A Tour in Chuong Thien Province

In the summer of 1969, as the Vietnam War was being turned over to the South Vietnamese, Lieutenant John Raschke arrived in Chuong Thien Province deep in the Mekong Delta, eager to have a positive impact. Recounting his assignment to a provincial advisory team of military and civilian personnel, this memoir depicts the ordinary and the extraordinary of life both inside and outside the wire—mortar attacks, firefights and snipers, hot showers, good meals and comradery, the life and death struggles of the Vietnamese people and the bonds he formed with them.

John S. Raschke, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.) lives in Springfield, Illinois.

John S. Raschke, Colonel US Army Retired
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 246
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8908-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4681-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 3
Chapter  1. Getting Ready 5
Chapter   2. On My Way 13
Chapter     3. A Place Called Vi Thanh 19
Chapter    4. New Guy with 362 and a Wake-up 31
Chapter     5. Men Like Me in Jungle Fatigues 36
Chapter   6. Fumbling Around in the Dark 43
Chapter      7. Slogging Around in the Rice Paddies 48
Chapter     8. The First Weekend in September 55
Chapter     9. Routine, Money, and Morale 68
Chapter 10. Mostly Blowing Stuff Up 84
Chapter   11. Soldiers, Units, and Friends 95
Chapter 12. Command and Control (C&C) and Radios 103
Chapter 13. Holidays 1969 106
Chapter 14. An, Saigon, and Shopping 109
Chapter 15. The Dry Season 114
Chapter 16. Grenades and Airplanes 117
Chapter 17. Tet and Rest and Relaxation 123
Chapter 18. Pride, Volunteering, and Annoyances 127
Chapter 19. Food and Customs 135
Chapter 20. Night Flight into Sickness 140
Chapter 21. Something Funny or Frustrating Just Happened 146
Chapter 22. Getting Close 152
Chapter 23. The End and a Beginning 158
Epilogue 165
Those in This Book 177
Glossary 185
Chapter Notes 207
Works Cited 225
Index 229