Mark Bowden

The premiere of Ken Burns and Lynn Novik’s PBS documentary about the Vietnam War garnered nearly 12 million viewers.

“It was fortuitous for me in a number of ways,” said Mark Bowden, a St. Louis native and author of a new book about the Vietnam War, “Huế 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam.”

“The series has obviously piqued a lot of interest in Vietnam,” he said.

“Huế 1968” focuses on the Tet Offensive, part of which was the Battle of Huế, the bloodiest of the entire war – a 24 day event in which about 10,000 people died.

One of the most dramatic military stories of this young century is about the Navy Seal raid that killed Osama bin Laden, in May 2011.

Host Don Marsh talks with St. Louis native and journalist Mark Bowden, the author of the new book, “The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden.”

Bowden is best known for his 1999 best-selling book, “Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War,” which was later made into a film of the same title, directed by Ridley Scott.

Bowden’s new book about the raid of bin Laden’s compound is drawing praise.