Table of Contents
Foreword Ray W. Stubbe 1
Preface 3
Introduction 5
Part 1 In Which I Make Preparations to See the Elephant
1 Transition 8
2 Reconnaissance School 15
3 California to Okinawa 24
Part 2 In Which I Enter the Elephant's Realm
4 In Country: Phu Bai 30
5 Learning My Trade 43
6 Khe Sanh 49
7 Patrol Preparation 56
8 Settling In and Environment 64
9 Lizards and Leeches and Bugs … Oh, My! 69
Part 3 In Which I Can Definitely Smell the Elephant
10 Could'a Been Worse! 82
11 Sergeant of Marines 90
12 A Day in the Life 95
13 Trenches and Bunkers 98
14 Harborsites and a Little Travel 104
15 On Patrol 114
16 A Real Mess 12?
17 Death and a Long Walk 138
18 Fizzies and Nha Trang 147
19 Puff and Hill 950 155
Part 4 In Which the Elephant Takes a Short Vacation
20 A New Company 164
21 Okinawa; Training 168
22 Back In Country; Quang Tri 176
Part 5 In Which I Finally See the Elephant
23 More Patrols and Agent Orange 182
24 Ambush 190
25 China Beach and Malaria 211
Part 6 In Which I Release the Elephant Back Into the Jungle
26 Going Home 222
27 Welcome Back? 228
Part 7 No More Elephants
28 More Malaria 234
29 Duty Done-A New Journey 240
Appendix A After Action Report 245
Appendix B Myth Busters 248
Appendix C How We Lost the War 254
Maps 259
Glossary 265
Chapter Notes 271
Index 275