It was an unwinnable war, but that doesn't mean we should forget or discount the bravery of the people who fought there. Military historian Michael Green provides a ton of information along with a massive collection of photographs in this 200(plus)-page Images of War book, United States Marine Corps in Vietnam.

As Green explains, then President Lyndon B. Johnson decided in 1965 to commit some 3,000 Marines to the war, more than quadrupling the number of Marines already there. By 1968, he writes, "the USMC had 86,000 men in South Vietnam. Almost 500,000 Marines would eventually rotate in and out of South Vietnam during their typical one-year tour of duty." By the time the last of them withdrew in 1975, he adds, "they had suffered 13,700 killed in action and 88,630 wounded."

In the text, Green provides a staggering amount of information about Marine actions in Vietnam. But the treasure here is, without doubt, the vast collection of photographs. Far from impersonal battlefield scenes, many of these photos are up close and personal views of Marines in the field, in combat and on patrol. You see their weapons and gear, their vehicles, their jungle surroundings. You see their faces in amazing detail. You see men covering their ears as a mortar fires, hunkering down in rain and fetid swamps, trudging through enemy territory with their eyes wide and guns ready. You see them in their face paint and boonie hats, with expressions of fierce concentration, pride, confidence and dedication. You'll even see a row of enemy corpses, lined up on the ground for counting.

Mostly in black and white, the book includes some color photos from the controversial war-torn era.

As with every volume in the Images of War series I've read, United States Marine Corps in Vietnam provides a ton of insight into both the conflict and the people who fought in it. Through Green's collection of photos, and his meticulous recounting of the war's complex history, readers will learn and understand far more about U.S. efforts in Vietnam than any dry text alone could hope to provide.