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Acknowledgments

C
OUNTLESS TIMES
while I was writing this book, I read the eighteen lines of “Elegy.” The poetry of Bruce Weigl inspired me, and I apologize for inverting his phrase in the title.

For three months in the summer of 2001, my wife and I moved back to Madison, our hometown, so that I could report the Wisconsin side of the story. Many generous friends helped us while we were there, foremost Kim Vergeront and Andrew Cohn, who proved to be a master in finding documents; Judy and Ben Sidran, who brought music to our summer; Doug and Bette Moe, the great provisioners, who helped us find our rental home and our way; and also Dave Zweifel, Ron McCrea, John Nichols, and the staff of
The Capital Times;
and Dan Siebens, Dave Foster, Suey Wong, Steve Marvin, Sam Schwartz, Bob Freed, Sue Brausen, Linda Berman, Chris Hall, and Jim and Julie Hopson.

I come from a family of librarians and editors and have immense respect for all librarians and archivists. They were, as always, invaluable as I researched this book. The University of Wisconsin and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin contain world-class archives on the sixties. Helping me at Wisconsin with various collections were James Danky, Harold Miller, Steve Masar, and Bernard Schermetzler. Also generous with their time and knowledge were Blake Kellogg, Lawrence Lichty, Jack Cipperly, Liz Beyler, Alfred W. McCoy, Sam Mermin, Jeff Smoller, Stuart Levitan, Bob Newton, Mike Fellner, and Glenn Silber.

At archives around the country, pointing me in the right direction and offering helpful research advice were Dr. Timothy Nenninger and archivists Susan A. Francis-Haughton and Rich Boylan at the National Archives at College Park; Lieutenant Colonel Edwin M. Perry, David Keough, Richard J. Sommers, James T. Baughman, and Nancy Baylor, at the U.S. Army’s Military History Institute; John M. Carland at the Center of Military History; Dr. John F. Votaw and archivist Andrew Woods at the First Division Museum; Alan Aimone at the United States Military Academy special collections; Nancy Barr at the Military Sealift Command; David L. Petree of the National Personnel Records Center; and Mike Parrish and Linda Seelke at the LBJ Library. At various points in researching this book, four industrious young men helped me track down documents: Dan Alexander, James Alexander, Michael Penn, and Anthony Broadman.

Researching the Vietnam side of this book was made immeasurably easier, and more pleasurable, by the selfless assistance of Fred Kirkpatrick and Tom Hinger, whom I’ve described as one-person search engines, and by the ebullient goodwill of Jim Shelton, my fellow author, and the other Black Lions from the November Nightmare—Tom Grady, Joe Costello, Steve Goodman, and Carl Woodard. Thanks also to Diane Sikorski Kramer, Jim George, Michael Arias, Greg Landon, Rick Calef, Ray Albin, Eleanor Schroder Clark, Mike Taylor, Mike Dinkins, and Mike Troyer for sharing their letters, photographs, and tapes.

This book would not have been possible without the unending generosity of my employers at the
Washington Post,
including chairman Don Graham, who took time from his swamped schedule to read the manuscript and provide sound advice, publisher Bo Jones, executive editor Len Downie, and managing editor Steve Coll. Researchers Madonna Lebling, Bobbye Pratt, and Margot Williams, and transcriptionist Carol Van Horn are treasures of the
Post.
Sarah Cohen saved me from a computer disaster. Thanks also to friends Maralee Schwartz, Valerie Strauss, Ellen Nakashima, Anne Hull, Bill Hamilton, Bob Kaiser, Bea Harwood, John Feinstein, Bob Woodward, Michael Weisskopf, David Von Drehle, Henry Bryan, and Chip Brown. Rick Atkinson, my fellow scribbler, opened the doors to the military world for me and lit the path from beginning to end. The philosophy of Pat Toomay was always thought-provoking. When I think of the Vietnam experience, I think first of two good men, my dear old friends Michael Norman and Tilt Meyer, and of Beth Norman. Jim Warren, Blaine Harden, and Whitney Gould were careful readers, again. I consider myself lucky to have Rafe Sagalyn as my agent, and Simon and Schuster as my publisher. Alice Mayhew, my editor, has meant more to me every year, and I cherish our professional relationship and personal friendship. Dealing with her trusty right hand, Roger Labrie, is a pleasure. Thanks also to the copy editors, Peg Haller and Loretta Denner, and to Simon and Schuster’s Carolyn Reidy, David Rosenthal, Victoria Meyer, Aileen Boyle, Rebecca J. Davis, and Anja Schmidt.

Nothing gives me more satisfaction than sending chapters to Milwaukee for my parents, Elliott and Mary Maraniss, to pencil their way through. They are great editors, and offer extemporaneous comic relief when they start arguing points of grammar between themselves and forget that I’m on the other end of the line. Since I was a young boy, I’ve been awed by the intellect of my older brother and sister, Jim Maraniss and Jean Alexander. I write with a photograph of my sister Wendy nearby.

The journey to Vietnam was a highlight of my career, made especially rewarding by the people who came with me in what we called the Saigon Seven: Clark Welch, the great soldier, Consuelo Allen, the soulful daughter, Rob Keefe, the bright comic, Connie Doebele, the good-natured book chronicler, and Kyle Horst, the multilingual Eagle Scout. It is an understatement to say that Kyle is the best guide and interpreter around. Madam Ha, our handler from the foreign ministry, could move the earth, and often did; unlike many press officers, she was more interested in getting us what we wanted than in keeping things from us. The other member of the Saigon Seven was my wife, Linda, who embraced this book with her boundless warmth and exuberance and was with me all the way, taking photographs, offering insights, reading every word, making invariably good suggestions. With Linda at my side, and with the love of Andrew, Sarah, and her Tom, no one could ask for more sunlight.

Index

abolitionists

Ackley, Gardner

Agent Orange

airborne squads

Albin, Ray: letter home after battle of October 9; letter home after battle of October 17; in operation of October 17; and personal effects of dead soldiers; in return to battlefield on October 17; and Schroder after operation of October 16