Description
THE UNSUNG HEROES OF VIETNAM: THE FEW, THE PROUD ... THE TRUCKERS
This is the story of Zeke Hammond, a baby boomer, who joined the Marine Corps and drove a 26-wheeler in the DaNang area and on convoys into "Indian Country" where danger lurked around every corner.
Truck drivers in Vietnam, regardless of their branch of service, were the unsung heroes of the war. They risked life and limb in support of American and allied operations against Viet Cong insurgents and North Vietnamese Army regulars, bringing food, water, ammo and supplies, often under fire, to far-flung base camps and skirmish lines.
Marines Never Cry also gives the reader a tragicomic glimpse of what it was like for rank-and-file Marines behind the scenes and off-camera, so to speak, both in Vietnam and on the home front. While in Vietnam, the people closest to him either died or were killed. Hammond has countless brushes with death in Vietnam and extraordinary life-changing moments after he came home and confronted his fiance's killer and a gang of vandals that ravaged the family farm. Marines Never Cry is a work of fiction but is inspired by true events and crafted to portray the thoughts, emotions and actions of real people in the context of the Vietnam War in 1966 and 1967.
Where appropriate, names and other potentially identifying information have been changed. While some of the language, actions, thoughts or references may be jarring to some readers, it is a story that will make you laugh, cry, get mad ... and appreciate another side of the Vietnam.
Timothy C. Hall served with the Marines in Vietnam in the 1960s. He's headed public, private and non-profit organizations since then and has published numerous professional and technical articles. He is an honorary lieutenant with the Denver Police Department and remains active in military veterans' activities and causes.
Reviews
Marines Never Cry is a compelling account of a youth who strives to mature in the most challenging place possible ... the Marine Corps and a confused, deadly war with the fears and frustration of mortal combat. There, his ideals and core beliefs are sorely tested and found wanting at times. Throughout the book, he has reason to cry when he loses those closest to him, but he doesn't. Tim Hall gives us a Vietnam equivalent of Catch 22 with his capacity to personalize not only his war, but also the unique life and experiences that molded this young man. - Bob Fischer, Colonel USMC (Ret), Senior Advisor to 6th Bn., South Vietnamese Marines, Vietnam 1966-1968 Author of Guerrilla Grunt, Covan and co-author of The Miracle Workers of South Boulder Road In Vietnam, we Marines learned quickly that war never goes well or as planned. Tim Hall brings that "lesson learned" home to a new generation of readers who have no idea what transpired fifty years ago, in a faraway Southeast Asian country. Through his main character, Zeke Hammond, an all-American kid from rural roots, Tim weaves actual tales of intrigue, levity, and danger that most people have never experienced or even thought of in their entire lives. He did change names to protect both the innocent and guilty alike. In this book, Tim aptly records United States Marines going about their daily routines of boredom and toil, of events both good and bad and the untimely dangerous exploits of Marines, who "never cry" until the war is over. Tim's poignant book takes place in the mid 1960's during one of America's longest and costliest wars. Very well done, brother Tim! - Grady T. Birdsong, Corporal, USMC 1st Bn., 27th Marines; 2nd Bn., 9th Marines, Vietnam 1968-1969 Author of A Fortunate Passage and co-author of The Miracle Workers of South Boulder Road Marines Never Cry paints a good picture of how things were for truck drivers in Vietnam, particularly those who convoyed into dangerous places like An Hoa. I know because I was a grunt in that area, specifically Operation Allen Brook at Go Noi. You'll find my name referenced several times in the book, Every Marine: 1968 Vietnam; A Battle for Go Noi Island. I know first-hand what those truckers experienced when they drove those big ass trucks-BATs, as Tim calls them-through what was called "Indian Country" to bring us the ammo and everything else we needed to fight the war. God bless the truckers; they're the unsung heroes of Vietnam. - Wesley S. Love, Sergeant, USMC 3rd Bn. 27th Marines, Vietnam, 1968
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