEDIATELY reminded of Thirteenth Valley.
Read it if you get the chance---it's a cracking good book.

NM

[–] hswitzer 15 years ago

I read that book about 20 years ago and I still distinctly remember some quotes from it

The Platoon Sergeant "Egan" is trying to psych up his FNG radioman as they get ready for an air assault. They're waiting on the pad.

Egan- This is a pisser ain't it

FNG- what do you mean?

Egan- This having to air assault out into the boonies and hunt them down

FNG- I guess, why?

Egan- Well I remember back during Tet, if you wanted to kill someone you could just walk out back of the orderly room and there would be a mess of 'em. Now we gotta air assault into the boonies and hunt them down.

Then later

Egan - Years from now when your talking to your kids, they're going to ask questions about Vietnam. They'll ask 'Daddy, did you kill anyone?' and 'Daddy, who did the night belong to?' You look them square in the eye and tell them-son, the night belonged to Egan, and he killed everyone.

propaganda=on IMDB, apparently any movie with Americans as the good guys

[–] nickm2 15 years ago

Hwtzer:

The most interesting thing about this book is that it covered a part of the war I had NEVER heard of...I had NEVER heard of Firebase Ripcord EVER....I didn't even know the 101st was conducting full scale ops as late as 1970; but you're right the dialogue was CRACKING good---a bit much on the philosophizing but what the heck; an interesting factoid: A couple of characters came from SF Bay area suburbs that I'm pretty familiar with & Del Vecchio was spot on in his descriptions of the area.

NM

[–] Diestro_Consone 15 years ago

I'm really not into fictitional books on war, I've read a couple that just put me off...

But from the description and praise for THIS one, I'll definitely check it the hell out.

Thanks!

You were born a pig farmer.
You'll always BE a pig farmer.
And now, you will DIE a pig farmer.

[–] nickm2 15 years ago

Well Diestro...I STRONGLY recommend it! Give us your impressions when you finish...I am hoping you'll enjoy it too.

NM

[–] swat412 15 years ago

Another good novel about part of the war no one ever heard about is 'The Duck Pond' 'I'm not a tourist...I live here'

It's non-fiction about a sailor who winds up on the rivers in the northern part of Nam from 65 to 68.