A Tour in Chuong Thien Province: A U.S. Army Lieutenant with MACV Advisory Team 73 in the Mekong Delta, 1969-1970

by John S. Raschke , Colonel US Army Retired

Overview

In the summer of 1969, as the Vietnam War was being turned over to the South Vietnamese, Lieutenant John Raschke arrived in Chuong Thien Province deep in the Mekong Delta, eager to have a positive impact. Recounting his assignment to a provincial advisory team of military and civilian personnel, this memoir depicts the ordinary and the extraordinary of life both inside and outside the wire—mortar attacks, firefights and snipers, hot showers, good meals and comradery, the life and death struggles of the Vietnamese people and the bonds he formed with them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476689081
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	10/17/2022
Pages:	246
Sales rank:	1,028,905
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John S. Raschke, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.) lives in Springfield, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

Introduction 3

Chapter 1 Getting Ready 5

Chapter 2 On My Way 13

Chapter 3 A Place Called Vi Thanh 19

Chapter 4 New Guy with 362 and a Wake-up 31

Chapter 5 Men Like Me in Jungle Fatigues 36

Chapter 6 Fumbling Around in the Dark 43

Chapter 7 Slogging Around in the Rice Paddies 48

Chapter 8 The First Weekend in September 55

Chapter 9 Routine, Money, and Morale 68

Chapter 10 Mostly Blowing Stuff Up 84

Chapter 11 Soldiers, Units, and Friends 95

Chapter 12 Command and Control (C&C) and Radios 103

Chapter 13 Holidays 1969 106

Chapter 14 An, Saigon, and Shopping 109

Chapter 15 The Dry Season 114

Chapter 16 Grenades and Airplanes 117

Chapter 17 Tet and Rest and Relaxation 123

Chapter 18 Pride, Volunteering, and Annoyances 127

Chapter 19 Food and Customs 135

Chapter 20 Night Flight into Sickness 140

Chapter 21 Something Funny or Frustrating Just Happened 146

Chapter 22 Getting Close 152

Chapter 23 The End and a Beginning 158

Epilogue 165

Those in This Book 177

Glossary 185

Chapter Notes 207

Works Cited 225

Index 229