Leatherneck Mag picks 'Ride the Thunder'

A booming baritone joined the cadence of critical praise for "Ride the Thunder" when Leatherneck magazine named Richard Botkin's inspiring true Vietnam story "Book of the Month" for December.

"Botkin's 'Ride the Thunder' is a well-crafted masterpiece of military history, human endurance and commitment," writes Leatherneck book reviewer Robert B. Loring. "This story of the brave Vietnamese Marines and their advisers is little known in the American public."

Realizing how deeply academia and pop culture have revised history to distort Americans' understanding of the Vietnam War, Botkin, who described the Leatherneck designation as "humbling," aimed to tell a different tale.

"What I wanted to do is affirm the warrior who fought honorably," said the Marine infantry captain, "and share the role of the Vietnamese, which has been so mis-portrayed."

He accomplished that mission with "Ride the Thunder," which documents an amazing and largely untold story of courage and camaraderie against overwhelming odds. He chronicles how Vietnamese Marines and their U.S. advisers were actually winning the war. But in the early '70s, as Nixon's "Vietnamization" strategy was employed, U.S. troops were scaled back, transferring power to the Vietnamese people.

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An instant hit with critics and readers since its July release, "Ride the Thunder" remains ever relevant. It's a cautionary tale, particularly amid President Obama's new troop surge in Afghanistan – announced alongside a set withdrawal date.

"People will be willing to fight for their own freedom but they have to think they have a chance at success," said Botkin. "The people we're trying to support will not be inclined to throw in with us if they think we're going to leave."

The Vietnam War's final, fear-filled days of chaos and cruelty provide the setting for Botkin's lost chapter of unsung heroism.

With U.S. soldiers leaving, the North Vietnamese sensed a shot at victory and launched the massive Easter Offensive. The onslaught scorched its way through the demilitarized zone and into a northernmost province of South Vietnam.

That's where they ran smack into Maj. Le Ba Binh, his 700 Marines and their U.S. Marine advisers, who bravely held back more than 20,000 North Vietnamese troops.

This gripping page-turner also leads readers through Col. Gerry Turley's decisive action that helped thwart the offensive. With the South Vietnamese abandoning overrun positions, Soviet tanks lurched forward, leaving a flattened path of destruction in their wake. Turley made a bold move to stave off a near-guaranteed conquering of the endangered South Vietnamese Republic.

He called on Capt. John Ripley and his legendary "Ripley's Raiders." Readers trace Ripley's daring mission to detonate the Dong Ha Bridge and stymie the advancing horde.

Writes Loring: "With NVA tanks fast approaching this vital bridge crossing, Lt. Col. Turley gave the order, 'The bridge at Dong Ha must be destroyed.' A decision, he was fully aware, he'd have to justify to higher headquarters and one that he knew to surely be a death sentence for South Vietnamese Marines and their advisers."

"This exceptional book," continued Leatherneck magazine, "is a tribute to the memories of our brother Vietnamese Marines, their 'Always Faithful' advisers, as well as their families whose support never flagged."

Botkin fears that if the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan flags, the nation will repeat a painful chapter of history that this time poses the very real possibility of arriving on American soil.

"The communists, the NVA, the Chinese did not attack the United States," said Botkin. "The radical Islamists did. And if they had a base to operate, they'd do it again."