A quarter century after the war in Vietnam, that battle cry brought a flag-waving nation to its feet and ignited the superpatriotism of the Gulf War era. But hard as we tried—with yellow ribbons and "We Support Our Troops" bumper stickers and Norman Schwarzkopf videos and Olympics-style homecoming celebrations—we couldn't seem to erase the disturbing memory of Vietnam.
Perhaps forgetting is not the answer. Perhaps the healing process begins with remembering. Painful, clear-headed remembering.
Even those who remember best, the men who fought in Vietnam, aren't anxious to recall their experiences—or recount them to an academician. But in Otto Lehrack they found a sympathetic audience. Lehrack is both a historian and a member of the Third Battalion, Third Marines. He fought alongside the men whose voices he recorded here. Into their accounts, Lehrack has woven a narrative that explains the events they describe and places them into both a historical and a political context.
It's a grunt's-eye view of the Vietnam War that emerges in No Shining Armor—the war as seen by the PFC's, sergeants, and platoon leaders in the rivers and jungles and trenches. It's the story of teenagers leading squads of men into the jungle on night missions, the story of boredom, confusion, and equipment shortages, of friends suddenly blown away, of disappointing homecomings. It's also the story of young men placed under unbearable strain and asked to do the impossible, who somehow stretched to meet the demands placed upon them, and the story of the friendships they forged in combat—friendships deeper than any these men would be able to form later in civilian life.
Otto Lehrack served two tours of duty in Vietnam, the first (1967-68) in the infantry as a captain and Commanding Officer of India Company, Third Battalion, Third Marines and the second (1970-71) in signals intelligence as a major and Operations Officer, First Radio Battalion. He has an M.A. in history from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
Table of Contents
List of Maps and Illustrations Preface Dramatis Personae Prologue: Vietnam Homecoming Part One Countering the Viet Cong: War against Guerrillas, 1965-1966 1. The Beginning: Camp Pendleton, California 2. To Okinawa 3. Protecting the Airfield: Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam 4. A Major Operation 5. The First Big One: Operation STARLITE 6. Operation Golden Fleece 7. The First Move North: Danang 8. Pacification 9. Relocation 10. A Troubled Alliance 11. A Chaplain Goes to War Part Two Fighting the North Vietnamese: War against Professionalis, 1966-1968 12. The Rockpile 13. Winter Action 14. Two New Lieutenants 15. Ripley and His Raiders 16. A Turbulent Easter 17. The First Battle of Khe Sanh 18. Rough Riders on Route Nine 19. Ca Lu 20. Ambush on Route Nine 21. Deja Vu: Ambush on Route Nine, September 1967 22. War along the Barrier 23. Improving the Supply System 24. Christmas as Cam Lo 25. Working with the ARVN 26. Alpha Three 27. Mike Company at Gio Linh 28. Kilo Company Ambush 29. A Sweet Little Ambush 30. Into the DMZ 31. Mike Company Ambush 32. Green Just Like the Rest of Us 33. Payback 34. The Day Martin Luther King, Jr., Was Shot 35. Bloody May 36. Dai Do 37. Brotherhood 38. Beyond Alpha Three 39. Another Marine's Chaplain 40. Unfamiliar Territory Part Three After the Bombing Halt: War with One Hand Tied, 1968-1969 41. The Bombing Halt 42. Operation Taylor Common 43. An Erosion of Discipline 44. School Solution 45. The Beginning of the End: Troop Withdrawals 46. Operation Virginia Ridge 47. The Last Operation 48. Parting Shots Appendix A. Passing in Review Appendix B. Medals of Honor Appendix C. Organization of Marine Infantry Units in Vietnam Glossary Bibliography Index
