A Brother Screaming Eagle's Thoughts on RIPCORD

books:

	• Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970 Keith Nolan Presidio Press, 2003 - 544 pages average customer review:based on 32 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

RIPCORD

Excellent history that is well written and, unlike many military histories, is extremely readable. It is accurate and tells a story that not many people know about. I signed into this unit (2/506 101st Airborne) just a few weeks after Ripcord happened. It filled in a lot of the stories that I had heard about this battle. Fantastic book!

Excellent researched book

This historical account represents a detailed account of the battle for RIPCORD. The dedication of the troops to a questionable operation at the time of the winddown of the Vietnam War is admirable to say the least.
This work exposes the quandary of senior officers who are shackled by the political forces from Washington. Nevetheless, it also reveals the shortcomings of certain officers who were more concerned with their careers than the troops. The most famous example is that of Colonel Lucas. The "ring knockers protective association" was successful in seeing that he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. This in spite of the fact that he made bad decions in exposing his troops to unnecessary RIF's with the consequest heavy caualties. As one of his troops said "it was the kind of situation where if he had lived, he probably would have been brought up on charges, but since he got killed, he ended up with the Medal of Honor." Nevertheless, this book entails the heroism of all who participated in this ill-conceived battle.

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The real deal.!

If you have any knowledge of the Vietnam conflict or were in country at the time ,this is a perfect blow for blow record,no punches pulled ,and every bit of research backed up with detailed fact. It gives the overall viewpoint,officers ,nco s and the Grunts.A great read about real men and the horror of War.

Ripcord Review

Keith Nolan has done it again! A very accurate account of a battle in Vietnam. A grunts eye view!Only thing that would have made the book better. Would have been maps, something he fails to do in all his books.

A Brother Screaming Eagle's Thoughts on RIPCORD

I was turned on to Keith Nolan's RIPCORD by Fred Spaulding. Then CPT Spaulding had been my company commander in the 101st's 1st Brigade before transfering to the 3rd BDE as S-3 Air to participate in the battle.
We in A Co. No Slack knew there was a "big" battle going on and had been told we were ready reserve, the grunt pipeline was full of rumors. It wasn't until I spoke with Fred last spring and received a copy of RIPCORD that I gained a full insight as to how well the men fought and how victory was denied them for political reason. The true sadness of the Vietnam War is the lesson America has never learned. America needs to Fight to Win and politicians should step aside and let our military WIN. Keith has captured the eyewitness history here and painted a clear, understandable picture of not only the sacrafice but the bravery of my Brother Screaming Eagles. Thanks to Keith Nolan we now have a record of the Honor they brought to themselves and the 101st.
Airborne All The Way!
Yankee Jim
www.screamingeagles-327thvietnam.com

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

On April 10, 1970, Hill 927 was occupied by troopers of the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division. By July, the activities of the artillery and infantry of Ripcord had caught the attention of the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and a long and deadly siege ensued. Ripcord was the Screaming Eagles? last chance to do significant damage to the NVA in the A Shau Valley before the division was withdrawn from Vietnam and returned to the United States.

At Ripcord, the enemy counterattacked with ferocity, using mortar and antiaircraft fire to inflict heavy causalities on the units operating there. The battle lasted four and a half months and exemplified the ultimate frustration of the Vietnam War: the inability of the American military to bring to bear its enormous resources to win on the battlefield. In the end, the 101st evacuated Ripcord, leaving the NVA in control of the battlefield. Contrary to the mantra ?We won every battle but lost the war,? the United States was defeated at Ripcord. Now, at last, the full story of this terrible battle can be told.

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