Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Determined to Persist by Mark A. Viney is more than just a biography of General Earle Wheeler’s time as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; it is a detailed analysis of the prosecution of the Vietnam War during that crucial time for the United States of 1964-72. The book reviews the political decisions and motivations that drove U.S. policy toward Vietnam. It was clear to all the Joint Chiefs that this war was eminently winnable and could have been won in a very short time if not for the constraints of political influences. Presidents Lyndon Johnson and later Richard Nixon had their domestic agendas that often took precedence over the need to prosecute the war firmly and decisively. It was clear that an exaggerated fear of China or the Soviet Union becoming involved in the conflict was one of the most powerful restraining factors on the politicians and the administration. General Wheeler has often been portrayed during this conflict as ineffective and lacking the courage to act. This book sets out to disabuse readers of that notion and shows that most of the inertia and lack of urgency came from not only the politicians but more importantly from the civilian appointees and advisors of the administration. The book highlights the immense frustration of military leaders at all levels of command to the civilians’ unwillingness to listen to and act upon the professional military personnel’s recommendations.

Determined to Persist is a comprehensive review of the war during this period from the perspective of those not involved in the fighting but rather those making decisions that would determine the course and outcome of the conflict. Author Mark A. Viney has achieved his objective of highlighting the immense sacrifice and commitment of not just General Wheeler but all of the Joint Chiefs in their often futile attempts to convince the politicians and civilian administrators of the optimal way to prosecute this conflict. I think what stood out the most to me, as someone who was growing up during this period, was the outsize influence of the media in changing public opinion about the Vietnam conflict. It was clear that many of the decisions taken by the administration regarding the war were the result of negative public opinion and reflected their desires to ensure their re-election in the next cycle. It was clear from a careful analysis that the best military options were not always chosen because of this fear of public backlash. In hindsight, the bogeyman of communism was also far greater than was the reality. It is clear that Ho Chi Minh’s motivation was nationalism; a united Vietnam and not communism per se. Communism was merely the vehicle to achieve one Vietnam. General Wheeler was undoubtedly a loyal and patriotic soldier who ultimately did give his life for the country and this comprehensive work does a wonderful job of highlighting the supreme efforts he and his Joint Chiefs gave to achieve victory in Vietnam. It is clear that America approached this conflict with the wrong tactics, and the wrong motivation, then prosecuted it with ambiguous aims and goals. The failure to succeed of the greatest military might in the world must be laid at the doors of the politicians and administrators, and not the military or its commanders. I thoroughly appreciated this book and highly recommend it.