Dak to: America's Sky Soldiers in South Vietnam's Central Highlands

by Edward F. Murphy

Book Overview

"Excellent . . . honest and realistic . . . Edward Murphy's meticulous research is unflawed and his writing style is novel-like."--San Antonio Express-News

"A no-holds barred account . . . highly recommended."--Military magazine

In June 1967, General William Westmoreland sent the 173d Airborne Brigade to Dak To, a mountainous region in the deadly Central Highlands. Here the 173d found itself locked in mortal combat,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891419101
• ISBN13: 9780891419105
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Battles of Dak To -- 173rd Airborne Brigade in Action

Very well written account of the major battles of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Dak To area near the Cambodian-Laotian-Vietnamese borders. Murphy interviewed a number of survivors of those battles and used after-action reports. His research and writing bring those battles to life. That's the "good news" and the "bad news". The battle scenes are quite graphically portrayed. The book is very reminiscent of WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE, AND YOUNG, except it covers several significant battles between June and December of 1967. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Heroes all

This book was fabulous, my brother was the FNG written about. It was the first I ever knew about his experiences in Vietnam and I knew he was wonderful, but I never imagined the experience he and the other soldiers had. For whatever reason, he never discussed his tour with us and after reading this book I know why. It is just so much to bear for so many, so young. They really were heroes. A must read for anyone interested in the Vietnam war.

Airborne, All The Way...

This is one of the best volumes about a desperate, bloody battle during the Vietnam War. Fought between the veteran paratroopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade and North Vietnamese Regulars in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in late 1967, the author demonstrates through graphic prose and primary evidence just how savage and vicious the fighting in Vietnam was. This legendary fight took place almost immediately before the TET offensive of January 1968 and ruined some of the NVA units that were to take part in that offensive and helped ruin the chances for the Comminists to gain victory. Victory in this fight came at a heavy cost, and this book chronicles just how savage and desperate, and how heart-breaking the American losses were. For me personally, this book means much, as my brother was a company commander in the 2d Battalion of the 503d infantry, one of the four infantry battalions of the 173d Airborne Brigade, and he was killed in action leading his company on Hill 875. This book is as good as We Were Soldiers Once And Young, and it is one of the best books I have read on the war in Vietnam. It shows the courage and skill of outnumbered Americans who fought, died, and never quit-something that never really came out of the general media coverage of that unpopular war. This volume is highly recommended and the author is to be congratulated for he has told a story of high valor and much suffering, and of the ongoing skill of the American soldier doing his duty, appreciated or not, in foreign lands fighting and defeating a skilled and determined enemy.Virtute et Valore

It was pretty grim from up here!

I flew door gunner for 4th Aviation's Gambler Guns over Hill 875 and surrounding hills that November 1967. This account by E. Murphy re-lives all of the fears and saddness I felt for those Air Borne men. I remember being served Thanksgiving dinner on the chopper while re-arming and how after one bite I couldn't eat because we needed to get back out there for those troopers. Every Thanksgiving I honor their memory with a prayer. I will never forget the sacrifice of these brave men and neither will you after you have read Dak To by Edward Murphy.

For the families left behind, Dak To is a "Must Read".

As a sister whose brother fought in the battles of Dak To, and did not return, this gave me insight into the hell he must have endured. When you lose a family member in a war in a far away land you spend night after night trying to imagine what war must be like for them. This book was a real peek into the nightmare that so many of our prescious boys lived in. Thanks to Edward Murphy who took the time to tell the "real story".