The Twins Platoon: An Epic Story of Young Marines at War in VietnamIn the evening of June 28, 1967, 150 young Americans were sworn into the Marine Corps as part of the pre-game ceremonies of a Minnesota Twins baseball game. Before the end of the fourth inning these volunteers were being hustled on to buses, on their way to boot camp. It was a journey that would take them from a boyhood of baseball in the American heartland to manhood on the killing fields of Vietnam. Christy Sauro was one of the Twins Platoon, and in this book he tells what it was like-from the pomp and ceremony of induction to the all-too-real initiation by fire that would shortly follow: in mere months, he and most of the Twins Platoon were on the ground in Vietnam and promptly faced with some of the toughest fighting of the war, the Siege of Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive, including the brutal Battle for Hue. From baseball to boot camp to brutal combat, his is a firsthand story of American life being lived at the limits-and changed forever. |
Contents
The Minnesota Twins Platoon | 16 |
The Ceremony | 24 |
The Day from Hell | 26 |
Inside Marine Boot Camp | 36 |
Whats T1? | 50 |
Esprit De Corps | 59 |
Graduation Day | 69 |
Advanced Training | 74 |
The Sapper of Attack of April 1968 | 159 |
Camp Evans | 165 |
The Battle of Dai Do | 169 |
Operation Mameluke Thrust | 186 |
Happy Valley | 203 |
Night Patrol | 215 |
The Mule of Thua Thien Province | 218 |
Operation Pipestone Canyon | 228 |
VIETNAM TET 1968 | 85 |
The Cua Viet | 86 |
Attack on Khe Sanh | 93 |
Dear Mr President | 107 |
Attack on Da Nang | 115 |
The Battle of Hue City | 128 |
Defense of Khe Sanh | 142 |
Lam Xuan East | 154 |
AFTER VIETNAM | 235 |
PostTraumatic Stress Disorder | 236 |
Anguish | 251 |
One Nation under God | 263 |
Tears of Blood | 274 |
Bibliography | 285 |
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The Twins Platoon: An Epic Story of Young Marines at War in Vietnam Christy W. Sauro Limited preview - 2010 |
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aboard American amtrac attack Baby-san Bain Baltes base Battalion battle boot camp brother Bruce Buske Candi casualties chopper combat commander corpsman Cusick Cynthia Da Nang dead Diane drill instructors Eileen enemy soldiers eyes fellow Marines fighting fire front Gates going Goodman ground hand happened head hear helicopter Hill Holzinger Hue City inside Jones Kenny Khe Sanh killed knew landing Larry letter Lieutenant looked mama-san medevac military Minnesota Twins Platoon Morgan horse mortar Mulvihill Nang never night North Vietnamese Paulseth Phu Bai Private Rademacher recruits returned rifle river rockets sailor sappers Sather Sauro asked Schryver Seldon Sergeant Jenkins Sergeant Lewis Sergeant Taylor shot Skip's someone South Vietnam squadron started stop tank tell things thought told took U.S. Marine Corps unit Vietnam veterans Vietnam War walked wanted weeks wounded yelled
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Page 8 - For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty...