In July 1993, I was on a flight to attend the first reunion of Company "E", 50th Infantry (ABN)(LRP)/75th Infantry(RGR) -- the elite Long Range Patrol Company of the 9th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. Sitting next to me was an amiable gentleman who struck up a conversation by asking where I was going. Conditioned by years of experience not to speak to civilians about my wartime service in Vietnam, I was reluctant to tell him the purpose of my trip. He prodded me, and I soon found myself talking excitedly about "E" Company and my old comrades in arms. It had been over 25 years since I commanded the unit. I told him that I had not seen any of my fellow soldiers since then. The antiwar sentiments that emerged from the war had discouraged us from keeping in touch, but finally a few remarkably resourceful troopers planned our first reunion and made it happen. The businessman listened attentively and asked many questions about my experiences; as it turned out, we had a wonderful conversation. When we landed and were about to part ways, he told me earnestly, "Tell the guys at your reunion thanks from a U.S. citizen." I shook his hand warmly and thought to myself how far the nation had come in finally acknowledging the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam.
Our subsequent reunions have been special times of fellowship. We have become a family of old soldiers, bonded with memories of our common experiences in service to our nation. After our latest reunion in July of 2001, Jack DeLaney, one of the gallant warriors of 1967-68 eras, spoke of somehow recording those memories before they faded too dimly into the mist of a lengthening past. Grievously, this highly admired soldier passed away on May 7, 2002; we had just started our history-recording journey. Jack provided the poignant vision for this volume, but it was the men of "E" Company who made the vision a reality. We invited them to contribute to the writing of our history by sharing their wartime stories with us. Many of them accepted despite having to carve out the time from their busy schedules to do so. We discovered that our memories during the past three decades had indeed faded in certain areas. However, the essence of our adventure remains in tact.
How was it that we were so profoundly changed by a war halfway around the globe? The war in Vietnam -- the longest in American history -- was an outgrowth from the Cold War. During this period of tension between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, it was our government's policy to support any nation threatened by Communism. South Vietnam, after its creation in 1954, appeared to be such a nation. It was fighting an insurgency supported by Ho Chi Minh, the Communist leader in North Vietnam whose goal was to unite the two Vietnams through civil war. Americans viewed South Vietnam as a "domino" whose fall would encourage Communist aggression elsewhere in the world. Accordingly, the United States sent military advisers to assist the government of South Vietnam in its struggle against the North. The job was anything but easy. Whereas the government of South Vietnam was weak and corrupt, the North Vietnamese proved far more skilled, dedicated, and resilient than we had expected.
In August 1964, Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution at the prompting of President Lyndon B. Johnson. This resolution invested Johnson with virtually unlimited power to wage War against the Communists in Vietnam. The following year he committed the first of the major forces to fight there. Dismally, there was no clear U.S. strategy for winning from the start. Preoccupied with his "Great Society" agenda at home, Johnson was unwilling to divert the resources -- military, economic, and political -- necessary to wage the war effectively. He deployed follow-on forces to Vietnam piecemeal and in too few numbers to be successful. Moreover, he and his top advisers tried their best to deceive the American public about the prospects for victory. Johnson hoped that the North Vietnamese leaders would be awed into submission by the escalating and destructive effects of American firepower; paradoxically, the Viet Cong and North Vietnam Army responded with determination. The fundamental dissonance of American policy at the highest level had tragic consequences for the men who had to execute it on the battlefield.
Although the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam grew to almost half a million from 1965 through 1967, the overall military Campaign was inconclusive. A major turning point occurred in January 1968 with the onset of the Tet Offensive. Communist insurgents conducted bold attacks against South Vietnamese cities and towns; for a short time, they occupied the grounds of the U.S. embassy in Saigon. The majority of Americans at home were shocked and outraged; they had up to now believed that the War was going well. It did not matter that the Viet Cong ultimately failed in their offensive and suffered enormous losses. American casualties remained high and the public realized the victory in Vietnam was not imminent. With his Vietnam policy in shambles and support for the war crumbling, Johnson decided not to run for reelection.
Richard M. Nixon won the presidential election of 1968. Within a few months, a gradual withdrawal of American troops was ordered. Nixon's "Vietnamization" policy succeeded in reducing the number of U.S. troops, but much hard fighting remained. After an allied invasion of Cambodia to eliminate enemy sanctuaries in April, 1970, antiwar demonstrations in the United States grew increasingly strident. Tensions grew worse following the tragic shooting of student demonstrators at Kent State University in May and the adverse publicity surrounding the convictions in the My Lai court martial early the following year. Even Vietnam veterans like John Kerry, who later became an U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, added their voices to the chorus of dissent. Kerry joined an organization called "Vietnam Veterans Against the War" and testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April 1971 to express the group's opposition. Antiwar protesters vigorously projected their loss of faith in their government, and they directed their frustration and anger increasingly at the military.
The war finally ended for the United States in March 1973, following a cease-fire agreement between the two sides in January. Nonetheless, the civil war in Vietnam continued. For the next two years, the North built up its power in the South in preparation for a final offensive that came in early 1975. A North Vietnamese victory was assured when Congress refused to provide direct military assistance to South Vietnam despite the entreaties of President Gerald Ford. Americans had enough of the war in Vietnam; even the specter of a Communist victory could not change their minds.
For many soldiers who faithfully answered the call to military service, returning home from Vietnam was full of painful and bitter memories. Antiwar radicals vilified them as mindless automatons and evil executors of a corrupt national policy. They labeled veterans as "baby killers" and spit at them as they traveled home in uniform. These insults were tormenting to the men who went to Vietnam intent on doing their duty and expecting the support of their nation. They tucked away the whole experience in the deep compartments of their minds for many years.
The saga of "E" Company began unfolding long before the disappointing outcome of the war could be discerned. On February 1, 1966, the 9th Infantry Division was activated at Fort Riley, Kansas under the command of Major General George S. Eckhardt. The division trained for ten months and then began its deployment to Vietnam in December. While at Fort Riley, Kansas, the Rangers of "E" Company approached their training with a sober diligence born of the knowledge that they soon would test their combat skills in the crucible of war. In both training and combat, they did their duty magnificently. I consider myself blessed and honored to have been associated with them. Their shining examples of courage, competence, and selfless service will forever obliterate in my mind the shadow that the Vietnam War cast on the national psyche. Many of those examples will be evident in the pages that follow.
Together we faced chaotic and near-death situations, but these challenges brought out the best in our spirit. Our shared experiences made us more than just friends and fellow soldiers. Something amazing happened in the process of sharing the unique experience of training, fighting, and facing death together -- we bonded like brothers. Despite the constant adversity, nothing seemed impossible when one had the support of warrior brothers on every side. Thus, it was that the war in Vietnam became a defining experience in the lives of E Company soldiers.
In the past few years I have read with interest about the exploits of the Rangers and special operations units in a variety of conflicts: World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars, Iran hostage rescue mission, Grenada and Panama operations, the Gulf War, Battle for Mogadishu, and the current war in Afghanistan. In reading their stories, I have been drawn to the ethos that is common to all American commandos. They cherish the values of honor, valor, tenacity, teamwork, sacrifice, discipline, loyalty, steadfastness, and selflessness. While they focus on the mission and are oblivious to danger and death during battle, they maintain an incredibly strong commitment to each other. Rangers would not think of leaving a buddy behind -- no one is more important to them than their comrades. In every conflict, they have acquitted themselves well because of their devotion to the mission and to each other. A phenomenon that results from these priorities is the special bonding among the combatants into a unique brotherhood that carries on for a lifetime.
The men of "E" Company can rest assured that they have upheld the proud traditions of their Ranger brothers of other eras. Admittedly there have been times when I viewed with envy the exploits of the Rangers during World War II and other conflicts that the nation enthusiastically supported; it is tempting to wish that we had been born into a different era. However, those choices are not ours to make. We must do our duty the best we can when called.
Our story is not about perfect human beings carrying out our duties without flaw. We made mistakes; we had our weak moments; we made decisions and did things which we wish we could have changed; we lived by the code of 'kill or be killed.' Ours was a lifestyle, which involved a mixture of reckless abandonment, combat proficiency, and teamwork under perilous situations.
Because of the unpopularity of the war, our impulse to renew the bonds of brotherhood laid dormant for over two decades after we returned home from Vietnam. Many Americans wanted to purge the war from their memories, but the Rangers of "E" Company vowed that we would never forget. Our reunions rekindled the spirit of camaraderie; they have become a special time and a place where we can grieve together over the loss of our comrades. During these gatherings, we have been reminded of the role that our families played in giving us strength to endure and the love to console. We and our fallen comrades have been blessed with wives, children, parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews who serve as a community to whom our sacrifices and experiences matter. Combatants in war and combat veterans after the war yearn subconsciously for solidarity.
Reflecting on the American experience in Vietnam, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called it "an appallingly conducted war, an American disaster, self-inflicted, and unnecessary." We are not statesmen; our story is not meant to find answers about why the United States fought in Vietnam. Rather, what we hope to convey to the readers of this book is the message that we were a band of gallant warriors who contributed some of our finest hours for our country. We fought a noble fight with skill and dignity; in the process, we demonstrated our love for America, the American people, and especially the comrades who served along side of us.
That is all the nation can ask of its soldiers.