Ed Sherwood - Courage Under Fire: The 101st Airborne’s Hidden Battle at Tam Ky

Reviews for Courage Under Fire

The National Infantry Association proudly recommends adding this book to your leadership reading list . Undaunted personal courage, the never quit attitude that enabled young soldiers to overcome miserable conditions, giving everything for their familytheir team in combat, and charging into hell are the focus of Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Ed Sherwoods new book, Courage Under Fire: the 101st Airbornes Hidden Battle at Tam Ky. Ed relives the close combat fighting of Delta Company, 1-501st from a junior officer perspective. He tells the unknown story of the decisive battle of Operation Lamar Plain . Through photos, eyewitness accounts, date-time-grid location accuracy, he reveals the heroics and valor of those wounded and killed. It is a memorable tribute to those that fought there . We know that this is a book about infantrymen, for infantrymen, by an infantryman! (Ret) Robert E. Choppa, President of the National Infantry Association

If I could choose one book about infantry fighting in Vietnam to recommend to others, Sherwoods Courage Under Fire: the 101st Airbornes Hidden Battle at Tam Ky , would be it. (Ret) David Gibson, former Charlie Company commander, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry (Geronimo), 101st Airborne Division in 1969 at Tam Ky

Courage Under Fire tells the untold story of the grunts of Delta Company, 1-501st infantry. In May 1969, as Operation Lamar Plain began at Tam Ky, the 1-501st was the tip of the spear of the 101st Airborne Divisions powerful new airmobile capability. Ed Sherwood, a former Delta Company platoon leader, writes as one who knows the ethos of the brotherhood of the close fight. He clearly captures the bravery and tenacity of the men who defeated a determined enemy. It is well time their story is told.Dr John OBrien, historian, Army Center of Military, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

A fine bit of hidden history about the 101st Airbornes Battle at Tam Ky. I recommend it highly!Joe Galloway, co-author with Hal Moore, We Were Soldiers Once and Young , and co-author with Marvin J. Wolf, They Were Soldiers

With Courage Under Fire , Ed Sherwood fills in a long-missing chapter in the history of the Vietnam War: the 28 days of bloody fighting near Tam Ky in May 1969 that came in the immediate wake of Hamburger Hill. The Nixon administration, fearful of adding fuel to the anti-war fires raging in the United States, managed to keep Tam Ky out of the headlines back home. But now, some 50 years later, Sherwood brings us a blow-by-blow account of this decisive and largely unknown battle.Bill Hogan, editor, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History

We are forever grateful Courage Under Fire captures what Dad and his fellow soldiers endured during the battle at Tam Ky. Because Dad was in Vietnam before we were born, the book is priceless in telling stories he and others kept quiet for so long. Dad was passionate about the book. As his close friendship developed with Ed Sherwood, the author and his former platoon leader, he began to open up. Like a storyteller, Dad shared his memories of the war he did not want forgotten after he was gone. We are glad he and Ed were so close during the three years before he died.Jen, Jamie and Will, adult children of deceased, former Jim Littleton, 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 1-501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division

As one of Sherwoods guys in Vietnam at Tam Ky, without a doubt, this book gives me closure and a peace that I have been wrestling with for over 50 years.John Meade, disabled veteran, rifleman, former member 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 1-501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division

Courage Under Fire is a story that should have been told in 1969 but was not for a variety of political and military reasons. The brave soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and other Vietnam veterans had a profound impact on my own military career that spanned from 19701996. The Vietnam War changed the way the American people look at war, media, and politics. The Vietnam War changed the military for the better. Courage Under Fire tells the story of the courage and bravery of the Vietnam soldier in a compelling fashion fit for audiences of all generations; As a retired Army Infantry officer, retired US history teacher, and a proudly still serving veteran, I highly recommend Courage Under Fire . (Ret) Dale Barnett, former National Commander, The American Legion 201516

As a former 101st Airborne platoon leader in 1969 with the 2-502nd Infantry battalion in Vietnam and a 101st battalion commander of the 1/327th (19861988), I am impressed that Courage Under Fire is a true account of the sacrifices, values, and determination of the brave soldiers who fought with distinction at Tam Ky. Sherwood gives careful attention to battle details using historical combat records and personal soldier accounts. His book is highly readable and an appealing testament to the courage of all Vietnam combat veterans. It should be read by todays young officers and non-commissioned officers serving or those preparing to serve.COL (Ret) John S. Haluski, US Army

Courage Under Fire is the most solid book written thus far about a ground combat unit in the Vietnam War. Colonel Sherwoods research and documentation is the best I have seen concerning that era of our history. It is not a beach or airport novel. It is written for the serious reader who is seeking knowledge about how that war was fought at the platoon and squad level by the most dedicated of our soldiers. The men that fought on the ground against a determined enemy at Hill 376 are depicted as they really were, resolute and determined, not boastful or flashy. Sherwood has resisted telling the story with bravado and flair just to sell a book. Rather, he depicts the battle and the men in that unit with the gritty reality of the day, facing uncertainty with discipline and unity. For the Infantry veteran of Vietnam, Sherwood will bring back to you dozens of facts that you have forgotten or chosen to forget, from the weight of radio batteries to the length of helicopter rotor blades to the heat and the dust. He captures the details. If you are a genuine military historian, he provides you with actual coordinates and locations that can be precisely traced and followed, casualties by each day and much more. This is a book that should be well placed in our National Archives, The National Infantry Museum, and in the historical files of the 101st Airborne. A must read for aspiring ground combat leaders.COL (Ret) Walter Chrietzberg led two platoons and commanded an infantry company during Vietnam in the 101st Airborne from 19691970. He later commanded three Special Mission Unites (SMUs) and the Special Warfare Training Group (ABN), Ft Bragg, North Carolina

Courage Under Fire tells how grunts fought for each other in a time most Americans do not remember or want to forget. The sacrifices of our young soldiers must be told. Sherwood tells how they controlled fear and accomplished their missions. Through their eyewitness accounts, Delta Company soldiers bring this story alive. Being a wounded Vietnam grunt myself, I can verify Sherwoods details of the harsh conditions in which they lived, fought, and died. This is the perfect story to honor the Vietnam service of so many.Command Sergeant Major (Ret) Robert G. Nichols, former of 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 19901994; Executive Director, Fort Campbell Historical Foundation

COURAGE UNDER FIRE