This is the eighth volume of a projected nine-volume history of Marine Corps operations in the Vietnam War. A separate functional series complements the operational histories. This volume details the activities of Marine Corps units after the departure from Vietnam in 1971 of III Marine Amphibious Force, through to the 1973 ceasefire, and includes the return of Marine prisoners of war from North Vietnam. Written from diverse views and sources, the common thread in this narrative is the continued resistance of the South Vietnames Armed Forces, in particular the Vietnamese Marine Corps, to Communist aggression. This book is written from the perspective of the American Marines who assisted them in their efforts. Someday the former South Vietnamese Marines will be able to tell their own story.

This is the second volume in a series of a nine chronological histories being prepared by Marine Corps History about the U.S. marines operations in Vietnam.

In May of 1968 in Vietnam a desperate battle took place in a remote village. A First Air Cavalry company was on the verge of annihilation save for the courage of Captain Jay Copley and his men. Forty three years later Copley was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions that day. This is the story of what happened that day.