Crucible Vietnam

This is the personal account of an army infantry platoon leader and commanding officer in the central highlands of Vietnam during 1967 and 1968 when he was 21 years old. These were the two bloodiest years of the war, a time when the U.S. army employed search and destroy missions with high casualty rates. The author provides a historical overview and casualty report of the Vietnam War, information about his military and officer training, and his return to civilian life after Vietnam.

A.T. Lawrence is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the Naval War College. He has also served with the Department of Defense in noncombatant evacuation operations during two international conflicts.

A.T. Lawrence

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 255
Bibliographic Info: 6 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4517-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5470-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1

PART I: 1965–1967
1. Welcome to the Army!      5
2. A Brief History of Vietnam      15
3. Advanced Infantry Training and Officer Candidate School      30

PART II: 1967–1968
4. Situation (September 1967)      41
5. The School Solution      64
6. Ambushed in a Rice Paddy      87
7. The Battle of Dak To (October–November 1967)      95
8. From the Perspective of Our Under-Strength Platoons      105
9. The Montagnards      116
10. Tet and the Turn of the Tide      123
11. Back to the Boonies (May–July 1968)      140
12. Last Six Weeks (August–September 1968)      162

PART III: 1968–1970
13. Homecoming (September 1968)      171
14. Stateside Army      178
15. Return to Civilian Life      199

PAT IV: 1970–Present
16. The Journey (1970–Present)      209

Appendix A: Comparison of Vietnam War Casualties to Other American Wars      217
Appendix B: Army Medals      220
Appendix C: Hostile (Combat) and Non-Hostile Deaths in Vietnam      223
Chapter Notes      225
Bibliography      233
Index      239