Who Will Go: Into the Son Tay POW Camp, (Paperback)

This story is told from the perspective of the youngest raider. Terry Buckler is a humble man who gives a first-hand account of how he came to be a member of the Raid, how the Raid was executed, and how the Raid has influenced his life. The book is meticulously researched and approaches the subject with respect, humor, and heart. There are over 33 five-star reviews on Amazon.

"Who Will Go" tells the story of the Son Tay Raid from the perspective of one Green Berets who was on the ground. Terry Buckler was the youngest of the raiders who went into the camp and we learn about the preparation, training, and execution of the raid as he experienced it. He relates these events as well as his back story and subsequent history in an easy to read, conversational tone. Neither he nor the book purport to delve into details of the decisions or planning that allowed the raid to be operationally successful. We see what Mr. Buckler saw. At least for roughly the first half of the book. The second half of the book is devoted to short stories from others who were involved in the raid. These range from a couple paragraphs to a couple pages. They primarily were men who were on the ground or in the air during the raid, or provided support and training for the raiders. The stories mainly focus on each man's most vivid memories of the raid itself and/or the preparations leading up to the raid. Like Buckler, each man relates the experience from his point of view. These include members of the air crew who were shot down during the raid and rescued the next morning as well as prisoners of war who were camped near enough to hear the raid's sounds and see its sights. I found "Who Will Go" to be an easy and entertaining read. Buckler's story is concise, with his backstory being just enough to let the reader know where he came from and how he turned out after leaving the service. Many of the other stories are interesting in their own right, and several have been included in other books about the raid. Here, they could be transcripts of men telling stories at one of their reunions. The reader is the fortunate one at the table who gets to just soak them all in.