Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969

by Phil Ball

Overview

The author arrived at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego ill-prepared for the training and abuse that awaited him in boot camp. At the time, he would have done anything to escape; only upon reflection years later did he realize that the self-confidence instilled in him by his drill instructors had probably saved his life in Vietnam. A few months after boot camp, Private Ball was shipped out to Vietnam, joining F Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, near Khe Sanh. As a grunt, in the vernacular of the Corps, Ball, like the other youths of F Company, did a difficult and deadly job in such places as the A Shau Valley, Leatherneck Square, the DMZ and other obscure but critical I Corps locales. His—their—fear of death mingled with homesickness. Little did they realize that the horrors of the Vietnam War—horrors that while in-country they often claimed did not even exist—would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786472772
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	11/19/2012
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	836,681
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

After serving in the Marines, the late Phil Ball worked as a marine mechanic in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Enlishment 5

Chapter 2 Welcome to Vietnam 11

Chapter 3 The Bush 19

Chapter 4 First LP and Patrol 32

Chapter 5 Gunny Franks 43

Chapter 6 Foxtrot Ridge 51

Chapter 7 It Hits the Fan 61

Chapter 8 The Battle Continues 83

Chapter 9 Leatherneck Square 100

Chapter 10 Hot LZ, Friendly Fire 113

Chapter 11 Malaria, Cam Lo River Basin 125

Chapter 12 Mutter's Ridge 135

Chapter 13 Mai Loc, Tokyo, Da Nang, Mai Loc 144

Chapter 14 Ashau Valley, Sleepwalking 174

Chapter 15 The World (Epilogue) 188

Appendix A Marine Corps Field Interview on the Events at Foxtrot Ridge 199

Appendix B Awards, KIA, and Other Statistics of Foxtrot Ridge 207

F 2/3 Roster - May 1968, Foxtrot Ridge 209

Military History of Phil Ball 211

Index 213

Editorial Reviews

reveals the face of war as viewed by the rifleman on the sharp end...a finely crafted and emotionally charged portrait of combat and the young men caught up in it, this narrative will certainly find an admiring audience...recommended.”—Library Journal

“Ball takes the reader from his first days as a brand-new recruit in San Diego, through boot camp at Pendleton, to shipping out to Vietnam. Then he covers his tour in-country, and follows that with heartfelt chapter on his return to civilian life. In a conversational style—leavened with some well-remembered (or well-reconstructed) dialogue—he tells his war and post-war stories. The book reads well, with appropriate military and battlefield jargon that doesn’t weigh down the narrative”—The VVA Veteran

“Ball’s honesty is the key to the general excellence of his story...this is not just another book about Vietnam...heart-wrenching”—Cincinnati Enquirer

“highly readable...Ball’s no-nonsense approach, coupled with a clean, fast-paced writing style paints a clear picture of the harrowing year [the author] spent in-country as a private first-class with Fox Company”—Ohioana Quarterly

“Ball, like the other youths of F Company, did a very difficult and deadly job...fear of death mingled with homesickness...little did they realize that the horrors of the Vietnam war would haunt them the rest of their lives...[an] unforgettable story.”—Midwest Book Review

detailed descriptions of 13 months of bloody Marine combat experiences...millions of readers will understand and many will identify with the author.”—Cellar Arrivals (Cellar Book Shop); “provides a detailed account of what combat was like.”— Reference & Research Book News.

From the Publisher

Ball was a typical Midwestern teenager in 1967 when he volunteered for the U.S. Marine Corps. His young adult days were quickly transformed from peacetime tranquility to the unending stress of Marine boot camp, infantry combat in Vietnam (ten combat operations and one Purple Heart), and the long and difficult struggle with posttraumatic stress syndrome as he began to readjust to civilian life. Ball's memoir reveals the face of war as viewed by the rifleman on the sharp end. A finely crafted and emotionally charged portrait of combat and the young men caught up in it, this narrative will certainly find an admiring audience. Recommended for public and academic libraries.--John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, NY

Library Journal

this is not just another book about Vietnam. ...heart-wrenching

The Cincinnati Enquirer

highly readable. ...paints a clear picture of the harrowing year [the author] spent 'incountry' as a private first-class with Fox Company

Ohioana Quarterly