The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act authorized the Secretary of Defense to conduct a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The First Fight is the second title in a series dedicated to the Marine Corps' involvement in Southeast Asia from the early 1960s until 1975. This commemorative publication focuses on Operation Starlite, the first significant engagement between Marines and the Viet Cong with regimental-sized forces. It lasted from 18 to 24 August 1965, and in many ways foreshadowed the experience of American forces in Vietnam. Contains 9 color maps and numerous black and white photographs. Related products:
Vietnam War resources collection can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/us-military-history/battles-wars/vietn...
Other products produced by the U.S. Navy-U.S. Marine Corps can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/922

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, 1965: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965

History

Andrew, Rod

Military

Government Printing Office

One of the South's most illustrious military leaders, Wade Hampton III was for a time the commander of all Lee's cavalry and at the end of the war was the highest-ranking Confederate cavalry officer. Yet for all Hampton's military victories, he also suffered devastating losses in his family and personal life. Rod Andrew's critical biography sheds light on his central role during Reconstruction as a conservative white leader, governor, U.S. senator, and Redeemer; his heroic image in the minds of white southerners; and his positions and apparent contradictions on race and the role of African Americans in the New South. Andrew also shows that Hampton's tragic past explains how he emerged in his own day as a larger-than-life symbol--of national reconciliation as well as southern defiance.

Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer (Civil War America)

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

The University of North Carolina Press

In the spring of 1967, some of the most vicious and bloody fighting of the Vietnam War occurred in the remote northwestern corner of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), or South Vietnam. Khe Sanh lies in the mountainous northwest corner of Quang Tri Province. As an otherwise insignificant village that few people from the outside world had ever heard of, Khe Sanh's location astride Route 9 near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Vietnam and just 10 kilometers east of the Laotian border made it strategically significant to American military planners and their North Vietnamese foes. Later, in 1968, the legendary siege of Khe Sanh, partly coinciding with the larger Communist Tet Offensive, would make this small village a household name among Americans and a well-known heroic chapter in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps.This narrative does not tell the story of the 1968 siege, but rather describes the equally heroic, brutal, and bloody fighting that took place around Khe Sanh during the preceding year. In the spring of 1967, various units from 3d Marine Division (3d MarDiv) fought a number of ferocious battles with elements of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), some of the best-trained and most motivated troops of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.* These fierce clashes, erupting suddenly in steep mountainous terrain at close range and resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, included some of the most desperate fighting of the Vietnam War. In Marine Corps lore, they were known as the "Hill Fights" or the "First Battle of Khe Sanh."The relative obscurity of the Hill Fights in comparison to the 1968 siege of Khe Sanh is unfortunate for several reasons. First, individual Marines and small-unit leaders acquitted themselves valiantly in the Hill Fights and their efforts should not be overlooked. The valor of Marine infantrymen at Khe Sanh was matched only by that of the aircraft crews who supported them. Also, the Hill Fights illustrated several trends that characterized the experience of the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. Effective close air support and other fire support coordination were hallmarks of the Hill Fights and undoubtedly saved countless American lives. The fighting around Khe Sanh also highlighted the tenacity of the North Vietnamese soldier and his skills in concealment and in building fortifications.

Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh 1967: Marines in the Vietnam War

U.S. Department of Defense

Independently published

On 18 August 1965, U.S. Marines of Regimental Landing Team 7 (RLT 7) and Viet Cong soldiers of the 1st Viet Cong Regiment met each other in a ferocious struggle that would continue for several more days. Operation Starlite, as the Marines called it, took place on the Van Tuong Peninsula, about 10 miles south of the Marine base at Chu Lai. It was a significant battle for many reasons. Though the Marines and Viet Cong had encountered each other in small-sized patrols and ambushes before, Operation Starlite was the first time they met in open battle in regimental-sized formations. Both sides learned several lessons about how the enemy fought, and each came to appreciate the other as a formidable foe. In the short term, the tactical victory won by the Marines validated such operational concepts as vertical envelopment, amphibious assault, and combined arms that had not been put into practice on a large scale since the Korean War. It proved that Marine ground troops and their junior officers and noncommissioned officers, as well as Marine aviators, were just as tough and reliable as their forebears who had fought in World War II and Korea. In the long term, Starlite foreshadowed the American military's commitment to conventional warfare in Vietnam and showed how difficult it would be to defeat Communist forces in South Vietnam.

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965: Marines in the Vietnam War

One of the South's most illustrious military leaders, Wade Hampton III was for a time the commander of all Lee's cavalry and at the end of the war was the highest-ranking Confederate cavalry officer. Yet for all Hampton's military victories, he also suffered devastating losses in his family and personal life. Rod Andrew's critical biography sheds light on his central role during Reconstruction as a conservative white leader, governor, U.S. senator, and Redeemer; his heroic image in the minds of white southerners; and his positions and apparent contradictions on race and the role of African Americans in the New South. Andrew also shows that Hampton's tragic past explains how he emerged in his own day as a larger-than-life symbol--of national reconciliation as well as southern defiance.

Andrew Pickens (1739–1817), the hard-fighting South Carolina militia commander of the American Revolution, was the hero of many victories against British and Loyalist forces. In this book, Rod Andrew Jr. offers an authoritative and comprehensive biography of Pickens the man, the general, the planter, and the diplomat. Andrew vividly depicts Pickens as he founds churches, acquires slaves, joins the Patriot cause, and struggles over Indian territorial boundaries on the southern frontier. Combining insights from military and social history, Andrew argues that while Pickens's actions consistently reaffirmed the authority of white men, he was also determined to help found the new republic based on broader principles of morality and justice. After the war, Pickens sought a peaceful and just relationship between his country and the southern Native American tribes and wrestled internally with the issue of slavery. Andrew suggests that Pickens's rise to prominence, his stern character, and his sense of duty highlight the egalitarian ideals of his generation as well as its moral shortcomings--all of which still influence Americans' understanding of themselves.

The Life and Times of General Andrew Pickens: Revolutionary War Hero, American Founder

Review\nAndrew's study is a full-scale biography of Pickens, one of the principal generals in the southern theater of the American Revolution . . . [that] open[s] our eyes to the incompleteness of the earlier stories. We cannot understand Pickens fully without considering Native Americans. --South Carolina Historical Magazine\nA detailed portrait of a complicated, often enigmatic, historical figure and the society that produced him.--H-Net Reviews\nOther biographies of Pickens have been written, but this is the best. Rod Andrew has done a great job of sifting through the available evidence to define the man and his life.--Journal of Americas Military Past\nProvides a well-deserved new treatment of Pickens as a military hero, civic leader, and self-made man who was not only a product of the frontier Revolutionary ethos of his day, but also an important shaper of it . . . a masterfully told story.--On Point\nThis clearly written, well-constructed, and thoroughly researched book provides a welcome addition to Revolutionary and Indian affairs scholarship.--The Journal of Southern History\nInvaluable for those interested in the finer points of the Revolution in the Carolina backcountry, the postwar shaping of frontier democracy, or a historical work that centers evangelical Christianity in the Revolution and early republic.--North Carolina Historical Review\nA comprehensive biography of Andrew Pickens, a backcountry planter, general, and diplomat on the southeastern frontier in the era of the American Revolution and new nation. Recommended.--Choice\nAn outstanding book, long awaited by history buffs that will serve as a milestone on an important Revolutionary War military leader.--McCormick Messenger\nAndrew Pickens (1739–1817), the hard-fighting South Carolina militia commander of the American Revolution, was the hero of many victories against British and Loyalist forces. In this book, Rod Andrew Jr. offers an authoritative and comprehensive biography of Pickens the man, the general, the planter, and the diplomat. Andrew vividly depicts Pickens as he founds churches, acquires slaves, joins the Patriot cause, and struggles over Indian territorial boundaries on the southern frontier. Combining insights from military and social history, Andrew argues that while Pickens's actions consistently reaffirmed the authority of white men, he was also determined to help found the new republic based on broader principles of morality and justice.\nAfter the war, Pickens sought a peaceful and just relationship between his country and the southern Native American tribes and wrestled internally with the issue of slavery. Andrew suggests that Pickens's rise to prominence, his stern character, and his sense of duty highlight the egalitarian ideals of his generation as well as its moral shortcomings--all of which still influence Americans' understanding of themselves.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Andrew, Rod. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Andrew, Rod

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Andrew, Rod. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, 1965: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965

Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer (Civil War America)

Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh 1967: Marines in the Vietnam War

The First Fight: U.S. Marines in Operation Starlite, August 1965: Marines in the Vietnam War

Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior to Southern Redeemer (Civil War America)

The Life and Times of General Andrew Pickens: Revolutionary War Hero, American Founder

The Life and Times of General Andrew Pickens: Revolutionary War Hero, American Founder