Dak To - America's Sky Soldiers in South Vietnam's Central Highlands

Zusatztext “Excellent . . . honest and realistic . . . Edward Murphy’s meticulous research is unflawed and his writing style is novel-like.” — San Antonio Express-News “A no-holds barred account . . . highly recommended.” — Military  magazine “Fast-paced . . . an impressive immediacy.” — Publishers Weekly Informationen zum Autor Edward F. Murphy  is a US Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He is the author of a three-volume series on Medal of Honor recipients— Heroes of WWII ,  Korean War Heroes , and  Vietnam Medal of Honor Heroes— as well two highly acclaimed Vietnam War histories— Dak To  and  Semper Fi: Vietnam . He lives in Mesa, Arizona. Klappentext "Excellent . . . honest and realistic . . . Edward Murphy's meticulous research is unflawed and his writing style is novel-like."-San Antonio Express-News "A no-holds barred account . . . highly recommended."-Military magazine In June 1967, General William Westmoreland sent the 173d Airborne Brigade to Dak To, a mountainous region in the deadly Central Highlands. Here the 173d found itself locked in mortal combat, facing tremendous odds against a professional, well-trained enemy hidden under triple-canopy jungle and deeply entrenched in fortified positions, bunkers, and tunnels. Edward F. Murray captures the conflict in all its horror and heroism in this graphic account drawn from letters, diaries, official reports, and interviews with more than eighty veterans of the campaign. Outmanned, exhausted, often cut off from supplies and communication, America's "Sky Soldiers" battled back with incredible valor to rout the NVA in some of the fiercest combat of the entire Vietnam War. "Fast-paced . . . an impressive immediacy."-Publishers WeeklyCHAPTER 1 TO VIETNAM   The transport plane carrying Brig. Gen. Ellis W. Williamson, commander of the 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate), touched down at Tan Son Nhut airport outside of Saigon early on the morning of 25 April 1965. Williamson's arrival in South Vietnam's capital was in response to a top-secret message he'd received the previous day at his headquarters on Okinawa. In concurring with General West-moreland's request for the deployment of the 173d to South Vietnam, the Department of the Army ordered Williamson's unit to prepare for the movement.   Accompanied by his S-3, S-4, and his aide, Williamson was escorted to Westmoreland's office at MACV headquarters in downtown Saigon. After a perfunctory greeting, Westmoreland demanded of Williamson, “What are you doing in uniform?”   “I wear one all the time,” Williamson answered, somewhat surprised.   “My message specifically said to wear civilian clothes,” Westmoreland pointed out.   “I do have slacks and a shirt with me,” Williamson offered.   “Put them on before you leave the building,” Westmoreland ordered. “I don't want the Viet Cong, or the press, to know you're here.”   General Williamson was perplexed at the exchange. Although he was aware of the war that the South Vietnamese government had been waging against the North Vietnamese-backed Viet Cong insurgents, Williamson's own demanding duties had kept him from being completely cognizant of all the factors affecting the United States' role in the Southeast Asian country. He was not sure what was wanted of him or his unit.   As Williamson listened intently, Westmoreland outlined the role he planned for the 173d. With the Rolling Thunder air raids expanding, Westmoreland explained, he was becoming increasingly concerned about the ability of the ARVN to provide adequate security to the U.S. Air Force bases supporting the raids. In addition, the introduction of   U.S. Army units to guard the bases would free those ARVN units currently performing that mission for offensive operations against the VC.   General Wes...

Product details

• Authors: Edward Murphy, Edward F. Murphy
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 31.07.2007
• EAN: 9780891419105
• ISBN: 978-0-89141-910-5
• No. of pages: 416
• Dimensions: 107 mm x 170 mm x 23 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous