1967 Vietnam battles
A01=James P. Coan
Age Group_Uncategorized
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Author_James P. Coan
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battle
biography
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=BM
Category=DNC
Category=HBWS2
Category=JWCD
Category=JWD
Category=JWLF
Category=NHWR9
Con Thien
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
demilitarized zone
DMZ
DMZ conflict
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eq_biography-true-stories
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Format=BB
Format_Hardback
Hill of Angels
Language_English
Leatherneck Square
like shooting fish in a barrel
memoir
North Vietnamese Army
NVA
PA=To order
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
Quang Tri Province
Siege of Con Thien
softlaunch
Southeast Asia
summer 1967
United States Marine Corps
US Army
us military
vietnam
vietnam battle
Vietnam War
Vietnam War historical narrative
war memories
Product details
- ISBN 9780817319991
- Format: Hardback
- Weight: 555g
- Dimensions: 160 x 233mm
- Publication Date: 13 Nov 2018
- Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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A Marine's highly personal memoir reliving the hellish days of a pivotal conflict of the Vietnam War.
Con Thien, located only two miles from the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Vietnam, was a United States Marine Corps firebase that was the scene of fierce combat for months on end during 1967. Staving off attacks and ambushes while suffering from ineffectual leadership from Washington as well as media onslaughts, courageous American Marines protected this crucial piece of land at all costs. They would hold Con Thien, but many paid the ultimate price. By the end of the war, more than 1,400 Marines had died and more than 9,000 sustained injuries defending the “Hill of Angels.”
For eight months, James P. Coan's five-tank platoon was assigned to Con Thien while attached to various Marine infantry battalions. A novice second lieutenant at the time, the author kept a diary recording the thoughts, fears, and frustrations that accompanied his life on “The Hill.” Time in the Barrel: A Marine's Account of the Battle for Con Thien offers an authentic firsthand account of the daily nightmare that was Con Thien. An enticing and fascinating read featuring authentic depictions of combat, it allows readers to fully grasp the enormity of the fierce struggle for Con Thien.
The defenders of Con Thien were bombarded with hundreds of rounds of incoming rockets, mortars, and artillery that pounded the beleaguered outpost daily. Monsoon downpours turned the red laterite clay soil into a morass of oozing mud, flooded bunkers and trenches, and made Con Thien a living hell. Being at Con Thien came to be ruefully referred to by the Marines stationed there as "time in the barrel” because they were targets as easy as fish in a barrel.
More than a retelling of military movements, Coan's engrossing narratives focus on the sheer sacrifice and misery of one Marine's experience in Vietnam. Through his eyes, we experience the abysmal conditions the Marines endured, from monsoon rainstorms to the constant threat of impending attack. Climatic moments in history are captured through the rare, personal perspective of one particularly astute and observant participant.
Con Thien, located only two miles from the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Vietnam, was a United States Marine Corps firebase that was the scene of fierce combat for months on end during 1967. Staving off attacks and ambushes while suffering from ineffectual leadership from Washington as well as media onslaughts, courageous American Marines protected this crucial piece of land at all costs. They would hold Con Thien, but many paid the ultimate price. By the end of the war, more than 1,400 Marines had died and more than 9,000 sustained injuries defending the “Hill of Angels.”
For eight months, James P. Coan's five-tank platoon was assigned to Con Thien while attached to various Marine infantry battalions. A novice second lieutenant at the time, the author kept a diary recording the thoughts, fears, and frustrations that accompanied his life on “The Hill.” Time in the Barrel: A Marine's Account of the Battle for Con Thien offers an authentic firsthand account of the daily nightmare that was Con Thien. An enticing and fascinating read featuring authentic depictions of combat, it allows readers to fully grasp the enormity of the fierce struggle for Con Thien.
The defenders of Con Thien were bombarded with hundreds of rounds of incoming rockets, mortars, and artillery that pounded the beleaguered outpost daily. Monsoon downpours turned the red laterite clay soil into a morass of oozing mud, flooded bunkers and trenches, and made Con Thien a living hell. Being at Con Thien came to be ruefully referred to by the Marines stationed there as "time in the barrel” because they were targets as easy as fish in a barrel.
More than a retelling of military movements, Coan's engrossing narratives focus on the sheer sacrifice and misery of one Marine's experience in Vietnam. Through his eyes, we experience the abysmal conditions the Marines endured, from monsoon rainstorms to the constant threat of impending attack. Climatic moments in history are captured through the rare, personal perspective of one particularly astute and observant participant.
James P. Coan is a former Marine Corps captain who was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries at Con Thien. He is the author of the historical memoir Con Thien: The Hill of Angels. He resides in Sierra Vista, Arizona, with his wife and family.
