A Bright Shining Lie - John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam: Book Review

A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


After absorbing this book I'm mentally exhausted from the sheer size and scope of the information contained in it. It was a mind numbly daunting undertaking.

As much as I liked parts of it others became extremely taxing and confusing to follow. While I enjoy books with military engagements the endless stream of them, the personnel involved and the political intrigue around each of them in this one should have been significantly edited or removed altogether.

The same goes for some of the sections of the story that detailed the corrupt and bureaucratic mess of the leadership of the South Vietnamese Army and government. He documents the complete history of Vietnam from its origins before the war all the way up to its climax in the mid 70's.

Sheehan does an excellent job of weaving the Vietnam narrative around the life of John Paul Vann. From his humble and troubled beginnings Sheehan tells his life story in incredible detail.

Vann was one of the first military advisors sent to Vietnam before America committed combat forces and engaged in full scale war. He learned immediately that any attempt by the US to commit American troops to the war on North Vietnam was going to be a very bloody, expensive and risky affair.

As early as 1962 he was preaching that the sole responsibility for the military action taken there should be executed by the Army of South Vietnam alone. He had powerful friends in the military and in government that he tried repeatedly to convince that the key to success there had to be tied to humanitarian, social and political change not just a military success.

He didn't succeed at stopping the escalation of the War in the slightest but tried to work inside the framework of it to instill change. Later you learn how his position shifted and how it changed and then ended his life.

I have mixed feelings of Vann the man with boots on the ground fearlessly and tirelessly trying to help the South Vietnamese cause and Vann the man in his personal life. I respect and admired his passion, commitment and work ethic but was completely disgusted about how he conducted himself with his wife and family and in his personal affairs. His professional service in Vietnam was Heroic but by his own choice his personal life was a disaster and a disgrace.

I learned more about the Vietnam War from this book than any other single source I've researched so far. Sadly though there were episodes of the war I wish hadn't learned about too. The title of the book was apply titled, the Vietnam War was, “A Bright Shining Lie.” In many cases so was the life and career of John Paul Vann. His life was a tragedy and a triumph but a very interesting one to say the least.

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