Chapter Excerpts
Chapter 12: Booby Traps
Through all this foliage, our eyes constantly searched for trip wires or prongs sticking out of the ground. Each of us tried to follow in the steps of the man we followed. If he didn’t suddenly explode, we could assume that where he stepped was a safe spot for our foot.
Chapter 22: Preparing for Battle
At the most northern position of the Black Lions’ perimeter, PFC Victoriano Perez Sosa and PFC Richard Anderson were manning their two-man outpost. Things were quiet there, and PFC Sosa was probably daydreaming about his beautiful two-year-old daughter, Cynthia, who he often bragged about.
Chapter 55: Efforts Back in Lai Khe
Back in Lai Khe, PFC David Aldridge observed another part of the Xom Bo II events unfolding. He was new in-country and had been assigned to the Black Lions Bravo Company. Since mid-morning he had been sitting around the resupply pad, waiting for a ride out to LZ X-Ray to join up with his unit.
Chapter 73: Hard Decisions for Medics
The number of men wounded and dead from the battle of Xom Bo II was so great that it’s hard to comprehend. In all, there were 189 dead and wounded men. This would fill a large 707 airliner, which can only hold 189 passengers, to capacity.
