Charles Henderson, Marine Corps veteran and
author, chronicles the final days of America's involvement
in Vietnam through the voices of those who were there-and
those who would never be heard again.
On January 17, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords
concluded America's involvement in Vietnam, supposedly
ending decades
of bloodshed. What took place, however, was far from
peaceful-as the combined forces of the North Vietnamese
Army and Viet
Cong launched an all-out offensive to end the war with
complete victory over the beleaguered south.
Here, culled from extensive interviews and
research, are harrowing, never-before revealed accounts
from people
of
every level and involvement in the Vietnam War-NVA
and Viet Cong soldiers, U.S. embassy personnel, guerilla
commanders, civilians, generals, double-agents, and
leaders
from both
sides, including former president Gerald Ford and North
Vietnamese military commander General Tran Van Tra.
From the impending invasion from the north,
to the gut-wrenching hours before the fall of Saigon when
a brave pilot defied
orders and rescued the last five Marines from the
roof
of the U.S. embassy, this is the Vietnam War as it
was: raw, brutal, tragic-and haunting to this very
day.