Swift Sword

The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967

De: Doyle Glass

Narrado por: Tim H. Dixon

Monday, September 4, 1967.

Marine Lance Corporal Jack Swan crested the face of a bare, rocky knoll in the Que Son Valley of South Vietnam. Following Swan were the 164 Marines of Mike Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. Their mission was to locate and rescue two understrength and isolated companies of felow Marines who were under attack by the North Vietnamese Army. The sight of a quiet and serene rice paddy and shrub covered valley greeted Swan. Too serene, he thought, as he caught sight of a trembling bush.

"I think I just saw that bush move!" He shouted.

"If it moves again, shoot it!" His squad leader commanded.

Then, hell on Earth broke loose. Rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47 fire, mortars, and machine guns engulfed the exposed Marines. The vaunted Second NVA Division, six thousand, five hundred men strong and expertly camouflaged, had sprung their well-laid trap. Instead of coming to the rescue of their embattled comrades, it was now the men of Mike 3/5 who were about to be annihilated. Burdened with a rifle, the M16, that would often malfunction, how could they hope to beat back a vastly superior foe bent on their destruction?

Outnumbered, out-gunned, and exposed, would any of the men of Mike 3/5 survive?

©2014 Doyle Glass (P)2023 Doyle Glass

Crime Scene

This was not the scene of a battle, but a crime scene. Whoever had a hand in having the Marines field that deathtrap of a weapon should have been thrown in prison. Armalite or whomever profited from the sale of that worthless piece of crap should have been prosecuted. Good men died trying to defend themselves with a Joke. The Marines should have immediately reissued the M-14 to rifle after this.

The bravery of the Marines

Very good real story of real heroes and the meaning of war. The continued exposure of how bad the Colt M16 really was in battle.

War brings out the basic instincts of man

Intrepid story of Marines in combat. At times the story gets lost in the details of weapons failures and poor decisions made leading up to the battle

Chilling, horrifying, honest and it could have been me!!

I came so close twice to being an FNG in Vietnam. This story is the most explicit and detailed I have ever heard of battles in Vietnam. Anyone who thinks war is a solution to anything should read this book or better yet listen to the Audible version. It’s almost like a first person account and you hear the voices and the the fear and the anger and the incredible bravery by these Marines that went through that battle. I also really like the way the author followed up with the survivors and their lives after the Vietnam war and after they came home.

Excellent

I listened to the audio version very well done really liked the book. Gives you a lot of information and perspective to the Vietnam war highly recommended.