Description
Book Synopsis On the same day the Japanese surrender ended World War II, Vietnamese nationalists declared independence from France. Within weeks, France sought to reestablish colonial rule. American merchant seamen arriving in French ports to ship GIs back to the U.S. were dismayed when French troops bound for Vietnam came aboard instead. Many of these seamen objected because American veterans awaited transport home and because they flew in the face of Allied war aims of national self-determination. Later, with the Vietnam War effort dependent on Merchant Marine logistical support, seamen were among the first to protest U.S. involvement. With firsthand recollections, this book tells the story, from deadly encounters with mines, rockets and gunfire to evacuations of refugees and to rescues of boat people in the South China Sea.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Preface: Not Just "Minding Their Own Business"
- Part One—The First Indochina (French) War
- 1. For Want of a Ship
- 2. Sailing into War (1945)
- 3. A Curious "Neutrality" (1946–1949)
- 4. "America was with the French" (1950–1953)
- 5. Passage to Freedom (1954–1955)
- Part Two—The Second Indochina (American) War
- 6. Signing on with Diem (1956–1959)
- 7. Kennedy's Burden (1960–1963)
- 8. "Sealift's Future Termed Assured" (1964)
- 9. Breakout (1965)
- 10. Rung Sat: Through the Killer Jungle (1966)
- 11. Turnaround (1967)
- 12. The Fireworks of Tet (1968)
- 13. Peak (1969)
- 14. Vietnamization (1970)
- 15. Empty Ship and Last Ship Sunk (1971–1972)
- 16. The "Leopard Spot" Ceasefire (1973–1974)
- 17. Evacuation Under Fire (1975)
- 18. Captain Flink's Story: The 16,600
- 19. Mayaguez: The Last Battle
- Part Three—Aftermath
- 20. Boat People
- 21. When the Ships Returned (and the Search for MIAs)
- Epilogue: Return to Tam Bao
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
