"In the spring of 1970, the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division had been in Vietnam for nearly 5 years. In other parts of Vietnam, the combat action had begun to slow down: not so in the northern-most province of the Republic of (south) Vietnam. These 5 provinces, Quang Tri, Thua Thien, Quang Nam, Quang Tin and Quang Ngai made up the I Corps Tactical Zone. The 3rd Marine Divisio left Vietnam in Early 1970, leaving responsibility for the vast area of the I Corps entirely to the 101st Airborne. In April, the Division began a major operation codenamed Texas Star. During the next 6 months, the 101st would fight several big engagements against the NVA. This memoir is the story of the 2nd Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment (the "O-Deuce") a part of the 1st Brigade. Told from the point of view of a young infantry sergeant named John Roberts, it is blunt and to the point. Written in the often crude language of the combat infantryman, Roberts tells what it was like to experience combat in the triple-canopied jungles of Western I Corps. During a vicious battle in April and May 1970, the O-Deuce lost 30 men killed and over 200 wounded. Roberts tells of the shock and grief he and others experienced when on May 5, 1970 his 11-man squad lost 5 wounded and 3 killed, leaving only Roberts and 2 others to continue the mission. Three companies of the O-Deuce: Alpha, Bravo and Charley, were decimated. When the battalion was withdrawn in late May, these companies were at less than half-strength. The battles around Hill 714, Hill 882 and the 4-month Battle of Firebase Ripcord received very little attention in the media. The press was pre-occupied by the April invasion of Cambodia and the May student shootings of Kent State in Ohio."--Back cover.