Description
A memoir/history of a much-beleaguered Marine outpost of the DMZ.
Throughout much of 1967, a remote United States Marine firebase only two miles from the demilitarised zone (DMZ) captured the attention of the world's media. That artillery-scarred outpost was the linchpin of the so-called McNamara Line intended to deter incursions into South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese Army. As such, the fighting along this territory was particularly intense and bloody, and the body count rose daily.
Con Thien combines James P. Coan's personal experiences with information taken from archives, interviews with battle participants, and official documents to construct a powerful story of the daily life and combat on the red clay bulls-eye known as "The Hill of Angels." As a tank platoon leader in Alpha Company, 3d Tank Battalion, 3d Marine Division, Coan was stationed at Con Thien for eight months during his 1967-68 service in Vietnam and witnessed much of the carnage.
Con Thien was heavily bombarded by enemy artillery with impunity because it was located in politically sensitive territory and the U.S. government would not permit direct armed response from Marine tanks. Coan, like many other soldiers, began to feel as though the government was as much the enemy as the NVA, yet he continued to fight for his country with all that he had. In his
riveting memoir, Coan depicts the hardships of life in the DMZ and the ineffectiveness of much of the U.S. military effort in Vietnam.
About the Author
James P. Coan is a former Marine Corps captain who was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries at Con Thien.
Reviews
This is a magnificent account of the battles, the suffering, the sacrifices, and the enduring courage of the Marines who fought, bled, and died on what Coan calls a red-clay target. - Leatherneck ""Combat memoirists rarely display such firm authority so engagingly as former Marine Captain James Coan, who commanded a tank unit in 1967-68 during the battles around the encircled bastion of Khe Sahn.... Con Thien was, in Coan's view, a microcosm of America's general failure in Vietnam and the late William Westmoreland's tactical failure in particular."" - Military History of the West ""There are still lessons for the Marine Corps to learn from Vietnam - supply and artillery to name but two - and this book is a good source for those who would like to understand more about actual experience in those areas."" - Marine Corps Gazette ""With this sterling book, Captain Coan, Marine Tanker, wounded Vietnam Veteran, and combat leader of many battles fought against the experienced and professional North Vietnamese Army in and around 'The Hill of Angels,' has arrived as a riveting and knowledgeable Marine Corps historian."" - The Khe Sanh Veterans Red Clay ""The strength of this book lies in the way that Coan weaves his own combat experience and the official unit documents and histories together with... personal combat narratives to form a cohesive whole. He gives a realistic portrayal of the miserable living conditions, the monsoons, the heat during the dry seasons, and finally the futility of the fighting over the same pieces of terrain in the eastern DMZ.... It is ironic but perhaps apt that the measure of the war in Vietnam was not the capture of terrain, but body count."" - Jack Shulimson, author of Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968
Book Information
ISBN 9780817354459
Author James P. Coan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint The University of Alabama Press
Publisher The University of Alabama Press
Weight(grams) 569g
Throughout much of 1967, a remote United States Marine firebase only two miles from the demilitarised zone (DMZ) captured the attention of the world's media. That artillery-scarred outpost was the linchpin of the so-called McNamara Line intended to deter incursions into South Vietnam by the North Vietnamese Army. As such, the fighting along this territory was particularly intense and bloody, and the body count rose daily.
Con Thien combines James P. Coan's personal experiences with information taken from archives, interviews with battle participants, and official documents to construct a powerful story of the daily life and combat on the red clay bulls-eye known as "The Hill of Angels." As a tank platoon leader in Alpha Company, 3d Tank Battalion, 3d Marine Division, Coan was stationed at Con Thien for eight months during his 1967-68 service in Vietnam and witnessed much of the carnage.
Con Thien was heavily bombarded by enemy artillery with impunity because it was located in politically sensitive territory and the U.S. government would not permit direct armed response from Marine tanks. Coan, like many other soldiers, began to feel as though the government was as much the enemy as the NVA, yet he continued to fight for his country with all that he had. In his
riveting memoir, Coan depicts the hardships of life in the DMZ and the ineffectiveness of much of the U.S. military effort in Vietnam.
About the Author
James P. Coan is a former Marine Corps captain who was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries at Con Thien.
Reviews
This is a magnificent account of the battles, the suffering, the sacrifices, and the enduring courage of the Marines who fought, bled, and died on what Coan calls a red-clay target. - Leatherneck ""Combat memoirists rarely display such firm authority so engagingly as former Marine Captain James Coan, who commanded a tank unit in 1967-68 during the battles around the encircled bastion of Khe Sahn.... Con Thien was, in Coan's view, a microcosm of America's general failure in Vietnam and the late William Westmoreland's tactical failure in particular."" - Military History of the West ""There are still lessons for the Marine Corps to learn from Vietnam - supply and artillery to name but two - and this book is a good source for those who would like to understand more about actual experience in those areas."" - Marine Corps Gazette ""With this sterling book, Captain Coan, Marine Tanker, wounded Vietnam Veteran, and combat leader of many battles fought against the experienced and professional North Vietnamese Army in and around 'The Hill of Angels,' has arrived as a riveting and knowledgeable Marine Corps historian."" - The Khe Sanh Veterans Red Clay ""The strength of this book lies in the way that Coan weaves his own combat experience and the official unit documents and histories together with... personal combat narratives to form a cohesive whole. He gives a realistic portrayal of the miserable living conditions, the monsoons, the heat during the dry seasons, and finally the futility of the fighting over the same pieces of terrain in the eastern DMZ.... It is ironic but perhaps apt that the measure of the war in Vietnam was not the capture of terrain, but body count."" - Jack Shulimson, author of Phase Line Green: The Battle for Hue, 1968
Book Information
ISBN 9780817354459
Author James P. Coan
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint The University of Alabama Press
Publisher The University of Alabama Press
Weight(grams) 569g
