About this item
Highlights
- As a first lieutenant in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry, Frank Boccia led a platoon in two intense battles in the Vietnamese mountains in April and May 1969: Dong Ngai and the grinding, 11-day battle of Dong Ap Bia--the Mountain of the Crouching Beast, in Vietnamese, or Hamburger Hill as it is popularly known.
- About the Author: The late Frank Boccia lived in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
- 472 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Military
Description
About the Book
As a first lieutenant in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry, Frank Boccia led a platoon in two intense battles in the Vietnamese mountains in April and May 1969: Dong Ngai and the grinding, 11-day battle of Dong Ap Bia--the Mountain of the Crouching Beast, in Vietnamese, or Hamburger Hill as it is popularly known. The Rakkasans, the 3/187th, are the most highly decorated unit in the history of the United States Army, and two of those decorations were awarded for these two battles. This vivid account of the author's first seven months in Vietnam gives special attention to the events at Dong Ap Bia, following the hard-hit 3/187th hour by hour through its repeated assaults on the mountain, against an unseen enemy in an ideal defensive position. It also corrects several errors that have persisted in histories and official reports of the battle.Book Synopsis
As a first lieutenant in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry, Frank Boccia led a platoon in two intense battles in the Vietnamese mountains in April and May 1969: Dong Ngai and the grinding, 11-day battle of Dong Ap Bia--the Mountain of the Crouching Beast, in Vietnamese, or Hamburger Hill as it is popularly known. The Rakkasans, the 3/187th, are the most highly decorated unit in the history of the United States Army, and two of those decorations were awarded for these two battles. This vivid account of the author's first seven months in Vietnam gives special attention to the events at Dong Ap Bia, following the -hard--hit 3/187th hour by hour through its repeated assaults on the mountain, against an unseen enemy in an ideal defensive position. It also corrects several errors that have persisted in histories and official reports of the battle.
Beyond describing his own experiences and reactions, the author writes, "I want to convey the real face of war, both its mindless carnage and its nobility of spirit. Above all, I want to convey what happened to both the casual reader and the military historian and make them aware of the extraordinary spirit of the men of First Platoon, Bravo Company. They were ordinary men doing extraordinary things."
Review Quotes
"story of the 101st Airborne's struggle to capture what became known as Hamburger Hill. Forty chapters of small observations, exact conversations, clear insights, action, consequences, and emotions.... Some have likened what happened there to the carnage of on Iwo Jima. A unique feature of Boccia's book is his uncanny accuracy recreating locations, reconstructed conversations, the weather, the sounds, and personalities of the troopers who slogged up Hamburger Hill.... His short descriptions of the men he served with are both spot-on and finely crafted."-The VVA Veteran; "Boccia shares his experiences and observations as a first lieutenant during his first seven months in the Vietnam War. The author describes the casualty-filled 11-day Hamburger Hill battle vividly, with the intent of portraying his view of war for both general readers and military historians"-Reference & Research Book News.
About the Author
The late Frank Boccia lived in Hendersonville, Tennessee.