Day in Hell on the DMZ

The Rocket Attack on Firebase Charlie 2 in Vietnam, May 21, 1971

Häftad, Engelska, 2022

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At "zero dark thirty" on January 30, 1971, units of the U.S. Fifth Mechanized Division left their firebases along the DMZ heading west along Provincial Route 9. The mission, called Dewey Canyon II, was to reopen the road from Khe Sahn Air Base to the Laotian border, in support of a South Vietnamese invasion of Laos (doomed from the start) to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Alpha Company of U.S. 61st Infantry performed commendably in keeping Route 9 open, with just one casualty killed by friendly fire. They returned to Firebase Charlie-2 in April, exhausted but hopeful--the Fifth would be leaving Vietnam in July. They patrolled the "western hills" through May as rocket attacks fell each evening. On the 21st, a direct hit on a bunker killed 30 of the 63 men inside--18 were from Alpha Co. This is their story, as told to Specialist Lou Pepi by members of his unit.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2022-08-26
Mått178 x 254 x 11 mm
Vikt386 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor213
FörlagMcFarland & Co Inc
ISBN9781476688398

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Table of ContentsDedicationAcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroductiondeleteThe Universal Soldier—JC SummerlindeleteA Born Leader of Men—Robert Dean1 The Fateful Day2 Sergeant Toler and the Killer Team3 December 12, 1970—Night Mission at Con Thien4 Lam Son 719 Overview5 Red Devil Road6 Lam Son—The First Rotation7 March 3, 19718 Frank Curry, March 15—The Army Called It Misadventure9 March 19–25, 1971—Relieving the Cav10 Other Memories of the Final Days of Lam Son 71911 April 1971—Captain Robert Dean12 May 20th—Alpha Company in the Field13 May 21st—Alpha Company in the Field14 May 21st—At Charlie 215 In Memoriam—The Names16 The Combatants Who Contributed to This BookAfterword—Foxhole Humor, by Stephen WheatGlossaryAppendix 1—Battalion Communication LogsAppendix 2—Brigade Communication LogsAppendix 3—After Action ReportAuthor’s Service HistoryWorks CitedIndex

“The book is based Pepi’s interviews with 20 men from Alpha Company…As a reporter, Pepi flawlessly did his homework. He follows the overall course of Alpha’s actions and includes interviewees’ comments at appropriate moments for each event, rather than record their recollections separately. Pepi shows the men in combat and the ways they developed as warriors. His account of an Alpha patrol trapped in an unmapped Con Thien minefield illuminates a nightmare of misguided intentions and disastrous results…Pepi does an excellent job incorporating expert opinions about the planning mistakes of Lam Son that doomed the South Vietnamese Army mission practically before it began. A Day in Hell on the DMZ pays tribute to all of the men in Alpha Company, with special recognition for those killed in the rocket strike. As Pepi shows, their courage and dedication went above and beyond.”—VVA Veteran