Description
Book Synopsis 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.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Introduction
- The Universal Soldier—JC Summerlin
- A Born Leader of Men—Robert Dean
- 1 The Fateful Day
- 2 Sergeant Toler and the Killer Team
- 3 December 12, 1970—Night Mission at Con Thien
- 4 Lam Son 719 Overview
- 5 Red Devil Road
- 6 Lam Son—The First Rotation
- 7 March 3, 1971
- 8 Frank Curry, March 15—The Army Called It Misadventure
- 9 March 19–25, 1971—Relieving the Cav
- 10 Other Memories of the Final Days of Lam Son 719
- 11 April 1971—Captain Robert Dean
- 12 May 20th—Alpha Company in the Field
- 13 May 21st—Alpha Company in the Field
- 14 May 21st—At Charlie 2
- 15 In Memoriam—The Names
- 16 The Combatants Who Contributed to This Book
- Afterword—Foxhole Humor, by Stephen Wheat
- Glossary
- Appendix 1—Battalion Communication Logs
- Appendix 2—Brigade Communication Logs
- Appendix 3—After Action Report
- Author's Service History
- Works Cited
- Index
