Book Review

I recently finished One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam. It was from the Chief of Staff Air Force's Reading List. I have read many book off of these lists over the years. I have enjoyed most of them and found them very helpful for my professional development. This book was different in some ways.
It is an amazing story. In summary, the US was desperate to hit North Vietnam, but the weather did not cooperate much of the time. They modified some radar equipment that would allow F-105 Thuds to bomb through the weather. This program was very secret not only due the nature of the equipment, but the fact that the equipment was located in Laos, a "neutral" country at the time. They got the equipment set up and operating, but it never really had a big difference against North Vietnam. They used it extensively to bomb Laos though. The North Vietnamese more or less controlled the surrounding area and decided to "take care" of the facility. Due to bravado, poor strategy, a fouled-up management set-up and a general disinterest in human life, the US did not evacuate the site in time and there were many Americans there when the North Vietnamese overran it. These Americans fought bravely with little to no training. The Army, AF and Air America pilots flew courageous missions to rescue as many as they could.
If this were the end of the story, it may have been a lesson in mistaken Strategy and poor tactical planning, but the story does not end. For the next twenty years, the Air Force tried to keep the entire story a secret and roll over the families of those that died there. It is a tragic tale of basic cold heartedness. I understand that sometime secrets need to be kept. I also understand that when a Serviceman/Servicewoman dies, we owe it to him/her to take care of the family left behind. In this case we did not.
It is because of this second half of the story that I wonder why the CSAF put it on his reading list. I am not sure what lesson I am supposed to take away from this book. I am not sure how it relates to what is happening in today's Air Force.
Additionally, the writing isn't that great either. It is very well researched, but the book digresses to an "I'm right and they are wrong" position piece toward the end.
It is fitting that a book is written to tell the story of these brave Airman and their tragic end. I am just not sure that it belongs on the CSAF reading list.