A Wound in the Mind: The Court-Martial of Lance Corporal Cachora, USMC

It is 1968. The US naval war in Vietnam is at peak intensity. USS Ticonderoga, Attack Carrier 14, is in the Gulf of Tonkin for her fifth combat cruise prosecuting Operation Rolling Thunder. The historical naval novel has moved forward from the Napoleonic Wars of C.S. Forester and Patrick O’Brian to the modern navy. The ships and weapons may have changed, but time-tested traits of courage and leadership remain very much in demand. Ltjg. Cannon has just retired to his stateroom when Gunnery Sergeant Mates phones him to take on the defense of a marine’s marine who won the Navy Cross in the brutal Hill Fights of Khe Sanh in 1967. LCPL Cachora is charged with assault and battery while on liberty in Hong Kong. Ltjg. Cannon along with Ens. Chase take on an uphill struggle to defend their client. With the odds stacked against them, they creatively mount a spirited defense. This is the thrilling drama of Cachora’s court-martial.