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Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970
On April 10, 1970, Hill 927 was occupied by troopers of the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division. By July, the activities of the artillery and infantry of Ripcord had caught the attention of the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and a long and deadly siege ensued. Ripcord was the Screaming Eagles’ last chance to do significant damage to the NVA in the A Shau Valley before the division was withdrawn from Vietnam and returned to the United States.
At Ripcord, the enemy counterattacked with ferocity, using mortar and antiaircraft fire to inflict heavy causalities on the units operating there. The battle lasted four and a half months and exemplified the ultimate frustration of the Vietnam War: the inability of the American military to bring to bear its enormous resources to win on the battlefield. In the end, the 101st evacuated Ripcord, leaving the NVA in control of the battlefield. Contrary to the mantra “We won every battle but lost the war,” the United States was defeated at Ripcord. Now, at last, the full story of this terrible battle can be told.
At Ripcord, the enemy counterattacked with ferocity, using mortar and antiaircraft fire to inflict heavy causalities on the units operating there. The battle lasted four and a half months and exemplified the ultimate frustration of the Vietnam War: the inability of the American military to bring to bear its enormous resources to win on the battlefield. In the end, the 101st evacuated Ripcord, leaving the NVA in control of the battlefield. Contrary to the mantra “We won every battle but lost the war,” the United States was defeated at Ripcord. Now, at last, the full story of this terrible battle can be told.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 26, 2000
90 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Keith William Nolan
12 books15 followersKeith William Nolan was an American military historian, focusing on the various campaigns of the Vietnam War. Nolan obtained a history degree from Webster University. Nolan pioneered and excelled at his own special brand of military history: the excellent combining of in-depth interviews with those who took part in the fighting and deep research into the official records. That, along with a fluid writing style, added up to ten (eleven, counting one he co-authored) of the best books on Vietnam War military history. Keith Nolan died of lung cancer in February 2009 at the age of forty-five.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 18, 2015
Ripcord is the eponymic analysis of the attack on the Screaming Eagles firebase installation in Vietnam in 1970. it exemplifies many of the structural problems with the way the war was conducted. For example, the commander of the company assigned to Hill 805, Capt. Hewitt, was a young 25 year-old who had been an ARVN advisor and reupped for a second tour, but he lacked real combat experience and that inexperience got him killed. Stringing a hammock on the second night on the hill, when it was almost a religious rule never to spend two nights in the same place, he was targeted almost immediately as the commander. The previous captain had been a real hard-ass, but one who had Korean war experience and who insisted on perfection in operations. It kept him and his men alive. The six-month rule mandated that commanders only remained in the field for six months to give everyone a chance at field command and ultimate promotion. It also got many soldiers killed.
The book doesn’t flinch at detailing many of the racial problems. One incident involved a Sergeant Johnson who adamantly refused to take point despite orders to the contrary. Finally a Pfc. Utrecht just stormed up to the front and led the platoon. He was killed shortly thereafter having failed to see a sign on the trail indicating possible ambush. Everyone was furious. “ ‘ Bob Utrecht had been well liked and everyone knew that what had happened was Johnson’s fault,’”said one of the soldiers. Utrecht’s body was hauled out the next day. Johnson had been sent back with a medevac right after the incident. “The times being what they were, an ugly mood was made absolutely incendiary by the fact that Utrecht was white and Johnson black. Judd remembered that ‘no one said anything directly, but it was understood that Johnson wasn’t going to survive the night, and someone had the smarts to send him to the rear.’ “
Despite constant patrolling by Lucas’s battalion to cut the infiltration routes to the heavily populated lowlands, the buildup had gone mostly unnoticed, there being too few troops and too much ground to be covered. Most significantly, the North Vietnamese had been able to fortify a dominant hill only a kilometer west of Ripcord. Once the battle was joined, the enemy shelled Ripcord from that vantage point, their log-reinforced bunkers withstanding the air assaults." This Hill 1000 was to be the bane of the American troops. Storming it repeatedly, the NVA seemed to have a never-ending supply of troops who would appear from tunnels behind the bunkers following the most intense bombardments and shelling. Colonel Lucas insisted on repeated attacks over the objections of his company commanders on the ground who begged for replacements and just a bit of rest time, but Lucas wanted to show his bosses some kind of progress and aggressiveness. When Captain Wilcox, in the harshest terms, refused to take his men back up to hill (to certain death) mixing in some words about the futility of the war. Lucas took the harshest implication, i.e., that he was a coward. (Seems to me that the line between bravery and stupidity is a fine one.) LT Campbell, when asked by Lucas what he would do (a colonel asking a LT?!) Campbell offered they should turn it over to the Air Force and just bomb the shit out of it every day, thereby neutralizing its position with regard to Ripcord. Wilcox was relieved of his command the next day.
Campbell’s judgement (and he thought Lucas was one of the best battalion commanders was harsh. ““I hated Lucas for years for what he ordered us to do that day on Hill 1000,” he said. “I also spent years trying to blame Lucas for what happened, but, really, I was accountable, too. His order to assault across an open saddle in the face of direct fire without close-in gunship support was absolutely stupid—and I was stupid enough to order it carried out. I knew better. I knew that Lucas didn’t know what was happening on the ground because he had never spent a single day in the field with his troops. I didn’t have the moral courage to refuse the order, though. The result was that Hupp and Scott went to their deaths trying to carry out an attack that I knew didn’t have a chance in hell of succeeding. It was a needless sacrifice of brave men.” Campbell later wrote a letter to Lucas requesting transfer to a different battalion.
Campbell had additional comments with regard to the much lauded use of helicopters: “The helicopter was the worst thing that ever happened to leadership,” Campbell added. “The troops didn’t hate the gooks. They hated the commanders flying around in their charlie-charlie birds giving orders without a clue as to what it was like on the ground. You need to be on the ground. You can’t lead men into combat and expect them to have loyalty towards you if they never see you. That’s why there was so much bitterness about Lucas among the troops. He was never there with a word of encouragement or a pat on the back, and he definitely wasn’t where he needed to be when we went up Hill 1000.”
The helicopters could be extremely vulnerable. While under attack, Colonel Lucas ordered in a Chinook with a sling load of large shells for the artillery. Against the recommendations of his Pathfinders, he told them to hover and unload at the spot closest to the bunkers and howitzers presumably so the soldiers wouldn’t have to hump the shells, each weighing about 97 pounds, as far. Unfortunately it was also in the line of fire from a .51 NVA machine gun. The chopper was hit, caught fire and crashed in a scene that was worse than Dante could ever have imagined. The description of the pilot pinned under the machine getting burned to death as aviation fuel washed over him would give anyone nightmares. Then the shells in the load began to cook off and soon they were running and trying to hide from their own exploding shells. People getting killed and wounded all over. Meanwhile the NVA weren’t about to let the opportunity slip by.
One policy that made life difficult for the troops was body count. Often they were sent back into battle zones to locate graves or dead enemy soldiers, anything that the command levels could use to create a positive kill ratio that would help to justify American dead and the enormous amount of ammunition and materiel that was expended to gain ground which was inevitably relinquished making body counts the only measure of success. That affected the way the soldiers thought: “ Captain Wilcox was of the same mind as the grunts in his new company, to include Rodney Moore, who would remark, “The commanders wanted body count, but we really didn’t care if we killed anybody or not. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing there. We fought so we could get everybody home alive.”
There was one very telling quote from a company commander explaining why the NVA continued to fight on and on while often the U.S. troops would back off rather than take heavier casualties: “They were willing to die for their country; we were not willing to die for their country.”
Lots more that could be said, but this review is already too long. Nolan does an amazing job of synthesizing hundreds of interviews to portray a detailed picture of fighting from the grunts’ viewpoint while not losing sight of the larger strategic picture.
And finally, I can’t help but record a comment from one of the participants who wrote a review on Amazon, Benjamin Harrison: “As the brigade commander during the siege of Ripcord, Keith and I had dozens of interchanges. It is common knowledge that retired general officers can recall with precise clarity the details of events that never happened. Nolan's rule that "facts" must be verified by at least three sources probably explains why some of my input to an early draft did not make the final publication. My long-winded point is that you do not have the "whole story" of Ripcord, but what you do have in this superb book is true and accurate.”
The book doesn’t flinch at detailing many of the racial problems. One incident involved a Sergeant Johnson who adamantly refused to take point despite orders to the contrary. Finally a Pfc. Utrecht just stormed up to the front and led the platoon. He was killed shortly thereafter having failed to see a sign on the trail indicating possible ambush. Everyone was furious. “ ‘ Bob Utrecht had been well liked and everyone knew that what had happened was Johnson’s fault,’”said one of the soldiers. Utrecht’s body was hauled out the next day. Johnson had been sent back with a medevac right after the incident. “The times being what they were, an ugly mood was made absolutely incendiary by the fact that Utrecht was white and Johnson black. Judd remembered that ‘no one said anything directly, but it was understood that Johnson wasn’t going to survive the night, and someone had the smarts to send him to the rear.’ “
Despite constant patrolling by Lucas’s battalion to cut the infiltration routes to the heavily populated lowlands, the buildup had gone mostly unnoticed, there being too few troops and too much ground to be covered. Most significantly, the North Vietnamese had been able to fortify a dominant hill only a kilometer west of Ripcord. Once the battle was joined, the enemy shelled Ripcord from that vantage point, their log-reinforced bunkers withstanding the air assaults." This Hill 1000 was to be the bane of the American troops. Storming it repeatedly, the NVA seemed to have a never-ending supply of troops who would appear from tunnels behind the bunkers following the most intense bombardments and shelling. Colonel Lucas insisted on repeated attacks over the objections of his company commanders on the ground who begged for replacements and just a bit of rest time, but Lucas wanted to show his bosses some kind of progress and aggressiveness. When Captain Wilcox, in the harshest terms, refused to take his men back up to hill (to certain death) mixing in some words about the futility of the war. Lucas took the harshest implication, i.e., that he was a coward. (Seems to me that the line between bravery and stupidity is a fine one.) LT Campbell, when asked by Lucas what he would do (a colonel asking a LT?!) Campbell offered they should turn it over to the Air Force and just bomb the shit out of it every day, thereby neutralizing its position with regard to Ripcord. Wilcox was relieved of his command the next day.
Campbell’s judgement (and he thought Lucas was one of the best battalion commanders was harsh. ““I hated Lucas for years for what he ordered us to do that day on Hill 1000,” he said. “I also spent years trying to blame Lucas for what happened, but, really, I was accountable, too. His order to assault across an open saddle in the face of direct fire without close-in gunship support was absolutely stupid—and I was stupid enough to order it carried out. I knew better. I knew that Lucas didn’t know what was happening on the ground because he had never spent a single day in the field with his troops. I didn’t have the moral courage to refuse the order, though. The result was that Hupp and Scott went to their deaths trying to carry out an attack that I knew didn’t have a chance in hell of succeeding. It was a needless sacrifice of brave men.” Campbell later wrote a letter to Lucas requesting transfer to a different battalion.
Campbell had additional comments with regard to the much lauded use of helicopters: “The helicopter was the worst thing that ever happened to leadership,” Campbell added. “The troops didn’t hate the gooks. They hated the commanders flying around in their charlie-charlie birds giving orders without a clue as to what it was like on the ground. You need to be on the ground. You can’t lead men into combat and expect them to have loyalty towards you if they never see you. That’s why there was so much bitterness about Lucas among the troops. He was never there with a word of encouragement or a pat on the back, and he definitely wasn’t where he needed to be when we went up Hill 1000.”
The helicopters could be extremely vulnerable. While under attack, Colonel Lucas ordered in a Chinook with a sling load of large shells for the artillery. Against the recommendations of his Pathfinders, he told them to hover and unload at the spot closest to the bunkers and howitzers presumably so the soldiers wouldn’t have to hump the shells, each weighing about 97 pounds, as far. Unfortunately it was also in the line of fire from a .51 NVA machine gun. The chopper was hit, caught fire and crashed in a scene that was worse than Dante could ever have imagined. The description of the pilot pinned under the machine getting burned to death as aviation fuel washed over him would give anyone nightmares. Then the shells in the load began to cook off and soon they were running and trying to hide from their own exploding shells. People getting killed and wounded all over. Meanwhile the NVA weren’t about to let the opportunity slip by.
One policy that made life difficult for the troops was body count. Often they were sent back into battle zones to locate graves or dead enemy soldiers, anything that the command levels could use to create a positive kill ratio that would help to justify American dead and the enormous amount of ammunition and materiel that was expended to gain ground which was inevitably relinquished making body counts the only measure of success. That affected the way the soldiers thought: “ Captain Wilcox was of the same mind as the grunts in his new company, to include Rodney Moore, who would remark, “The commanders wanted body count, but we really didn’t care if we killed anybody or not. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing there. We fought so we could get everybody home alive.”
There was one very telling quote from a company commander explaining why the NVA continued to fight on and on while often the U.S. troops would back off rather than take heavier casualties: “They were willing to die for their country; we were not willing to die for their country.”
Lots more that could be said, but this review is already too long. Nolan does an amazing job of synthesizing hundreds of interviews to portray a detailed picture of fighting from the grunts’ viewpoint while not losing sight of the larger strategic picture.
And finally, I can’t help but record a comment from one of the participants who wrote a review on Amazon, Benjamin Harrison: “As the brigade commander during the siege of Ripcord, Keith and I had dozens of interchanges. It is common knowledge that retired general officers can recall with precise clarity the details of events that never happened. Nolan's rule that "facts" must be verified by at least three sources probably explains why some of my input to an early draft did not make the final publication. My long-winded point is that you do not have the "whole story" of Ripcord, but what you do have in this superb book is true and accurate.”
December 2, 2012
This is a book I have been giving to battalion commanders enroute to battalion command for the past few years. It is the story of 2-506th and their fight over Firebase RIPCORD late in the Vietnam War, a period characterized by "Vietnamization" and Pacification. This incident was still talked about as sort of a jungle myth as late as the 80's at Fort Campbell by the old timers, the battle saw three of eight rifle companies committed overrun by the NVA, "Hamburger Hill" type casualties (almost 70-80 KIA of which some 17 were MIA for a period) and an evacuation of a Firebase under pressure during which the Battalion Commander (Andre Lucas) would be killed in action and awarded a controversial Medal of Honor. A compelling book and one that should serve as a cautionary tale as our fight shifts in Afghanistan. This book could be read alongside "The 13th Valley" and "Matterhorn" to gain insight into leadership in the closing of diffiduclt campaigns.
October 7, 2012
This book is one of the very best accounts of combat I have ever read. This book is as good as "We Were Soldiers Once and Young". I wish everyone that has ever been told that "we lost the war in Vietnam because the politicians made us fight it with one had tied behind our back" would read this book. It shows that the war was not lost because of lack of effort on our part. Our soldiers fought bravely and valiantly and their efforts are just now starting to be recognized by the general public. The North Vietnamese Army were a brave and determined foe and were willing to fight to the last man. When you read about the type of firepower they were willing to wade through and would keep coming at you, you soon realize that they were willing to accept losses that we could not comprehend nor stomach politically. Short of genocide, there was no way for the United States to win the Vietnam war.
This book carries my highest recommendation.
This book carries my highest recommendation.
September 4, 2019
After receiving a suggestion for this book years ago, I finally read it recently during a span of international travel. I'm glad I did, but it's a heartbreaker. Taking place at the tail end of combat operations in Vietnam, this is a tragic story of an Army that had lost its way. Faulty estimates of enemy capabilities, a personnel replacement system that actively prevented experienced leadership at the tactical level, and striking hubris about what fires could achieve are par for the course at this point in the war. The human toll from all of these combined issues was absurd: 75 KIA and over 400 wounded over 23 days of combat. Later estimates would show that two battalions were actively engaging two NVA regiments, but none of this was apparent at the time.
This book is important reading. It shows the effects of insane personnel rotation policies, capabilities hubris, and bad combat estimation through human cost. It's a potential lesson for any combat leader.
This book is important reading. It shows the effects of insane personnel rotation policies, capabilities hubris, and bad combat estimation through human cost. It's a potential lesson for any combat leader.
January 3, 2008
Kieth William Nolan is the foremost Vietnam War historian that I know, and every single one of his books is excellent, to a niche audience of serious Vietnam historians. Ripcord is no exception, filled with precise individual action accounts it details the 101st Airborne struggles for a few tiny hills in the northern provinces of Vietnam in 1970-71.
June 4, 2017
I rarely give 'five stars' to a book, however this one deserves it. I don't want to spoil too much, it covers the highlands region of Vietnam in 1970 & how much if a mess the area was keeping it in check. If you have seen the movie from 1987 'Hamburger Hill', that was part of this operation. Like Vietnam in general, the battle was a mess with spotty leadership & the 101st did everything they could to keep pressure on the North Vietnamese soldiers.
There is a lot going on from start to finish covering the three regiments in the 101st. If you wish to know more about the Vietnam War, this is a good book on the list to read.
There is a lot going on from start to finish covering the three regiments in the 101st. If you wish to know more about the Vietnam War, this is a good book on the list to read.
April 30, 2019
A story of courage, sacrifice, duty and sorrow. This is a hard book to read, not from any failing of the author, but because he does such an incredible job of putting the reader into this particular place and time which is filled with so much tragedy. "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them." Robert Binyon
We will remember them." Robert Binyon
July 12, 2021
What a great book. I could not put this book down.
The stories of bravery and fear as present in such a futile war as recounted in the book makes this tale an absolute classic in the Vietnam saga. I remember wanting to shout out loud "GET THEM OUT, GET THEM OUT" when I read Berry's dilemma about abandoning Ripcord. Thankfully he made the correct decision.
The authors style of recounting the full story of Ripcord in the first part of the book and then drilling down to the men in the field as they struggled against the NVA was amazing.
I will be exploring other books from this author.
The stories of bravery and fear as present in such a futile war as recounted in the book makes this tale an absolute classic in the Vietnam saga. I remember wanting to shout out loud "GET THEM OUT, GET THEM OUT" when I read Berry's dilemma about abandoning Ripcord. Thankfully he made the correct decision.
The authors style of recounting the full story of Ripcord in the first part of the book and then drilling down to the men in the field as they struggled against the NVA was amazing.
I will be exploring other books from this author.
December 15, 2022
I read this book because my dad was in Vietnam as a helicopter repairman/doorgunner and was part of the evacuation off of Ripcord. I wanted to hear the story from the Ripcord ground view of the men that fought and were saved by him. I am filled with pride and sadness because of those they got off Ripcord and those that didnt make it back to Camp Evans. Great book. Very detailed from one persons point of view on the ground. I was hard to keep putting it down once I started.
March 25, 2019
Excellent accounting of battle.
Nolan captured the intensity of firefights and battles extremely well. For me, as a Vietnam veteran, his narratives were moving and allowed me to visualize the scene as clearly as if I were watching a movie. This book very detailed and well-written.
Nolan captured the intensity of firefights and battles extremely well. For me, as a Vietnam veteran, his narratives were moving and allowed me to visualize the scene as clearly as if I were watching a movie. This book very detailed and well-written.
January 6, 2021
Excellent.
Detailed on very aspect,mostly very sad real "story "of last significant battle of Vietnam war...Before this book,I know very little about the Ripcord,and thanks to this book i have started my personal interest about,bough another 4 books related,regulary reading and following Ripcord association newsletter,etc.my personall full recommendation.
Rob
Detailed on very aspect,mostly very sad real "story "of last significant battle of Vietnam war...Before this book,I know very little about the Ripcord,and thanks to this book i have started my personal interest about,bough another 4 books related,regulary reading and following Ripcord association newsletter,etc.my personall full recommendation.
Rob
December 3, 2020
a well-written account of an extremely hard fought campaign, the final full-scale action of the war. Like Hector and Aeneas before the gates of Troy, many of these men fought beyond their limits in a doomed action in a doomed war.
February 14, 2021
A groundbreaking account of a battle that my father was in. Arguably the peak of difficulty and skill in the usage of helicopters for the U.S. military. The book is often grinding and painful as a byproduct of the (high) quality of its treatment of the subject matter but very well put together.
November 27, 2021
Solid book about a late-war engagement / tactical loss exemplifying many disparate themes present as the US involvement waned - the collapse of American morale, in some units and among some men, brought about by chronic mismanagement and careerism from higher ups, racial tensions, as well as ongoing professionalism and quiet heroic competence that remained the norm especially at battalion level and below. 3.5 stars.
February 12, 2022
A very thorough account on the Ripcord area of operations, with some very intense battles described in explicit detail. An interesting read and it was hard not to be saddened by the loss of life which could have been avoided in many cases, hindsight is a great thing right?
There are hundreds of names mentioned and it was hard to keep track at times but appreciate the efforts to acknowledge all involved.
Definitely recommend for anybody with an interest in warfare, I would have given 4 starts but found the first half a little dense and hard to get through at times and seemed to jump a little in time frames.
There are hundreds of names mentioned and it was hard to keep track at times but appreciate the efforts to acknowledge all involved.
Definitely recommend for anybody with an interest in warfare, I would have given 4 starts but found the first half a little dense and hard to get through at times and seemed to jump a little in time frames.
Read
March 6, 2024actual accounts of history
May 28, 2016
Reading this account of the last major battle between the U.S. Army and the NVA was difficult for me since I was a member of the 2/506th Infantry Battalion at that time. I personally knew some of the soldiers interviewed and mentioned in the book. Fortunately for me, I happened to be on R&R in Sydney Australia when the heaviest action took place. In fact I‘ve remained in touch with some of the men who survived that battle. Until I read this exhaustive narrative I had not realized how intense the struggle to maintain this firebase near the Ashau Valley had become. Author Keith William Nolan covers both the tactical and strategic stages of the action. In so doing he examines the decisions made by the General Officers in command. He records the bravery of the Company commanders, their Lieutenants and squad leaders. Actions of the highest to the lowest ranking participants are detailed. In his afterward, Nolan mentions that for some of the survivors of this battle the physical and psychological scars still remain.
September 3, 2013
Second attempt to read this book; made it through this time - a difficult read because one of the Ripcord survivors is a personal friend so I know what effect it had on his life as well as his testimony of what the men really went through. Author's overall coverage of the siege and the ultimate evacuation of remaining troops was very detailed, though at times difficult for "civies" to understand. Was thankful for glossary of military acronyms as well as appendices to cross-reference names of various soldiers and what happened to them. A valuable resource for those interested in the history of the Vietnam war, and the importance of not forgetting what a sacrifice our American troops made there. As with other conflicts, so many were very young men, often still teenagers and a great number of them draftees, not quite understanding what they were doing in the middle of another country's civil war and feeling on the losing end of the battle, but fighting on just the same.
July 8, 2013
This account is "personal" as I was in-country serving as a door gunner on a Huey slick with the 101st Airborne at this time. "Ripcord" was an impressive firebase situate high on a mountaintop in "Indian" country as we used to say.
There was a number of major skirmishes and at the time we had no idea that the intent of the nvA surrounding this area was to overrun the FSB. Hill 1000 and Hill 805 were "hot" all the time. I myself have personal photos that I had taken as we inserted supplies and extracted wounded.
July 23rd 1970 - is a day I remember well. It was a Hot Extraction under fire and we got everyone off the hilltop that day. Major Lucas was one of the last casualties as I recall. To anyone who wants to know more about a group of men with the 101st that performed extremely well under hellish circumstances - this is a Great Book.
There was a number of major skirmishes and at the time we had no idea that the intent of the nvA surrounding this area was to overrun the FSB. Hill 1000 and Hill 805 were "hot" all the time. I myself have personal photos that I had taken as we inserted supplies and extracted wounded.
July 23rd 1970 - is a day I remember well. It was a Hot Extraction under fire and we got everyone off the hilltop that day. Major Lucas was one of the last casualties as I recall. To anyone who wants to know more about a group of men with the 101st that performed extremely well under hellish circumstances - this is a Great Book.
June 19, 2013
A truly brutal look at a subset of the Vietnam War that leaves you asking why. Countless acts of heroism and humanity are on display by all ranks of men. You can be jovial to see a particular man survive a suicidal act of heroism just to watch him get killed a few days later. When an individual was finished with their tour, I found myself holding my breath, racing to read to see them get on a helicopter and on to safety. It says something about this book when you are happy to see someone, anyone survive.
Any fans of military history would be sure to enjoy this book.
Any fans of military history would be sure to enjoy this book.
September 16, 2012
I liked this book. It gave an impartial view of a group of men that were tasked with protecting a hill in the outermost part of Vietnam. The author describes in stunning detail the effects of what this war did to the soldiers that were there as well as the emotion these soldiers felt when it was time to protect a remote hill that had no implications to the war itself.
January 5, 2014
A fantastic account of the last major battle the U.S. was involved in during the Vietnam war. Keith Nolan did his work - interviewed the men who fought and lived the battle. It gives a great insight into how they fought and died doing a job they were asked to do under odd that totally out number them. It is a must read for anyone interested in this time period.
October 24, 2009
Good book for a history nerd like me. It contains real, detailed experiences rather than a synopsis of the war. Has some language in it though.
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June 23, 2012Not my favorite vietnam war novel but it gives a fair account of the battle for ripcord. It seemed a little disjointed and didn't flow very well.
September 20, 2013
I've just read this for the second time. Raw, honest and thought provoking. Detailed accounts of a battle and the individuals caught up in this unique conflict. Inspiring.
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August 26, 2015Very good I trained with one of the units involved, back in 1967 at fort Campbell Kentucky b/2/501
July 15, 2012
talks about my dad in this book.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews