Tail End Charlie

This memoir is a record of what Jensen calls the luckiest and greatest adventure of his life. In the midst of the fighting and with the knowledge that each day could be his last, this young Marine managed to find some humor in his situation and he believes that is what kept him alive.
The story begins with Jensen as a young man in New York in the 1960s, who, following in his brother’s footsteps, decides to join the Marines in hopes of finding himself. Early chapters discuss his experiences in boot camp and his combat training at Camp Lejeune. Subsequent chapters move directly to vivid descriptions of action on the battlefield, Jensen’s time aboard the USS Valley Forge, days spent walking through rice paddies and the resulting foot infections he suffered. On the day he arrived home in New York, a cab driver at the airport charged Jensen double the fare to drive him home. He paid it and returned to a delighted family on March 6, 1970.

The late Ronald John Jensen, a Vietnam veteran, lived in New York.

Ronald John Jensen

Format: softcover (5.5 x 8.5)
Pages: 180
Bibliographic Info: 30 photos, glossary, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1716-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8096-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments 9
Preface 11

I. My Decision 15
II. The 26th Marines 24
III. Hill 55 41
IV. The Fleet Marines 63
V. Route 1 70
VI. The Firebase 94
VII. Hill 190 109
VIII. The Village 129
IX. Nam O Bridge 144
X. Homeward 161

Military History of Ronald John Jensen 173
Glossary 175
Index 179

• “Informative and enjoyable read…gold mine of interesting facts”—Journal of America’s Military Past