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The Rescue Of River City
A true account of the fifty-six hour battle during the 1968 TeT offensive in Vietnam which resulted in the author being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. This battle is the vehicle used to describe the structure and mission of a highly sensitive, little known but successful program run by the Central Intelligence Agency using United States Army Special Forces and indigenous soldiers.
- GenresHistoryMilitary Fiction
255 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 18, 2016
I should inform the reader of this review that I know Major Drew Dix. He was my company commander for a short while in A Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Drew had already been awarded the Medal of Honor and received a direct commission by the time I worked for him.
I read this book several years ago, shortly after it was published. I recall that I enjoyed it immensely, but made no record of it at that time. I just now re-read with equal enjoyment.
This is a must read for students of the Vietnam War. First, it is one heckuva story well told. Second, it illustrates the complex relationships between the U.S. civilian and military forces, U.S. indigenous mercenaries, and regular Vietnamese forces. It also is one of the few stories from the extreme southwest of Vietnam, immediately adjacent to Cambodia.
At the time, Drew was a Special Forces Staff Sergeant assigned to the Provincial Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) in Chau Doc Province along the Cambodian border in the Delta. He worked with a lieutenant colonel and an American CIA civilian. All wore civilian clothes. Drew was in charge of a large company-sized mercenary unit of Nungs, an ethnic Chinese group. The unit’s mission was to capture or kill Viet Cong leadership within the district. Cambodia served as a Viet Cong (VC) sanctuary and supply base and Chau Doc was probably the most vulnerable city in South Vietnam to attack.
The story opens as Drew and a squad of Nungs are returning to Chau Doc from a five-day patrol. VC had been scarce during the patrol and Drew was disquieted. As the squad closed on the town it was soon apparent that not all was as it should have been.
Gun fire from the city let the group know that the communists were attacking the city. It was Tet 1968 and the attack was a part of the country-wide offensive against the Republic of Vietnam and its American allies. The VC had already murdered the wife and children of the senior Vietnamese military officer in its initial occupation of the city.
There were several compounds of Americans throughout the town as well as a Vietnamese Operation Center and a Police compound. Drew’s story continues with his actions and a few of his stalwart Nungs over the next several days to rescue fellow Americans and some international allies.
That is the backdrop for Drew’s heroism. Further detail is unnecessary since I don’t wish to spoil the reading experience. But, the fact that Drew’s actions were sufficiently heroic to earn him the Medal of Honor indicates that the story is an exciting and moving story.
I enjoyed this work and recommend this book to all who have a love for personalized history and the Vietnam War. This book earns a spot on any bookshelf of Vietnam War history.
I read this book several years ago, shortly after it was published. I recall that I enjoyed it immensely, but made no record of it at that time. I just now re-read with equal enjoyment.
This is a must read for students of the Vietnam War. First, it is one heckuva story well told. Second, it illustrates the complex relationships between the U.S. civilian and military forces, U.S. indigenous mercenaries, and regular Vietnamese forces. It also is one of the few stories from the extreme southwest of Vietnam, immediately adjacent to Cambodia.
At the time, Drew was a Special Forces Staff Sergeant assigned to the Provincial Reconnaissance Unit (PRU) in Chau Doc Province along the Cambodian border in the Delta. He worked with a lieutenant colonel and an American CIA civilian. All wore civilian clothes. Drew was in charge of a large company-sized mercenary unit of Nungs, an ethnic Chinese group. The unit’s mission was to capture or kill Viet Cong leadership within the district. Cambodia served as a Viet Cong (VC) sanctuary and supply base and Chau Doc was probably the most vulnerable city in South Vietnam to attack.
The story opens as Drew and a squad of Nungs are returning to Chau Doc from a five-day patrol. VC had been scarce during the patrol and Drew was disquieted. As the squad closed on the town it was soon apparent that not all was as it should have been.
Gun fire from the city let the group know that the communists were attacking the city. It was Tet 1968 and the attack was a part of the country-wide offensive against the Republic of Vietnam and its American allies. The VC had already murdered the wife and children of the senior Vietnamese military officer in its initial occupation of the city.
There were several compounds of Americans throughout the town as well as a Vietnamese Operation Center and a Police compound. Drew’s story continues with his actions and a few of his stalwart Nungs over the next several days to rescue fellow Americans and some international allies.
That is the backdrop for Drew’s heroism. Further detail is unnecessary since I don’t wish to spoil the reading experience. But, the fact that Drew’s actions were sufficiently heroic to earn him the Medal of Honor indicates that the story is an exciting and moving story.
I enjoyed this work and recommend this book to all who have a love for personalized history and the Vietnam War. This book earns a spot on any bookshelf of Vietnam War history.
July 7, 2020
Very good Vietnam war book. I'm from the district nearby Chau Doc city, which Dix said in the book.
October 9, 2026
Great book, didn’t want to put it down once I started. Medal oh Honor Recipient Drew Dix did a great job telling his story and highlighting the courage of the locals against the VC.
September 2, 2025
It is a worthwhile read to see the perspective, actions, and mindset of a recipient of the Medal of Honor for their actions in Vietnam.
The book would greatly benefit from a detailed map of the town to aid in understanding of all the locations, their relative locations, distances, etc. for all the events described in the book.
The book would greatly benefit from a detailed map of the town to aid in understanding of all the locations, their relative locations, distances, etc. for all the events described in the book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews