The Raid

By: Benjamin F. Schemmer

Narrated by: Dick Rodstein

Minutes after 2 A.M. on November 21, 1970, more than one hundred U.S. war planes shattered the dark calm of the skies over Hanoi. Their mission: rescue sixty-one American POWs from Son Tay prison. Less than thirty minutes later, the raid was over, but no Americans had been rescued. The prisoners had been moved from Son Tay four and a half months earlier and that wasn’t all. Part of the raiding force landed at the wrong compound, a “school” bristling with enemy soldiers, but the soldiers weren’t Vietnamese . . .

Replete with fascinating insights into the workings of high-level intelligence and military command, The Raid is Benjamin Schemmer’s unvarnished account of the courageous mission that was quickly labeled an intelligence failure by Congress and a Pentagon blunder by the world press. Determined to ferret out the truth, Schemmer uncovers one of the CIA’s most carefully guarded secrets. From the planning and live-fire rehearsals to the explosive reactions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff watching the drama unfold to the aftermath as the White House and Pentagon struggled for damage control, Schemmer tackles the tough questions. What really happened during the twenty-seven minutes the raiders spent on the ground? Did the CIA know the whole time that the Americans were gone? Had the Agency in fact been responsible for the POWs being moved? And perhaps most intriguing, why was the rescue—though it never freed a single prisoner—not a failure after all?

Good

Very well narrated and written. Informative and interesting.
We are traveling to Hanoi next week and am glad I have some background info on our countries involvement in the area

Honor and Dedication

I finally heard about my dad's mission. Full of honor and dedication. Brought me closer.

The Raid.

I remember this Raid. It was better that we tried and hit a dry hole than to have never tried at all. In the book the POW's felt the same way.

Abridged version

My Father in law was a Son-Tay raider, several years ago while traveling my wife found a copy, and we took turns reading it to each other. I enjoyed the full portrayal of the mission and prep. When I saw this title I thought it would be a good opportunity to refresh my recollection of this historic event. As I listened I kept waiting to hear about certain details from my first time through the book. I was quite disappointed when the audio came to an end w/o discussing some of the challenges (and creative solutions) encountered during the prep for this historic mission.

not the complete book.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I downloaded it expecting the entire book. Alas, several chapters were missing. What was especially disheartening was the efforts and innovations that were ommitted. The entire story needs to be told, not just excerpts. A very important moment in our history was not given its due.