My dad served in Vietnam in 1967 in the 1/16th Infantry. Every year on June 17, he would be in a sullen mood. He didn't talk much about it, but over the years, I learned that a number of his good friends were killed or wounded that day in 1967 when a large VC force ambushed their regiment and the 2/28th as they were securing a new landing zone. From what I could gather from my dad, his company was furthest from the front of the onslaught, but several of his friends bore the brunt of it, and were killed in a chaotic and brutal battle in which a number of their unprepared positions were overrun. I know my dad carried a lot of guilt because he felt helpless hearing his friends screaming and dying over the radio and he wasn't up with them to help. I know that he had to pick up their bodies and body parts when the battle was over. Years ago, my dad's cousin shared an award of commendation letter, saying that my dad exposed myself to fire to bring ammo to support positions, and to drag the wounded away. Years before, I recall some mention of this, but my dad said it was BS. I don't know the truth. A year or two before my father died in 2009, he was visited by a friend from his company that was in the thick of it, and according to my mom, he explained to my dad that there wasn't any possible way that he could have helped them. My mom said that this removed decades of guilt from my father, and I do hope it did that for him. A couple of weeks ago, I was searching about the battle, and found this book, published in 2016. The names of my dad's dead friends were on the cover. I read it in a few days. My dad isn't mentioned in the book, but accounts of some of the fights his friends died in are. I now have a better understanding of that day, and the situation that my father and his friends were in. I also have a better idea of where my father was positioned during the battle, and how it played out from his perspective. Specific mortar attacks at the end of the battle are described almost exactly as my dad related them to me. I really wish he were alive to read this book with me. I also found a page dedicated to his platoon. My dad is second from the left. I'll probably contact David Hearne. I'm grateful for his book.
