This is a reprint of a study published by the Air University in 1981.

Originally published in 1976. This narrative describes the evacuation of more than 1,400 American soldiers, Marines, and airmen, and Vietnamese men, women, and children from the Kham Duc Special Forces camp in southern I Corps on 12 May 1968. It treats the geographical and topographical setting, the threat to the camp posed by two regiments of the North Vietnamese Army, and the danger to the camp and its inhabitants from the communist seizure of all the high ground around the camp. The monograph devotes individual chapters to the US Army and Marine helicopter rescue efforts, tactical air support, and tactical airlift. The final chapter deals with the attempts to rescue the last three men at Kham Duc. American aircraft losses were severe during the evacuation, and the successful outcome of the mass rescue depended upon the skill and courage of American aircrews. Had command and control been better, losses probably would have been less severe.

For more than 30 years, the Vietnamese revolutionary movement successively fought Japan, France, South Vietnam, and the United States of America in its successful struggle to establish an independent and socialist Vietnam. Although many aspects of these wars have been described and analyzed by both the winners and losers, one significant topic has been almost entirely absent from the discussion - the Vietnamese development and use of cryptography to maintain their movement's communications security. "Essential Matters: A History of the Cryptographic Branch of the People's Army of Viet-Nam, 1945 - 1975," a translation of a 1990 Vietnamese government publication, tells the story of how Vietnamese cryptographers, through trial and error, developed an indigenous cryptography, supplemented by China-trained experts who introduced more sophisticated techniques to enhance their colleagues' efforts. Many of the these revolutionaries were more conversant with French because of that language's dominance in the colonial education system, so they were forced to subject their own language to the most basic analysis of structure, its specialized military and technical vocabulary, the frequencies of its letters and words, and its subsequent rendering for cryptographic and radio transmission purposes, all encouraged at the local level by the revolutionary leadership. The result was the employment of a multiplicity of similar cipher systems, which presented a major challenge to the movement's various military adversaries. "Essential Matters" records the names of the individuals who performed this arduous work under difficult conditions, describes their training, and portrays their hardships and suffering - approximately 500 Vietnamese cryptographers, nearly 10 percent of those on duty as of 1972, were killed in the course of their duties. This remarkable account, which includes a supplement drawn from "A History of the Cryptographic Branch of the Border Guard" that extends the coverage of Essential Matters by 14 years, into the cipher machine era, provides a unique portrait of a little-known part of the Vietnamese military and its contribution both to cryptography and the outcome of the Indochina wars.

This book tells of a young man who enters USMC boot camp in 1965. To becoming a tank commander in Vietnam during the years of the heaviest fighting of the whole Vietnam War. He tells of hitting a large land mine with a tank. Having his tank and crew abandoned on the battle field. A thought that remained with him through Vietnam was that he felt he would never return home alive. He talks of day to day life during the 1965 to 1969 time period. What it was like to come home from Vietnam and how he was more content in Vietnam than his own country. The United States never lost a major battle in Vietnam, how is it possible we lost the war? The answers to this and much more in Tracks Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran.

In August, 1964, a young U.S. Navy radio operator found himself in waters he had never heard of, participating in the expansion of a war in a nation he didn't know existed: Vietnam. What he learned from actions he witnessed and the classified messages he handled over the next 10 months left him shaken, disillusioned, and full of questions about America's responses to events in the Tonkin Gulf and South China Sea, including the rush to bomb North Vietnam and the Johnson Administration's decisions to vastly expand the presence of U.S. ground, air, and naval forces in Southeast Asia. Some within the U.S. 7th Fleet knew almost from the outset that the still-controversial "second attack" which triggered the 1964 Tonkin Gulf Resolution did not involve North Vietnamese PT boats firing on U.S. Navy destroyers in pitch-dark seas. What it did involve, others have since shown, was something simpler and much stranger. This is one sailor's memories of being present at the ragged beginnings of a long conflict that ultimately failed and cost 58,000 American lives.

Although the American involvement in Vietnam is most often thought of in terms of its army and air forces, the United States Navy also had a significant presence in Southeast Asia from 1945 on. Its role in the immediate post-World War II era, its support of French forces up to the fall of Dien Bien Phu, and the run-up to a more substantial direct American involvement in the late 1950s is particularly obscure. "The United States Navy and the Vietnam Conflict: Volume I, The Setting of the Stage to 1959," the first in a series, provides the needed historical background for the period up to 1959 to assist readers in understanding naval roles in the Vietnam era, how these roles evolved, their relationships to other forms of power and influences, strategic considerations, and the impact of naval power on the conflict. It also traces the story of the Vietnam-related actions of the Navy through the initial period of American military aid to the British and French and the first five years that followed the French-Viet Minh War. Among the topic treated are the little-known American role in transporting Nationalist Chinese troops from Haiphong back to China in 1945, American military aid to the French prior to 1954, evacuation of Vietnamese civilians from the north at the end of that year - including the role of Lieutenant (jg) Doctor Thomas A. Dooley - and the training and equipping of the navy of the Republic of Vietnam up through 1959. In addition to the operational details, "The Setting of the Stage to 1959" also documents the administrative and diplomatic background, including the effects of the creation and implementation of the new U.S. Department of Defense and the behind-the-scenes discussion of possible American intervention to assist the French on the eve of their defeat. Students of the roots of American involvement in Indochina and naval historians will find The Setting of the Stage to 1959 a valuable resource in deciphering the tangled and prolonged American presence in Southeast Asia. Originally published in 1976 by the Naval History Division, United States Department of the Navy. 436 pages. maps. ill.

In Class of '67, former Marine lieutenant Jack Wells delivers a moving and fitting eulogy to the forty-three lieutenants who were in Marine Officers Basic Class 6-67, and who died in Vietnam. Another classmate died years later in Lebanon. As the war escalated, the number of Marine officers sent into battle increased dramatically. The highest eschelon of Marine commanders were greatly concerned about the high casualties, but with the war raging, and with Marines never backing away from a fight, or trying to protect their men, the casualties continued to climb. This book is a memorial to those men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their men and country. As Wells introduces each of the forty-four, readers will be moved by the enormity of loss: loss of youth, loss of leadership, loss of the best...and the brightest. Whether we support a war or march against it, nothing diminishes the significance of what each man sacrificed for country and family. Over 160 color and b&w photos, plus 14 maps in the book.

This is a narrative drawn from the era of the Southeast Asian conflict, detailing a unique event in that lengthy struggle called Linebacker II. For the first time in contemporary warfare, heavy jet bombers were employed for their designed role to conduct extended strategic operations against the warmaking capacity of a hostile nation. This monograph tells part of the story of Strategic Air Command's participation in Linebacker II. In doing so it addressed the efforts of a complex mixture of Air Force and sister service operations, with all service working in concern towards a common goal. Rather than develop a complete chronology or blow-by-blow account, which are matters of record in other works, the campaign is pursued more form the personal perspective. Office of Air Force History. United States Air Force.

A secret mission sends the author to Vietnam's Mekong Delta, the bread basket of old Indo - China. He uncovers a sophisticated enemy supply network unknown to our military hierarchy.

Using intelligence data covertly gathered in Cambodia and analyzed at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington, Virginia they discover and destroy Vietcong forces and interdict VC supply lines with a mixture of intrigue and romance.

A U. S. Naval story never told, complete with declassified maps from the Office of Naval Intelligence, and illuminating pictures of Saigon and archaic areas of the Delta taken by the author forty - six years ago, a depiction of "old Saigon" and real relationships between North and South Vietnam are related.

Headquartered in Saigon, the true interaction between our Navy and Army ( MACV ) brass couched in the background of wartime Saigon, often referred to as the "Paris of the Orient," and Washington, D. C. is insightfully told.

"Fight of the Phoenix" is a historical personal account of duties as an Advisor in the Delta of Vietnam in 1972. The author counters claims of other Advisors and Academics and sets the record straight on the vicious nature of the Communist insurgency that killed their own people and the spectacular success of the Phoenix Program throughout the country and especially in the Delta Region MR-4 in targeting and neutralizing the enemy Viet Cong insurgents.

Horn, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who also suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), draws attention to the subject in a text free of technical terms.

A small team from the US Navy arrives in Vietnam in the spring of 1962. At first, its members only hear whispers about what they are supposed to accomplish. The unit goes by the name MTT 10-62 because its mission is so secret. This is the first Sea, Air and Land team-later known as the SEALs-and it's gearing up to train a group of volunteers from the Vietnamese Junk Force in counterinsurgency and maritime warfare. Told mostly through the perspective of Chris "Doc" David-a first class hospital corpsman, first class diver, and diving medical technician-and Lt. Bill Evans, "SEAL Doc" shows how the first SEALs work in conjunction with Army Special Forces and others to stop the spread of communism. While the SEALs are outstanding fighters and tacticians, they get little material support to accomplish their mission. The team arrives in Da Nang with nothing but stateside uniforms, and their vehicles and gasoline must be "liberated" from Vietnamese motor pools. Meanwhile, the daily challenges the SEALs face are preparing them for a final explosive mission and setting the stage for the future development of Navy SEALs in "SEAL Doc, " a historical novel based on the true story of the SEALs.

Death is often welcome for soldiers who returned from Vietnam because it appears to be the only means of peace within. Knowing that each day could, and in all probability, will be his last, the soldier's thought process becomes distorted and his animalistic instincts take over and allow for total abandonment of inhibitions. These soldiers answered the nation's call and they paid the price for the freedoms we as a nation hold dear. They are also the ones who continue to pay the price for the combat experience and that part of us that died in country. These men suffer from PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and this is their story. About the Author: Col. Chuck Sanders grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and now resides in Kurtistown, Hawaii, with his wife, Maraia, and his son, Troy, where he is working on his next book. Welcome Home Vietnam is about Sanders' life and service in Vietnam and his career in the Marines. Publisher's Website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/WelcomeHomeVietnam.html

Unsinkable Sailors: The fall and rise of the crews of the USS Frank E. Evans, is a non-fiction book to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the June 3, 1969 sinking of the USS Frank E. Evans, written by Lakewood, Colorado author Paul Sherbo. Using official documents and survivor interviews the author has compiled in book form the first comprehensive American version of the tragic 1969 collision at sea in which the USS Frank E. Evans (DD-745), a United States Navy destroyer, was struck by the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. The author describes in detail the actions leading up to, during and after the catastrophic incident as told by survivors and witnesses from both ships involved. Operating as part of a combined force with the Royal Australian Navy and other allied naval ships, the Evans executed a starboard turn into the path of Melbourne at 0315 a.m. on June 3, 1969 and was cut in half by the heavier and larger war ship. Evans' broken off bow section sank almost immediately taking 73 unfortunate crewmembers with it. Only one body was recovered in the aftermath of the collision, bringing the total lost to 74. Out of the 273 crewmembers on board, 199 survived. Five crewmembers assigned to the Evans were not aboard at the time of the collision. The stern section, although severely damaged, remained afloat. Throughout the book, the courage and heroic spirit of both ships' crews add a genuine admiration for their bravery despite their confusion in the sudden turn of events.

Originally published in 1998 by the U.S. Army Center of Military History "Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive" chronicles the onset of offensive operations by the U.S. Army after eighteen months of building up a credible force on the ground in South Vietnam and taking the first steps toward bringing the war to the enemy. The compelling story by George L. MacGarrigle begins in October 1966, when General William C. Westmoreland believed that he had the arms and men to take the initiative from the enemy and that significant progress would be made on all fronts over the next twelve months. Aware of American intentions, North Vietnam undertook a prolonged war of attrition and stepped up the infiltration of its own troops into the South. While the insurgency in the South remained the cornerstone of Communist strategy, it was increasingly overshadowed by main-force military operations. These circumstances, according to MacGarrigle, set the stage for intensified combat. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong units retained the advantage, fighting only when it suited their purposes and retreating with impunity into inviolate sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia. With Westmoreland feeling hamstrung by political constraints on his ability to wage war in the vast hostile areas along the border, 1967 ended with a growing uncertainty in the struggle to secure the countryside. Relying on official American and enemy primary sources, MacGarrigle has crafted a well-balanced account of this year of intense combat. His volume is a tribute to those who sacrificed so much in a long and irresolute conflict, and soldiers engaged in military operations that place great demands on their initiative, skill, and devotion will find its thought-provoking lessons worthy of reflection.

A rear view mirror look at the war in viet Nam with conclusions by the aothor and testimony by men who fought there.

Possibly there is nothing more conducive to thoughts of the Eternal, than having one's face slammed into red, wet muck, with explosions so close your body arcs and bounces off the ground, hot shards burn in your flesh, and concussions are bright flashes of dirty fire beating a tattoo on the light receptors in the backs of your eyes. Your head aches; throbbing from visual shock waves.

Time has come to an end; there is no right, no wrong, only whatever follows a life that is now over. The dark reaper is here. What's it going to be like on the other side? Is there an "other side"?

The old timers use the maxim, "There are no atheists in a fox-hole." Possibly so; I can only give my own experience, and I never had the opportunity to be in one. Combat aviators crash and sometimes burn instead. But close calls almost always give rise to interminable questions; especially when the survived experience is seared into the human psyche.

For some, satisfactory answers never seem to come. For myself, may I pro-offer both scorching experience, and incredible life-lessons learned? Then, should you ever fall into similar adventure; you man go into it better prepared than I was.
JWV

United States Army in Vietnam. Center of Military History publication number 91-14-1. Covers how the engineers grew from a few advisory detachments to a force of more than 10 percent of the Army troops serving in South Vietnam. The 35th Engineer Group began arriving in large numbers in June 1965 to begin transforming Cam Ranh Bay into a major port, airfield, and depot complex. Within a few years, the Army engineers had expanded to a command, two brigades, six groups, twenty-eight construction and combat battalions, and many smaller units. Photos. Maps. Illustrations.

CMH Pub 91-6-1. United States Army in Vietnam. Covers the United States buildup in Vietnam from every angle: strategy, operations, tactics, logistics, inter-service relations, personnel policy, diplomacy, civil relations, and the handling of the news media to show how the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) developed and became the linchpin holding the entire American effort in Vietnam together. First published in 2006. Illustrated.