Why Khe Sanh?
It has been said that the Battle of Khe Sanh beginning in January 1968 defined war as it would be conducted in the future. Since 9/11, the future is here. This highly publicized battle defined how air power coupled with accurate targeting could be a major tool of war. It was when air warfare reached a new pinnacle of effectiveness by the American military and political establishments. Not only  were strategic bombers used extensively  for close-in tactical missions during the battle of Khe Sanh, but tactical aircraft were used for close-in tactical support, transportation and resupply, and medical evacuations. When we sit back and watch surgical air strikes of smart bombs, controlled by small numbers of  troops exposed to danger, it is a result of air warfare doctrine developed in Vietnam. Khe Sanh was where this model of that doctrine was first executed.  At Khe Sanh sensors replaced the special forces used in Afghanistan.

On the other  hand, the opposing argument, that ground troops are not only necessary but a prerequisite to accomplish military objectives, an argument also put forth in Operation Enduring Freedom, also uses Khe Sanh as it's prime example.  Dissecting the various phases of the battle of Khe Sanh shows its successes as well as its failures and clarifies the problems and solutions today's military faces. Is dominance of air power alone enough to bring military dominance, as the former British Empire did with sea power?  The fundamental questions are: "what does it take to win?" "What does it mean to win?" How should political objectives  be mutually reinforced by military objectives? How large a no-strike zone do we need to avoid killing our own soldiers, as in Afghanistan, with friendly bombs?  Khe Sanh is a prime example of military victory and political failure. It raises all of the foregoing questions.

How does instant media coverage mold U.S. policy?  Is unfettered media coverage of a war zone a positive thing, or counterproductive? "Expendable Warriors: The Untold Story of Khe Sanh" provides the foundation to answer these and many more questions .

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 leading to the siege of the Khe Sanh Combat Base. The initial attack of this battle was against the Vietnamese Government forces in the village of Khe Sanh.  The author, Bruce Clarke, was the senior advisor in the village.   After a 36 hour fight the village was abandoned.  The initial force of about 3,000 U.S. and Vietnamese forces held the Combat Base and then received reinforcements before extremely concentrated bombing began. President Johnson and General Westmoreland obsessed over the outcome of the battle. General Westmoreland had sought this attrition battle, while President Johnson was fearful the Khe Sanh could be another Dien Bien Phu.  Although some see Khe Sanh as really a diversionary battle in the larger Tet offensive, it was one of the largest set-piece battles in the entire war. The President and General Westmoreland were aware of the plans of North Vietnamese mastermind General Vo Nguyen Giap, but refused to expose what they knew in order, among other reasons, to protect their sources of information. Those troops who would be fighting on the ground in the initial battles became, in effect, "Expendable Warriors."

In the first phase of the battle the warriors did not know that it was the beginning of a major battle.  The rough weather and poor visibility hampered aircraft.  Bombing continued throughout this period, but it was not at peak efficiency because the targeting techniques were under development and targets were not yet well defined. . Work in the trenches, bloody gruesome work, kept North Vietnamese regulars at bay.  Targeting techniques were developed and sensors were deployed which would allow air power to initiate the kind of precision carpet bombing that, in a refined manner, has been used in Afghanistan, in America's war against terror. The use of this air power was dependent upon the US presenting a target for the enemy to attack--the soldiers and Marines at Khe Sanh. 

Since the Vietnam War was the first to be brought into America's living rooms in almost real time, the average citizen was able to experience the horror of war on a daily
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