A Day In Hell On The Dmz

At "zero dark thirty" on January 30, 1971, units of the U.S. Fifth Mechanized Division left their firebases along the DMZ heading west along Provincial Route 9. The mission, called Dewey Canyon II, was to reopen the road from Khe Sahn Air Base to the Laotian border, in support of a South Vietnamese invasion of Laos (doomed from the start) to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Alpha Company of U.S. 61st Infantry performed commendably in keeping Route 9 open, with just one casualty killed by friendly fire. They returned to Firebase Charlie-2 in April, exhausted but hopeful--the Fifth would be leaving Vietnam in July. They patrolled the "western hills" through May as rocket attacks fell each evening. On the 21st, a direct hit on a bunker killed 30 of the 63 men inside--18 were from Alpha Co. This is their story, as told to Specialist Lou Pepi by members of his unit.

The stakes couldn’t be any higher. Stephen Parkes, a former Airborne Ranger and law school graduate, has been charged with a brutal crime. A career prosecutor has made him an offer of thirty years in prison in return for a guilty plea. He has a hanging judge and his own public defender wants him to die in prison. The circumstances have never been more grim! So, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He drops more than eight feet into a noose. His heart stops beating. His lungs stop breathing. But, somehow, Stephen Parkes lives. Fresh off his own gallows, he finds that his problems are only beginning. Parkes is as guilty as sin. The case against him is perfect. Undeterred, Parkes fights back, hoping to be set free. The odds against him are impossible. Set against a background of horrid child abuse, pitiful drug addiction, and brutal crimes, On A Cold Day In Hell provides a scathing indictment of the American judicial system, demonstrates the emptiness of mandatory minimum sentencing, and gives a first-hand look at the consequences of the unthinking cruelty payed out to a minor child at the hands of a Catholic priest. Part jailhouse lawyer, part convict, and all human, Stephen Parkes stands his ground and makes his own case for freedom, which can only be found on a cold day in hell.

In November 1969, what Time Magazine called the “largest battle of the year” took place less than two miles from the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Three companies of Task Force 1-61 met 2,000–3,000 North Vietnamese. American forces fought for two days, inflicting heavy casualties and suffering eight killed. Late on November 12, it became evident that the American position could be overrun. Alpha Company was airlifted in darkness to reinforce a small hill in the jungle. Three hours later, well past midnight, the Americans were attacked by 1,500 NVA. There was a twist: A secret Vietcong document captured near Saigon urged intense action before November 14 in anticipation of the Vietnam War Moratorium Demonstrations set for November 15 in many cities in America. The Vietcong planned to inflict a stunning defeat in “an effort to get the fighting in step with the peace marchers.” The author, a member of Alpha Company who rode in on the last helicopter, offers unique insights into the story of the men who fought those three days in 1969.

A Prisoner of War's tale of triumph, courage, and a spirit that could not be broken. This critical piece of history is a testament to the indomitable American spirit -- Beth W. Vinson brings Nathan Henry's story alive in a way that takes you into the jungle, into his cell, and into his mind as he fought courageously for survival and honor. His story and her presentation are profound, reminding us vividly of those who went before, and sacrificed so much, for all of us -- and our children. -Larry Slade, CAPT, USN (Ret), former POW, Desert Storm To Hell and Beyond is the story of one man who defied all odds to survive and who, through recalling painful memories, will lead the reader step-by-step into the horrors and debilitation suffered by him and all our men while held as POWs during the Vietnam conflict. This book, although based on one man, reveals the pride and determination of all POWs and their struggle to survive the tortures inflicted by the enemy in an effort to break their spirits and turn them against the country that had sent them to the Godforsaken jungles of Vietnam. He, and the other enlisted men who spent time as Prisoners of War, were not known to the general public simply because they weren't highly decorated pilots or thrust into the limelight during Operation Homecoming in 1973. This is a saga about triumph, courage, and patriotism. Follow the story of Nathan B. Henry, as told in vivid detail to author Beth W. Vinson, and tread with our nation's most honorable men on their war-weary journey To Hell and Beyond.

This book is about two complete strangers, Robert Dean Tomlin and Frederick (Butch) Philip (Pitbull) Price, who become the world’s best friends. It tells about the adventures they had while in high school and the trials and tribulations while in the United States Marine Corps. They both went through the madness and heartache of war with battles they fought together while in Vietnam. When ex-girlfriends and wives were easily forgotten. They stay best friends forever, with equal parts irritation and cooperation.

"VIETNAM, a far off place a world away. A country drenched in blood, ours and theirs. Stories in this book wrapped in fiction, about the Marines that fought and sometimes died there. A place where Charlie owned the night, sometimes a ghost in the bush when the sun went down. A foe the Marines learned to respect, Victor Charles. This book is a tribute to all who served in that place they all called NAM."

A Hundred Feet Over Hell is the story of a handful of young pilots taking extraordinary risks to support those on the ground. Flying over Vietnam in two-seater Cessnas, they often made the difference between a soldier returning alive to his family or having the lonely sound of “Taps” played over his grave. Based on extensive interviews, and often in the men’s own words, A Hundred Feet Over Hell puts the reader in the plane as this intrepid band of U.S. Army aviators calls in fire support for the soldiers and marines of I Corps.

The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for over 60 years. Most of that period has found the country suffering under mature Stalinism characterized by manipulation, brutality and tight social control. Nevertheless, some citizens of Kim Jong Il’s regime manage to transcend his tyranny in their daily existence. This book describes that difficult but determined existence and the world that the North Koreans have created for themselves in the face of oppression. Many features of this world are unique and even bizarre. But they have been created by the citizens to reflect their own ideas and values, in sharp contrast to the world forced upon them by a totalitarian system. Opening chapters introduce the political system and the extent to which it permeates citizens’ daily lives, from the personal status badges they wear to the nationalized distribution of the food they eat. Chapters discussing the schools, the economic system, and family life dispel the myth of the workers’ paradise that North Korea attempts to perpetuate. In these chapters the intricacies of daily life in a totalitarian dictatorship are seen through the eyes of defectors whose anecdotes constitute an important portion of the material. The closing chapter treats at length the significant changes that have taken place in North Korea over the last decade, concluding that these changes will lead to the quiet but inevitable death of North Korean Stalinism. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.