Summary of Ed Sherwood's Courage Under Fire

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In 1969, Delta Company was conducting combat operations in the southeast outskirts of the city of Hue, the third largest city in South Vietnam. The former capital of Vietnam with its imposing Citadel along the Perfume River was preparing for its annual celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year which began on 23 February.

#2 The Tet Offensive was a major turning point in which the American people’s support for the war took a downward turn. It was a severe political consequence for President Johnson, who was not the only high-level official to go.

#3 At Tet, the beginning of the lunar new year, in late February 1969, the enemy attacks only minor targets and positions around Hue.

#4 The US Army’s infantry mission in combat is to find, close with, and destroy the enemy. However, in the current area of operations, this has been difficult. Since 1969, we have done a lot of looking but not much finding.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822534605

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Insights on Ed Sherwood's Courage Under Fire

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In 1969, Delta Company was conducting combat operations in the southeast outskirts of the city of Hue, the third largest city in South Vietnam. The former capital of Vietnam with its imposing Citadel along the Perfume River was preparing for its annual celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year which began on 23 February.

#2

The Tet Offensive was a major turning point in which the American people’s support for the war took a downward turn. It was a severe political consequence for President Johnson, who was not the only high-level official to go.

#3

At Tet, the beginning of the lunar new year, in late February 1969, the enemy attacks only minor targets and positions around Hue.

#4

The US Army’s infantry mission in combat is to find, close with, and destroy the enemy. However, in the current area of operations, this has been difficult. Since 1969, we have done a lot of looking but not much finding.

#5

The past year, during the infantry officer basic course and my first assignment with the Ranger Training Command, I often heard the refrain, Don’t worry about that lieutenant, when you get to your unit in Vietnam, you will have a grizzled, old platoon sergeant with about 15 years in the Army. He will teach you what you need to know.

#6

SSG Tepner was a veteran, and I was extremely pleased to have him as my platoon sergeant. He was quiet and calm under fire, and his leadership abilities were recognized before he came to Vietnam.

#7

Friendly fire is a serious issue for the infantry. It is hard to take casualties from enemy action, but it is even harder to take them from your own side in combat. There are no accurate statistics of friendly fire incidents for the Vietnam War, but it is believed that the number is in the thousands.

#8

The notification of a bereaved family is a silent harbinger of the bad news they will soon receive. It is given verbatim, word for word to the next of kin, As a representative of the President of the United States, it is with great regret ….

#9

Since 1 March, Delta Company has been participating with the 1-501st Battalion under the command of LTC John Rogers in Operation Massachusetts Striker. The brigade’s mission is to conduct airmobile operations in the southern A Shau Valley to locate and destroy enemy forces, caches, and lines of communications.

#10

The term reconnaissance in force replaced the earlier term search and destroy. By 1969, the latter was officially ended because it conjured up negative images of civilian huts being burned by soldiers with cigarette lighters.

#11

On 5 April, Delta Company makes a combat assault by helicopter at the base of a heavily forested mountain range south of Hue. The going is slow, and the temperature and humidity are