A Tiger among Us
A Story of Valor in Vietnam's A Shau Valley
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4.4 • 11 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Foreword by Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of Defense and Senator from Nebraska
Adaptable. Cunning. Ferocious. Fearless. The Indochinese tiger is just one of the formidable predators roaming Vietnam's jungle. In 1966 a small band of US Special Forces soldiers--most especially Bennie Adkins--spent four grueling days facing down the "tiger" among them.
While the rain and mist of an early March moved over the valley, then-Sergeant First Class Bennie Adkins and sixteen other Green Berets found themselves holed up in an undermanned and unfortified position at Camp A Shau, a small training and reconnaissance camp located right next to the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail, North Vietnam's major supply route. And with the rain came the North Vietnamese Army in force.
Surrounded 10-to-1, the Green Berets endured constant mortar and rifle fire, direct assaults, treasonous allies, and volatile jungle weather. But there was one among them who battled ferociously, like a tiger, and when they finally evacuated, he carried the wounded to safety. Forty-eight years later, Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins's valor was recognized when he received this nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
Filled with the sights, smells, and sounds of a raging battle fought in the middle of a tropical forest, A Tiger among Us is a riveting tale of bravery, valor, skill, and resilience.
Customer Reviews
Complicated Appreciation
As a long time civilian federal employee, I rarely receive thanks from fellow Americans for my service to the nation. Working in the nation’s capital, I have long understood the derision directed at those men and women who served in Vietnam for a war effort that was complicated at best, and misguided at the least. I greatly appreciated the insight into the military service of a fellow American who experienced ‘warfare’ as not even our present Secretary of War understands it. I appreciate Dr. Adkins willingness and ability to share his story and his life with us in a way that was engaging and thoughtful.