"The story of the young men of ""Never Quit"" Delta Company at the bloody but forgotten battle of Tam Ky, Vietnam, in 1969.
The battle of Tam Ky, fought in May 1969, has long been overshadowed by the better-known battle of Hamburger Hill. Whilst the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division was fighting at Hamburger Hill, sparking protests due to the high casualty rates despite victory, the 1st Brigade was fighting a more intense battle 100 miles to the south at Tam Ky. Officially named Operation Lamar Plain, veterans of the fight remember it as the battle of Tam Ky. Thirty days of bitter fighting at Tam Ky resulted in a victory, but the battle's casualties were even higher than those at Hamburger Hill. Nixon's announcement on May 14 that the US would no longer seek a military solution to the Vietnam War had been directly contradicted by the large battle and high casualties at Hamburger Hill, leading to new demands to immediately end the war. The cost of the victory at Lamar Plain, following close on Hamburger Hill, was, therefore, kept from the media, the US Congress, war protesters, and the American people until well after the war ended, with the result that the battle has remained little known. Courage Under Fire is the gripping story of the courage of the young infantrymen who fought at Tam Ky, supported by a cast of artillerymen, aviators, medics, and logistics specialists. This first-hand battle account focuses on the young soldiers of ""Never Quit"" Delta Company, 1st Battalion 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment (Geronimo) and its sister companies. They lived up to their motto through 28 days of continuous combat without a break at Tam Ky, facing a brutal baptism of fire against the well-trained soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army.
AUTHOR: Ed Sherwood completed over 20 years in US Army as an infantry officer, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel due to Agent Orange-related respiratory issues. He had combat experience as a Ranger and Airborne lieutenant as infantry platoon leader in Delta Company, 1-501st Infantry in Vietnam. He was wounded in action at Tam Ky on 2 June 1969. He had multiple assignments with the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning and led the Doctrinal Literature Division responsible for approximately 20 infantry publications. He wrote numerous infantry historical and future concepts papers for the Infantry School and is the principal author for a rewrite of FM 7-20, The Infantry Battalion after the Vietnam War."
By:
Ed Sherwood
Imprint: Casemate Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 228mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781612009643
ISBN 10: 1612009646
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 28 July 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified
Foreword The Infantryman’s Creed Preface Acknowledgements Prologue Introduction: Into the Fray Part 1 Combat Operations Before Tam Ky, 1 March–15 May 1969 Chapter 1 Hue and Beyond, 1 March–11 April Chapter 2 The A Shau Valley, 12 April–15 May Part 2 Initial Combat Operations at Tam Ky, 15 May–2 June 1969 Chapter 3 Arrival and First Combat Assault, 15–16 May Chapter 4 Finding the Enemy, 17–20 May Chapter 5 A Brutal Day-Long Engagement, 21 May Chapter 6 Recovery and Review, 21–22 May Chapter 7 Follow-on Operations, 23–30 May Chapter 8 A Broken Cease Fire, 31 May Chapter 9 Change of Command, 1–2 June Part 3 The Decisive Battle at Tam Ky, 3–12 June 1969 Chapter 10 Hill 376: The Final Challenge Chapter 11 Combat Assault and First Contact, 3–4 June Chapter 12 Trouble on the Hill, 5 June Chapter 13 The Move to the Top, 6 June Chapter 14 Nearing the Top, 7 June Chapter 15 Unexpected Setbacks, 8 June Chapter 16 Turning Point, 9 June Chapter 17 Aftermath, 10 June Chapter 18 Coming Off the Hill, 11 June Chapter 19 Extraction, 12 June Chapter 20 Final Thoughts on Hill 376 and Tam Ky Epilogue Looking Back Over 50 Years Later Appendix 1 Operation Lamar Plain: A Hidden and Almost Forgotten Battle Appendix 2 The Enemy at Tam Ky Appendix 3 Organization for Combat at Tam Ky Appendix 4 Delta Company Soldiers Appendix 5 Delta Soldiers Killed in Action, 1 March–15 August 1969 Appendix 6 1-501st Medics Killed in Action, 1 March–15 August 1969 Appendix 7 PTSD and Agent Orange Appendix 8 Life After Vietnam Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Bibliography Endnotes Index
Ed Sherwood led an infantry platoon at Tam Ky in Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, fighting with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division He was wounded in action on June 2, 1969. After Vietnam, he continued serving as an infantry officer with multiple assignments in the 3rd Armored Division in Germany, the US Army Infantry School, and the 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning, GA. Ed retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1988 due to medical reasons.
Reviews for Courage Under Fire: The 101st Airborne's Hidden Battle at Tam Ky
A fine bit of hidden history about the 101st Airborne's Battle at Tam Ky. I recommend it highly! --Joe Galloway, co-author with Hal Moore, We Were Soldiers Once and Young, and co-author with Marvin J. Wolf of They Were Soldiers Those who fought, and especially those who died at Tam Ky, were never recognized - - until now! --Richard Kolb, editor and, contributing author of Brutal Battles of Vietnam
