Never Without Heroes - Marine Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam, 1965-70

Informationen zum Autor Lawrence C. Vetter, Jr . is the author of Never Without Heroes: Marine Third Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam, 1965-70 and Blood on the Lotus . Vetter served with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam for seven months in 1966. He wrote Never Without Heroes to tell the story of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, during its time in Vietnam from 1965 until 1969 in an effort to reflect “the best of American heroism.” Klappentext FOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEDALS OF HONOR, THIRTEEN NAVAL CROSSES, SEVENTY-TWO SILVER STARS . . . In four and a half years in Vietnam, the Marines of the Third Reconnaissance Battalion repeatedly penetrated North Vietnamese and Vietcong sanctuaries by foot and by helicopter to find enemy forces, learn the enemy's intentions, and, when possible, bring deadly fire down on his head. Heavily armed, well-camouflaged teams of six and eight men daily exposed themselves to overwhelming enemy forces so that other Marines would have the information necessary to fight the war. It's all here: grueling, tense, and deadly recon patrols; insertions directly into NVA basecamps; last-stand defenses in the wreckage of downed helicopters; pursuit by superior North Vietnamese forces; agonizing deaths of men who valiantly put their lives on the line. NEVER WITHOUT HEROES is the first book to recount the story of a Marine reconnaissance battalion in Vietnam from the day of its arrival to its withdrawal. In Vietnam, Larry Vetter served as a platoon leader in Third Recon Battalion. He supplements his own recollections with Marine Corps records, exhaustive interviews with veterans, and correspondence to capture the bravery, and self-sacrifice of war.The Beginning   On May 7, 1965, the Headquarters of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion landed in Vietnam. Several platoons from the battalion had preceded it as attachments to the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which had landed on March 8. During the next four and one-half years, Marines of the 3rd Recon Battalion conducted reconnaissance operations in Vietnam; the battalion was withdrawn in November 1969. In that time period, approximately 2,800 Marines served as part of the battalion. Colonel Patrick G. Collins (Ret.), who was one of the first Recon Marines in Vietnam, has researched the records and found that, while on duty with the 3rd Recon Battalion, four of those Marines received the Medal of Honor, thirteen received the Navy Cross, and seventy-three the Silver Star. Because of those men, the countless others who received awards, and the even greater number who were better honored by the respect of their peers, the battalion itself was awarded one Presidential Unit Citation, two Navy Unit Citations, one Meritorious Unit Citation, and eleven battle stars for Vietnamese service. Not noted in that list are the unit awards that elements of the battalion received when attached to other commands. But statistics are devoid of life. Behind each award were human emotions, and quite often blood.   The anxiety that did not show on the faces of Recon Marines but stirred their stomachs as they sat waiting for the “birds” to come can be understood a little better by examining the substantial odds they faced while in action against enemy units. During their time in Vietnam, 1,121 Marines and 12 Navy Corpsmen from the battalion were killed, wounded, or missing in action. Encountering enemy forces far superior in number, confronting them in jungles, mountains, valleys, and villages miles distant from friendly faces, resulted in countless moments of personal crisis. In spite of swearing never to be taken alive, a few Marines were captured, usually after being wounded.* During those four and one-half years, seven Recon Marines and one corpsman were missing in action although two of the MIAs escaped back to the battalion and the bodies of two others were recovered.  

Product details

• Authors: Lawrence C Vetter, Lawrence C. Vetter, Lawrence C. Jr Vetter
• Publisher: Ballantine
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 30.06.1996
• EAN: 9780804108072
• ISBN: 978-0-8041-0807-2
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 107 mm x 171 mm x 22 mm
• Series: Random House Publishing Group
• Subject: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous