The Crouching Beast : A United States Army Lieutenant's Account of the Battle for Hamburger Hill, May 1969

As a first lieutenant in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry, Frank Boccia led a platoon in two intense battles in the Vietnamese mountains in April and May 1969: Dong Ngai and the grinding, 11-day battle of Dong Ap Bia--the Mountain of the Crouching Beast, in Vietnamese, or Hamburger Hill as it is popularly known. The Rakkasans, the 3/187th, are the most highly decorated unit in the history of the United States Army, and two of those decorations were awarded for these two battles. This vivid account of the author's first seven months in Vietnam gives special attention to the events at Dong Ap Bia, following the ­hard-­hit 3/187th hour by hour through its repeated assaults on the mountain, against an unseen enemy in an ideal defensive position. It also corrects several errors that have persisted in histories and official reports of the battle. Beyond describing his own experiences and reactions, the author writes, "I want to convey the real face of war, both its mindless carnage and its nobility of spirit. Above all, I want to convey what happened to both the casual reader and the military historian and make them aware of the extraordinary spirit of the men of First Platoon, Bravo Company. They were ordinary men doing extraordinary things." The mountains of Viet Nam Firebase Helen The first patrol Mud is the universal constant The poor guys in Korea The Tiger Dines Black Jack Firebase Barbara Firebase Brick Firebase Rakkasan: Abbot's tale March madness Dickson's shining moment Father Haney's lament Dennis Helms, Bravo One Six Romeo The banana tree The Rao Trang Zeus frowns The crater Death dance of the ghost riders Welcome to the 6th NVA Regimental Hq The body bags Rescued by the gnome Black Jack's seminar Firebase airborne Sergeant Samuel Wright RA Palace guard The broken strap The ordeal of Bravo Four Six The clearing The book of Myles Westman Feeling our way Sanguis Agni Logan's run The bamboo corridor Charlie's Ridge Fratricide The number seventeen The stain The storm The naked beast. "The book describes my first seven months in Viet Nam, as a platoon leader in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry. The first part of the book deals with the routine tactics, unending work, misery and occasional hilarity of infantry life The bulk of the book, however, deals with two events, within three weeks"-- Provided by publisher "The book describes my first seven months in Viet Nam, as a platoon leader in Bravo Company of the Third Battalion, 187th Infantry. I wanted to make it about the men I led and served with, and in some measure my reaction to the events of those seven months."