Love, SP4 Thomas W., 275
Lu Lan, General, 222
LZ Albany, 18
LZ X-Ray, 18
M16 rifle, 85, 147, 192
M60 machine gun, 120, 145, 192, 194
M79 grenade launcher, 114, 192
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, 85
MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam), 13, 190
MACV RECONDO Combat Operations Course (COC), 62
Maddox, Bob, 136, 137
Magee, John Gillespie, Jr., 198
Malvestuto, Terry, 286
Matlock, Jim “Herbie,” 144–50, 249, 286–87
Matson, SP4 Richard D., 276
McFarland, Sergeant, 98, 113, 154, 225
McKim, Randolph Harrison, xxiv
McNamara, Robert, 109
Melville, Herman, 218, 228
Mike Force (Mobile Strike Force), xiii, xiv, 14, 15, 18, 41, 62, 112, 192–94, 196, 211–13, 224, 231–33, 237–39, 244–47, 263
Military Occupational Specialty 13B, 75
Ming, General Duong Van, 13–14
Moffett, Ken, 290, 294, 295
Monsoon season, 17
Montagnard soldiers, v, xi–xiii, 6, 10–14, 26, 28–30, 69–71, 78, 87–91, 95–96, 123, 124, 148, 175, 190, 192, 213–14, 220, 223, 226, 234, 235
Moore, Major, 176
Moore, PFC Thomas M., 275
Mortars, development of, 24
Mosher, SP5 Craig W., 275
Murphy, Joe, 47–50
My Lai massacre, 53
Nachtigall, Dave, 136
Nadine, PFC Dennis, 120
Napalm, 4, 147, 176
National Security Agency (NSA), 16
Native Americans, 11–12
Newsweek magazine, 189
Nha Trang, 16, 37, 61, 125, 254, 293
Nha Trang Bay, 62
Nixon, Richard M., xi, 3, 126, 189–91
North Vietnamese forces (see People’s Army of [North] Vietnam)
Norton, PFC Michael R., 114, 249–50, 274, 280
Nung troops, xiii, 15
NVA (see People’s Army of [North] Vietnam)
O-1 Bird Dog, 17, 104, 107, 111, 112, 114, 129
Officer Candidate School, 49–58, 67
Officer promotions, 40–41
OH-6 Cayuse (LOACH), 103–4
Olsen, SP4 Pete, 145, 146
Operation Switchback, 13
OV-1 Mohawk, 17
Owen, Major Dean M., 201–4, 249, 260, 276
Palmer, Captain William, 62, 63
Parachute training, 57–58
Parker, Steven, 272
Patton, George S., Jr., 94, 152
PAVN (see People’s Army of [North] Vietnam)
People’s Army of [North] Vietnam (PAVN), 1, 2, 6, 14, 15, 36–37, 70, 79, 80, 86, 89, 90, 96, 97, 101–4, 107, 112, 115–16, 119, 124–26, 141–44, 147–50, 156–58, 167–69, 174–79, 186, 188–91, 194, 202, 206, 207, 209, 211, 212, 224, 226, 230–31, 235–38, 245–47, 250, 253–54
24th Infantry Regiment, 19
28th Infantry Regiment, 18, 212
32nd Infantry Regiment, 19
40th Artillery Regiment, 18
66th Regiment, xii, 18–19, 81, 207, 212
174th Infantry Regiment, 19
K-393 Artillery Battalion, 18
Pepke, Major General Donn R., 125–26
Phan Rang, 34, 170, 174
Phuc, Phan Thi Kim, 4
Phyllis Ann project, 162, 163
“Picket-Guard, The” (Beers), 208
Pierelli, Sergeant Dan, 79–80, 86, 87, 89, 90, 95, 99, 101, 102, 161–62, 166, 168, 169, 174, 187, 191, 195, 211, 225, 226, 232–36, 243, 245, 246, 248, 263–64, 273, 287
Platt, Air Force FAC William E., 112, 179, 287
Plei Me Special Forces Camp, 124–26
Pleiku City, 15, 16, 62, 124, 125, 145
Pluhar, Larry, 268
Plummer, SP4 Ernest C., 276
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 33, 195
Pries, Colonel Hugh, 297
Project Friday Gap, 269–70
Pugh, Dick, 278
Quang Duc province, 16
Quang Tri province, 19
“Reaper and the Flowers, The” (Longfellow), 106
Recoilless rifles, 97
Relief columns, 123–24
Republic of Korea troops, 16
Resquist, Lieutenant, 169
Rickenbacker, Captain Eddie, 223
Riovo, Major, 77
Rock Island, Illinois, 45
Rogers, Gerald “Tex,” 69, 73, 77, 98, 229, 230, 232, 245, 248–49, 288
Roosevelt, Theodore, 19
Ross, First Lieutenant Ronald A., 153–56, 173, 174, 180–82, 195, 215, 274, 288–90
Ross, John, 290
Ross, Trisha, 290
ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), 49, 53, 62
Royal Thai Army, 15, 60
Ryder, First Lieutenant Ken, 142
Saigon Cowboys, 5
Schilling, Bobby, 290, 294–95
Schmidt, Elvira, 291
Schulz, Charles, 223
Scott, Forrest, 29, 30, 80–81
11 Corps, 16, 34, 261
Serain, SP4 Calvin, 136, 275
Shadow (see AC-119G Shadow)
Shakespeare, William, 266
“Sheridan at Cedar Creek” (Melville), 218
Shriver, WO1 Kenneth, 276
Sidle, General Winant, 36
Simmons, Lieutenant Colonel Frank, 9, 10, 192
Simmons, Sergeant First Class Don, 248
Simpson, First Lieutenant Norman, 275
Smith, Elizabeth Clark, 27, 291
Smith, First Lieutenant Mike, 26–31, 67, 68, 70, 71, 77, 78, 80, 87, 91, 97, 99–100, 110–11, 116, 154, 209–11, 214, 226, 230, 235, 237, 243, 245, 246, 248, 256, 288, 290–91
Smith, Justin, 291
South Vietnam Air Force (VNAF), 3, 4, 14
South Vietnamese forces (see Army of the Republic of [South] Vietnam), 2–3
Special Forces (see United States forces)
Spectre (see AC-130H Spectre gunship)
Spooky (see AC-47 Spooky gunship)
Stevens, Sergeant First Class, 246–48
Strange Captain John, 104, 105, 114, 249
Sullivan brothers, 60
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 8
Tet Offensive, 2–3, 145
TH-55 Osage, 131
Thanh Hoa, 18
37 mm anti-aircraft gun, 142
Tidmore, Sergeant, 76
Tierney, Lieutenant George, 63
Tiranti, PFC Bernie, 98, 113, 118, 154, 157, 187, 248, 284, 291
Trace ammunition, 147
Trang Phuoc (Ban Don), 28, 29, 69, 79
Travis, William, 219
12.7 mm machine gun, 235–36
Typhoon, The, magazine, 191–92
U-2 spy plane, 16–17
UH-1 gunship, 110, 114–16, 131, 132, 142, 144, 176
Uhring, WO1 Frank G., 276
United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races Front (Front Unifié de Lutte des Races Opprimées, FULRO), 14
United States forces
First Air Cavalry Division, 18–19, 124
First Aviation Brigade 48th AHC, 114, 132, 133, 134, 142, 249
First Aviation Brigade 155th AHC, 131, 133–35, 144–46, 199, 201, 203, 240, 249, 259
First Aviation Brigade 189th AHC, 144, 145, 249
1st Cavalry Division, xii, 19
I Field Force Vietnam (IFFV), 36, 41, 42, 16, 17, 19, 32–34, 125, 191, 220, 260
First Infantry Division, 221
United States forces (cont.)
4th Infantry Division, xiii, 19, 125, 126, 132, 190
Fifth Special Forces Group, 13–15, 35, 59–62, 190, 257
6th Special Operations Squadron, 223
17th Cavalry, 103
22nd Artillery, 34, 153, 154, 210, 289
27th Artillery, 28
35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 108
46th Speci
al Forces Company, 60
52nd Artillery Group, 41
71st Evacuation Hospital, 177
92nd Artillery, 25–26, 28
101st Airborne Division, 38, 51, 133, 134
155th Assault Helicopter Company, 18
173rd Airborne Division, 19
185th Recon Company, 80, 104
486th Bomb Squadron, 177
559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 108
after-action reports, 70, 125, 148
Air Force, 129–30
Army Air Corps, 129, 162
Army Security Agency, 16
Army Signal Corps, 53
Army Special Warfare Center, 58
Military Intelligence, 18
Special Forces Officers’ Course, 58–59
Special Forces Team A-233, 28, 29, 69, 79–81
Special Forces Team A-234, 29, 112, 269
Special Forces Team A-236, 9, 10, 12, 15, 81, 253
Special Forces Team A-239, 19
Special Forces Team B-23, 9, 81, 112, 150, 158, 192, 220
Strategic Air Command, 175
Task Force Alpha, 125
Task Force Fighter, 125–26
USS Juneau, 60
Ut, Nick, 4
Utapao Royal Air Base, Thailand, 173–75, 177
Viet Cong, 2, 3, 12, 13, 15, 80, 123–25, 177, 221
Viet Minh, 12, 37, 86
Vietnam Memorial, Washington Mall, 2
Vietnamization, xi, 3, 5, 6, 126, 190, 259–61
Vinh Loc, Major General, 124, 125
VNAF (see South Vietnam Air Force)
War Between the States, 23
Ware, Major General Keith, 221, 222
Watson, WO1 Jerry, 275
Weapons, history of artillery, 23–25
Weather conditions, 66, 71–72, 132
Weaver, SP4 Billy, 220
Wells, CPT, 298
Whiteside, Captain Richard, 150, 257
Whitman, Walt, 84
Wilcox, SP5 Mike, 202–4, 207, 275
Wiles, SP4 Ronnie, 276
Wolf, Captain Marvin, xiv, 50
World War II, 31, 33, 54, 60, 74, 129
Wright, Colonel B. R., 204, 276
“Young British Soldier, The” (Kipling), 128
Zollner, First Lieutenant Maurice “Moe,” 174, 176–78, 195, 211, 214, 237, 243, 245, 246, 248, 268, 292, 299
1 Full disclosure: Coauthor Wolf cowrote General Ky’s wartime memoir, Buddha’s Child (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002), from which the above is drawn.
2 In March 1975, more than a year after US combat troops withdrew from Vietnam, the North Vietnamese took BMT. Surrounded by PAVN regiments backed by heavy artillery and Soviet-built tanks, the 23rd Division offered stiff resistance for a few days, then broke. In panic, retreating troops stripped off their uniforms, threw away their boots, and fled into the countryside. Two months later, 100,000 PAVN troops seized Saigon to complete their conquest and end the war.
3 My coauthor, then an Army combat correspondent in the First Air Cav’s Public Information Office, was involved in the preparation of a “backgrounder” press briefing that described these negotiations.
4 See Appendix.
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Abandoned in Hell _The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate Page 34