The battle of Khe Sanh was won and the Vietnam war was lost at the same time. Expendable Warriors describes at multiple levels the soldiers and marines who were expendable in the American political chaos of Vietnam, 1968. On January 21, 1968, nine days before the Tet offensive, tens of thousands of North Vietnamese regulars began the attacks on the Khe Sanh plateau, which led to the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base.For those with a vivid memory of the Vietnam war, there is consolation in knowing that the impact of that war altered and shaped politics and warfare for the next generations. But in that altering we must take the lessons and apply them to new situations, new challenges and new policy dilemmas. To fail to do so would mean that the warriors at Khe Sanh and all of Vietnam were truly expendable, The battle of Khe Sanh was won and the Vietnam war was lost at the same time. Expendable Warriors describes at multiple levels the soldiers and marines who were expendable in the American political chaos of Vietnam, 1968. On January 21, 1968, nine days before the Tet offensive, tens of thousands of North Vietnamese regulars began the attacks on the Khe Sanh plateau, which led to the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base.

The Battle and Siege of Khe Sanh were instrumental in the American loss in Vietnam, showing by 1968 the enormous and insurmountable difficulties to American victory.

Foreword by John W. VesseyixPrefacexiAcknowledgmentsxvAbbreviationsxviiChapter 11Chapter 26Vietnam6Khe Sanh before the Battle8Chapter 315District Headquarters15The Village Participants20Chapter 429Day-to-Day Operations of the Advisory Team29Chapter 539Giap's Strategy39The NVA Tactical Plan43The American Plan43Chapter 647The Situation Changes-The Prelude to the Battle in Khe Sanh47Chapter 752The Battle Is Joined52The Western Approach to the Village-CAC-OSCAR 2's Fight58Air Strikes Take Their Toll60Chapter 865Black Cats to the Rescue65The Black Cats66The Combat Assault68The NVA Await73Enroute to Khe Sanh73Arriving at the Landing Zone at the Old French Fort74Chapter 983The Battle Continues83What Could Have Been Done Differently89The Evacuation of the District Headquarters93Chapter 1095The Advisory Team on the Move95Lang Vei Falls97Life at FOB-399A Corpsman's Perspective100The Northern Half of FOB-3101The Bru104The Extended Siege105The End of the Siege106Chapter 11109Observations on a Lost War109The Need for Unity of Command109The Tension Between Secrecy and Operational Requirements111The Relationship of Battlefield Events and Political Decisions112The Roots of Historical Revisionism/Why History Is Difficult to Chronicle Accurately114Conclusion115Epilogue116The Participants Today116MIA-Still Missing, But Not Forgotten118The Bru Leave Khe Sanh121Appendices131Appendix 1: JCS After-Action Report132Appendix 2: Wichita Eagle, April 4, 1968, Article137Appendix 3: The Participants140Appendix 4: NVA Plan146Appendix 5: Recently Unclassified Intelligence151Appendix 6: Invasion of Laos153Appendix 7: Wichita Eagle Article-After-Action Report155Appendix 8: Award Citations157Appendix 9: Terrain Map of Area Around Khe Sanh Village160Index163