Report on the Village by Bing West - Book Report/Review Example

Book report on the Village by Bing West America has been involved in several wars, in the globe. As a result,many of the soldiers have been involved in combat. This has led to significant attention from other countries as well as its own people. One of the most significant wars was Vietnamese war that occurred in the second part of the 20th century. One of the books that succinctly describe some of the major events in the war is the village by Bing West. The book describes the situation in a village, in Vietnam that was under constant attack from Vietcong. A review of this book helps in understanding the condition of the soldiers in Vietnam, as well as the effects of the war to Vietnam village. There is a clear description of the situation and events in the village. The book describes American soldiers’ involvement in the war from 1966 (Korea 1). In the book, the author describes the entry of 15 united marines in a small village of Binh Nghia in Vietnam (Korea 1). The aim was to secure the village from constant attacks from enemies that wanted to advance communism (Korea 1). The villagers were involved in helping the marines in pursuit and repelling of the enemies from the villages. The enemies are described as Viet Cong that relied heavily on guerrilla attacks to wreak havoc to the villages (Korea 1). As a result, a solid relationship exists between American marines and the villagers. Consequently, American marines offers various training to the villagers. The training equips them with the knowledge to farm as well as being able to protect them form the enemies (West 105-108). Moreover, the book talks of volunteers programs adopted by some of the Americans in the region. The great responsibility of the Americans volunteers was to train farmers to defend their village. The volunteers’ are known as Combined Action Platoons (CAP) (Korea 1). However, their numbers were few as compared to the Viet Cong. As a result, huge number of soldiers died as accounted by the villagers. Moreover, the soldier left a lasting legacy to the villages. In fact, their impact is still felt today as acknowledged by various stories given by the villagers on this book. The book commands a lot of respect from the reader. The book accurately describes the lives of the marines during the war. The book also gives a clear description of the implementation of the programs in the villages by the CAP. The implementation began in 1966 (Korea 1). As a result, small teams of Marines were hosted in the Vets village to protect the villagers from the insurgents. The insurgents for a long time had been terrorizing the villagers to gain their support in furthering communism and revolution (15-20). The implementation took place in the realization of failures adopted before. At the time, the marines were based on their camps. The role of protecting the village was left to the local security forces. This caused the North Vietnamese supported Viet Cong to manage to exercise total control over large areas of South Vietnam (Korea 1). This was the significant reason for forming CAAP. Moreover, the author offers a succinct description of the condition of the squad. The marines had been selected to be incorporated with the villagers. The author describes how the arrival of marines in the village led to significant change. The security was offered through fortified patrol base that also acted as the centre for local governments (Korea 1). The credibility of the description is achieved as the author was a member of the squad. As a result, he gives a description that leads to the audience connection with the characters and life in the village. The audience connection is best achieved as the author describes the death of some of the soldiers in the first part of the book. In fact, as stated by the author the seven members of the first squad died as they were protecting the villagers. On the other hand, the description of life in the village is appealing. The most significant is the description of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces (Korea 1). Bing West describes the forces queer activities in the village. The army had ventured in illegal business buying products from the US military outlets and then sold the products to the villagers at a profit (West 311). In fact, the author describes how business was booming due to the high prices charged on the villagers (cite 311). On the other hand, the author describes how American army were unable to stop the illegal activities in the villages. He notes that the business of illegal goods such as liquor, narcotics, and prostitutes was thriving. The author also notes, “The Americans could not take action because Bihn Son was in Korean sector” (West 326). Moreover, the author talks of various attempts by American Lieutenant colonel to stop the business. The attempt was to stop corruption in the deliveries of materials from the US AID agency (Korea 1). Corrupt officials looted most of supplies from the agency. The officials made a lot of money at the expense of those meant to benefit from the program. The trend was difficult to stop as the local Vietnamese government officials were making a lot of money from the illegal business (Korea 1). Hence, the pressure was put on US commanders to remove the lieutenant colonel (Korea 1). The book offers a wide deal of information. The information is best articulated through description of the character and the village life. Moreover, he offers a succinct description of the way marines conducted their day-to-day activities. On the other hand, the author clearly describes of the actions of marines that led them to gain trust from the villagers. This occurred through securing the villages and training of farmers (Korea 1). The book is also familiar to those tat acquaints themselves with other war American had taken place. A classical example is the Iraq war. The book can also act as a reference to America military in carrying out operations. In conclusion, the book structure is well organised. This makes it possible for the readers to understand various events in the book. Moreover, the direct involvement of the author in the war gives it credibility. Works Cited Korea, GI. “ROK Drop Review: Bing West’s, The Village.” Rokdrop.com. < http://rokdrop.com/2008/06/04/rok-drop-review-bing-wests-the-village/>. West, Bing. “The Village.” London : Simon and Schuster, 2003. Print. Read More