The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. A "Path to War "is the first in a series dedicated to the Marine Corps' involvement in Southeast Asia from the early 1960s until 1975. This commemorative publication covers the period from 1961 to 1965, a time when the Marine involvement in the region deepened from an advisory and supporting role to the amphibious landing near Da Nang in March 1965, which marked the first major commitment of U.S. ground forces to the war in Vietnam. Contains five color maps and numerous black and white photographs.

Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) George Hofmann joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a private in 1959 and retired as a colonel in 1992. Highlights of his career include two tours in Vietnam (he served as a platoon commander and the logistics officer with the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, in Hue City during the 1968 Tet Offensive); command of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion; and command of Camp Fuji, the Marine Corps' training facility on the island of Honshu, Japan. Subsequent to leaving the Marine Corps, Hofmann earned a master's degree in geography from the George Washington University (GWU). He remained at GWU for seven additional years as an adjunct faculty member for the Department of Geography and the Elliott School of International Affairs, where he taught a course on military geography at both the undergraduate (lecture) and graduate (seminar) levels. When not traveling or trout fishing, George Hofmann resides in Sarasota, Florida.