A Sergeant’s Story: Book I-Vietnam (Volume 1)
This is both a history, a memoir, and a critique of certain combat actions of the 1st Infantry Division during the years 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam. Growing up in California with an intense interest in military history and surfing, the author joined the National Guard in 1963. In 1965 he joined the regular army and was assigned to the 4th Armored Division in West Germany. In 1966 he requested a transfer from the 2nd Battalion, 54th Infantry to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. Arriving shortly after the disastrous battle of August 25th, 1966, at Bong Trang, he joined a rifle company that was being rebuilt by a Special Forces captain who had replaced the former company commander, KIA in that battle. He describes the battle in detail by blending an official history with the recollections of two of his comrades who were there, and then returns to the battle and dissects it using personal accounts and official interviews of many of the participants to include MG William DePuy. Assigned as a machine gunner, the author began to learn the ways of a combat infantryman in a jungle war. Three months later he was given more responsibilities and began serving in leadership positions as an acting sergeant until he was promoted to sergeant. He recounts a number of road clearing operations, ambush patrols and search and destroy missions, which took place shortly before his battalion’s participation in the largest operations of the Vietnam War: Operations Attleboro, Cedar Falls, and Junction City.
