The story of the young men of Never Quit Delta Company at the bloody but forgotten battle of Tam Ky, Vietnam, in 1969. The battle of Tam Ky, fought in May 1969, has long been overshadowed by the better-known battle of Hamburger Hill. Whilst the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division was fighting at Hamburger Hill, sparking protests due to the high casualty rates despite victory, the 1st Brigade was fighting a more intense battle 100 miles to the south at Tam Ky. Officially named Operation Lamar Plain, veterans of the fight remember it as the battle of Tam Ky. Thirty days of bitter fighting at Tam Ky resulted in a victory, but the battle’s casualties were even higher than those at Hamburger Hill. Nixon’s announcement on May 14 that the US would no longer seek a military solution to the Vietnam War had been directly contradicted by the large battle and high casualties at Hamburger Hill, leading to new demands to immediately end the war. The cost of the victory at Lamar Plain, following close on Hamburger Hill, was, therefore, kept from the media, the US Congress, war protesters, and the American people until well after the war ended, with the result that the battle has remained little known. Courage Under Fire is the gripping story of the courage of the young infantrymen who fought at Tam Ky, supported by a cast of artillerymen, aviators, medics, and logistics specialists. This first-hand battle account focuses on the young soldiers of Never Quit Delta Company, 1st Battalion 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment (Geronimo) and its sister companies. They lived up to their motto through 28 days of continuous combat without a break at Tam Ky, facing a brutal baptism of fire against the well-trained soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army. AUTHOR: Ed Sherwood completed over 20 years in US Army as an infantry officer, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel due to Agent Orange-related respiratory issues. He had combat experience as a Ranger and Airborne lieutenant as infantry platoon leader in Delta Company, 1-501st Infantry in Vietnam. He was wounded in action at Tam Ky on 2 June 1969. He had multiple assignments with the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning and led the Doctrinal Literature Division responsible for approximately 20 infantry publications. He wrote numerous infantry historical and future concepts papers for the Infantry School and is the principal author for a rewrite of FM 7-20, The Infantry Battalion after the Vietnam War.
