Description
The Vietnam War was not going well in 1968. The January Tet Offensive-a tactical defeat but strategic victory for North Vietnam-showed the U.S. military and the American public that the enemy remained determined, no nearer defeat. Americans grew war weary while politicians and military leaders could not agree on how to win or how to withdraw.
Between combat tours, the author served as a U.S. Army company commander-a job he came to despise. Experiencing what he perceived as a degradation in the Army's senior command, he resigned his commission. Yet he needed money to complete graduate school and volunteered to return to Vietnam as a combat advisor.
This memoir describes his participation in the fiercest fighting of the war, on the Cambodian border, where he almost died of hookworm and was shot in a night operation. In Saigon to recuperate, he was tasked with creating an advisory team to train South Vietnamese commandos to conduct raids in the swamps south of Saigon, the Rung Sat Special Zone. For seven months they were successful, with Worthington receiving seven combat decorations.
About the Author
Bob Worthington is a retired Army officer with 15 years in the infantry and special operations and 10 years as a clinical psychologist. He is also a retired university professor, having taught psychology, business and journalism. He lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Reviews
Silver Medal, Memoir/Biography-Military Writers Society of America
"a great read...Bob writes in an easy style that is enjoyable. ...[Worthington] has a gift for providing extremely detailed descriptions of his circumstances, his equipment, his combat operations that are easy to follow and aptly tell the reader what he was doing, and why. ... It is a very good and very well-told read."-Counterparts
"A well-written, thoroughly researched, and annotated history of the Merchant Mariners in said time and place. If there was ever a book that clearly sums up how the US got involved in Vietnam, this is it."-The Veteran
Book Information
ISBN 9781476679419
Author Bob Worthington
Format Paperback
Page Count 277
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 387g
Between combat tours, the author served as a U.S. Army company commander-a job he came to despise. Experiencing what he perceived as a degradation in the Army's senior command, he resigned his commission. Yet he needed money to complete graduate school and volunteered to return to Vietnam as a combat advisor.
This memoir describes his participation in the fiercest fighting of the war, on the Cambodian border, where he almost died of hookworm and was shot in a night operation. In Saigon to recuperate, he was tasked with creating an advisory team to train South Vietnamese commandos to conduct raids in the swamps south of Saigon, the Rung Sat Special Zone. For seven months they were successful, with Worthington receiving seven combat decorations.
About the Author
Bob Worthington is a retired Army officer with 15 years in the infantry and special operations and 10 years as a clinical psychologist. He is also a retired university professor, having taught psychology, business and journalism. He lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Reviews
Silver Medal, Memoir/Biography-Military Writers Society of America
"a great read...Bob writes in an easy style that is enjoyable. ...[Worthington] has a gift for providing extremely detailed descriptions of his circumstances, his equipment, his combat operations that are easy to follow and aptly tell the reader what he was doing, and why. ... It is a very good and very well-told read."-Counterparts
"A well-written, thoroughly researched, and annotated history of the Merchant Mariners in said time and place. If there was ever a book that clearly sums up how the US got involved in Vietnam, this is it."-The Veteran
Book Information
ISBN 9781476679419
Author Bob Worthington
Format Paperback
Page Count 277
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 387g
