West Dickens Avenue: A Marine at Khe Sanh

Sea Power, Nov 2003 by Munns, David W

WEST DICKENS AVENUE: A Marine at Khe Sanh, by John Corbett, Novato, Calif.: Presidio Press (Ballantine Books), Feb. 2003. 208 pp. $24.95. ISBN: 0-89141-785-0. First-time author John Corbett describes his experience surrounding one of the most horrific battles of the Vietnam War, at Khe Sanh. Corbett's narrative starts at his initial encounter with the draft and proceeds through his harrowing experience on the battlefield with the 26th Marine Regiment, to his final return home.

This book is a valuable addition to Vietnam-era writing, providing readers with an affecting, often poignant, description of one Marine's experience with the war and its aftermath. The title West Dickens Avenue touches on the metaphorical coincidence of Khe Sanh, a distant city marked by a Western signpost. Corbett describes a tiring and bloody battle as well as the camaraderie arising from it. West Dickens Avenue features an eight-page blackand-white photo insert and two maps.