Bøker av Rick St John

A war that defined a generation. A band of paratroopers that defied the odds. A bond that couldn't be broken. In the bloodiest year (1968) of a decade long war, a company called "Tiger Bravo" fought across the battlefields of Vietnam, as part of an elite Strike Force nicknamed the "Wandering Warriors." By the time the last chopper departed, Tiger Bravo had amassed a staggering 150 Purple Hearts and mourned the loss of 30 brothers in arms. In Tiger Bravo's War, you'll discover the trials and tribulations of life in the combat zone from soldiers' letters and the personal stories of survivors. You'll learn what it was like to trudge through the dark heart of the jungle, take to the streets in the Tet Offensive, launch a daring rescue mission, and dodge booby-traps deep within enemy territory. Through unbearable hardships, gut wrenching losses and rare moments of joy and laughter, you'll watch as a company of America's youth transforms itself from a collection of total strangers in civilian life to an elite unit of highly trained paratroopers and, as their Vietnam odyssey unfolds, to battle-hardened, war-weary veterans willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their brothers. In St John's compelling memoir, you'll discover: - An episodic narrative taking the reader on a journey with Tiger Bravo, from stateside training through its first year of combat. - Light-hearted antics between missions, featuring rock n' roll in the mess hall and drunken hijinks. - Personal stories from surviving veterans, including a west Texas oilfields high school dropout, a medic abandoned by his mother, and the son of a World War II Japanese fighter pilot turned Silver Star recipient.- A glimpse of the lasting impact of the war, including failed marriages, alcoholism, and PTSD.- In-depth research, including interviews from more than 20 veterans, battlefield journals and letters, seven hundred plus primary source footnotes and much, much more!

Tiger Bravo's War follows a band of young paratroopers, from the same battalion in the elite 101st Airborne Division as portrayed in Stephen Ambrose's World War II best seller Band of Brothers, during their first year of combat in the Vietnam War - from a bayonet charge in a legendary VC stronghold and street fighting during the 1968 Tet Offensive, to a rescue mission of a surrounded platoon and rock & roll in the company mess hall, and much more. Thirty of their number would be killed in action and, collectively, they would amass a staggering 150 Purple Hearts. It is also about everyday life in a war zone and the strange, often harsh, sometimes beautiful, tropical environment in which the war was fought. Lastly, it is a soldier's tale of the young men of Tiger Bravo - the son a a World War II Japanese fighter pilot, who wins the Silver Star fighting as an American infantryman; the tough kid from rural Texas, who leaves a safe job cleaning astronaut offices in Houston to volunteer to be a paratrooper; the medic, abandoned by his mother, who would find in Tiger Bravo the family he never had, and many others, each with their own unique story.