Valor in Vietnam

Chronicles of Honor, Courage, and Sacrifice: 1963-1977

Allen B. Clark

• Publisher: Casemate
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781612000954
• eBook ISBN:
  9781480406513
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Historical Theory & Criticism
• Index: History

"A well-informed, compelling compilation of the 'up close and personal' side of the Vietnam War . . . [a] masterful chronicle of first person stories" (Vice Admiral David B. Robinson, USN, Ret., Navy Cross recipient).
Every war continues to dwell in the lives it touched, in the lives of those living through that time, and in those absorbed by its historical significance. The Vietnam War lives on—famously or infamously, depending on political points of view—but those who have "been there, done that" have a highly personalized window on their time of that history. Valor in Vietnam focuses on nineteen stories of Vietnam, stories of celebrated figures in the veteran community, compelling war narratives, vignettes of battles, and the emotional impact on the combatants. It is replete with leadership lessons and valuable insights that are just as applicable today as they were forty years ago.
 
This is an anecdotal history of America's war in Vietnam composed of firsthand narratives by Vietnam War veterans presented in chronological order. They are intense, emotional, and highly personal stories. Connecting each of them is a brief historical commentary of that period of the war, the geography of the story, and the contemporary strategy written by Lewis Sorley, West Point class of 1956, and author of A Better War and Westmoreland.
 
With a foreword by Lt. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, US Army (Ret.), Valor in Vietnam presents an overview of the war through the eyes of participants in each branch of service and throughout the entire course of the war. Simply put, their stories serve to reflect the commitment, honor, and dedication with which America's veterans performed their service.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Historical Overview: The War in Brief
• CHAPTER 1: Early Special Forces “A” Teams in Vietnam
• CHAPTER 2: “How’s it Feel to be the Man that Started World War III?”
• CHAPTER 3: Vietnamization to Americanization
• CHAPTER 4: Garry Owen (LZs X-Ray and Albany)
• CHAPTER 5: The Unlonesome End Story
• CHAPTER 6: Take the High Risk, High Reward Route
• CHAPTER 7: The Air War and Incredible Rescues
• CHAPTER 8: Surrounded on Three Sides!
• CHAPTER 9: “Mom, I Am Joining the Marines … Again”
• CHAPTER 10: A Ranger’s Ranger
• CHAPTER 11: The Real Horrors of War
• CHAPTER 12: Mission of Mercy at Son Tay
• CHAPTER 13: Winning Hearts and Minds
• CHAPTER 14: The Reluctant Warrior
• CHAPTER 15: Coming Home
• CHAPTER 16: Ghosts in the A Shau Valley
• CHAPTER 17: A Will to Survive
• CHAPTER 18: Evacuation of Saigon, 1975
• CHAPTER 19: Left Behind
• Reflections
• Author’s Afterword
• Acknowledgments
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright