In his new book,”Ride The Thunder,” author Richard Botkin tells the amazing true story of the remarkable collaboration between U.S. Marine Captain John Ripley and South Vietnamese Marine Major Le Ba Binh. In the process, he vigorously dispels the notion that the military situation in Vietnam was lost, even as American war correspondents and policy makers were surrendering to the winds of political and economic pressure.

“For men like Ripley and Binh, who fought long and hard only to have victory pulled from their grasps, “Ride The Thunder” celebrates their heroism, their humanity, their story,” said Botkin.

Using his keen Marine insight and years of in-depth research, Botkin takes the reader back in time, deep into the heart of the jungle and into the midst of the American-Vietnamese struggle for liberty and freedom.

In the prime of their youth, the two noted warriors were inspired by their fathers to fight for their country’s freedom – one American, Captain John Ripley, and the other South Vietnamese, Major Le Ba Binh. Their destinies would collide in Vietnam.