They Marched Into Sunlight

Also by David Maraniss

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi

First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton

The Clinton Enigma

The Prince of Tennessee: Al Gore Meets His Fate
(with Ellen Nakashima)

“Tell Newt to Shut Up!”
(with Michael Weisskopf)

Copyright © 2003 by David Maraniss
All rights reserved,
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.

The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to reprint “Elegy” from
Archeology of the Circle,
by Bruce Weigl. Copyright © 1999 by Bruce Weigl. Used by permission of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

S
IMON
& S
CHUSTER
and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Book design by Ellen R. Sasahara
Maps designed by Gene Thorp

Picture Section Credits
Tom Grady photos: 1, 11, 19, 24.
The Daily Cardinal:
2, 30, 32, 35, 42. Allen Family photo album: 3, 5. First Infantry: 4, 6. 28th Regiment photo: 7, 8, 9, 10, 16. Army Signal Corps photo: 12. Sikorski family photo album: 13, 14. Tom Hinger photo album: 15. Clark Welch collection: 17, 18. Verland Gilbertson: 20. Richard Calef: 21, 22. Ed Amorosi collection: 23. Fagan Publishing Co. postcard: 25. Jane Brotman photo album: 26. Betty Menacher photo album: 27.
The Capital Times:
28, 29, 31, 33, 43, 44.
Wisconsin State Journal:
34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.
Connections:
41. David Maraniss: 45. Consuelo Allen: 46. Linda Maraniss: 47.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maraniss, David.

They marched into sunlight : war and peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967 / David Maraniss.

  p. cm.

1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961–1975—United States. 2. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961–1975—Protest movements—United States. 3. United States—Politics and government—1963–1969.

I. Title.

DS558.M35 2003

959.704’31—dc21                                 2003052885

ISBN 13: 978-0-7432-6255-2
ISBN 0-7432-6255-7

Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com

T
O
E
LLIOTT AND
M
ARY
M
ARANISS, MY
P
ARENTS

Contents

Cast of Characters

A Brief Preface

Book One

1   Sailing to Vung Tau

2   Triet’s March South

3   Lai Khe, South Vietnam

4   El Paso, Texas

Book Two

5   Song of Napalm

6   Madison, Wisconsin

7   Soglin’s Thrill

8   Sewell’s Predicament

Book Three

9   “What a Funny War!”

10  Guerrilla Theater

11  Johnson’s Dilemma

12  No Mission Too Difficult

13  Michigan Men

14  For Want of Rice

15  “The Trees Are Moving”

16  Ambush

17  Holleder’s Run

18  “The News Is All Bad”

19  The Spectacle

20  “That’s All There Is?”

21  Down with Dow

22  Moments of Decision

23  Stars and Stripes

24  “Bombing Washington”

25  Body Count

26  “Tragedy Beyond Our Words”

27  A Life’s Worth

28  Until the Angels Came

Epilogue

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index

Cast of Characters

Vietnam Story

Albin, Ray: Delta weapons platoon mortars plotter

Allen, Consuelo: Oldest daughter of Terry Allen Jr.

Allen, Jean Ponder: Wife of Terry Allen Jr.

Allen, Terry, Jr.: 2/28 Black Lions battalion commander

Allen, Terry, Sr.: World War II First Infantry Division commander

Arias, Michael: Alpha radiotelephone operator

Barrow, Clarence: Delta first sergeant

Blackwell, James: Black Lions intelligence officer

Bolen, Jackie: Delta squad leader

Breeden, Clifford: Alpha rifleman, first man killed in October 17 battle

Buentiempo, Ernest: Alpha radiotelephone operator

Bunker, Ellsworth: U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam

Burrows, George: Reconnaissance platoon rifleman

Byrd, Dwayne: Delta acting platoon leader

Cash, John A.: Military historian of October 17 battle

Colburn, Tom: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Coleman, William: First Infantry assistant division commander

Coonly, Bill and Bebe: El Paso friends of Terry Allen Jr.

Costello, Joe: Alpha grenadier

Cron, Doug: Delta rifleman from C Packet

DePuy, William: Hay’s predecessor as First Infantry Division commander

Dowling, Francis: Black Lions sergeant major

Durham, Harold (Pinky): Delta artillery forward observer

Eastman, Phil: Doctor at Ninety-third Evacuation Hospital

Edwards, Peter: Alpha platoon leader

Erwin, Bill: Reconnaissance platoon leader

Farrell, Michael: Alpha radiotelephone operator from C Packet

Gallagher, Michael: Alpha rifleman

Garcia, Melesso: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Gavin, James G.: Retired general and war critic

George, Jim: Alpha Company commander from C Packet

Giannico, Paul: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Giap, Vo Nguyen: Commander in chief of the North Vietnamese Army

Gilliam, Jim: Delta radiotelephone operator

Grady, Tom: Alpha executive officer from C Packet

Grider, Edward: Alpha rifleman

Griego, Santiago: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Grosso, Gerard: Black Lions air operations officer

Hay, John H.: First Infantry Division commander

Hinger, Tom: Alpha medic

Ho Chi Minh: Leader of North Vietnam

Holleder, Don: First Brigade operations officer, former Army football star

Johnson, Willie C.: Alpha platoon leader

Jones, Bernard Francis: Special Forces captain

Jones, James: Alpha forward observer aide

Kasik, Jim: Bravo Company commander

Kirkpatrick, Fred: Delta point man

Lam, Nguyen Van: Commander of C-1 Company, Eighty-third Rear Service Group

Landon, Gregory: Delta radiotelephone operator from C Packet

Laub, David: Delta radiotelephone operator

Locke, Eugene M.: Deputy ambassador to South Vietnam

Lovato, Joe, Jr.: Delta Company medic

Luberda, Andrew: Delta platoon leader

McGath, Bill: Delta rifleman from C Packet

McMeel, Frank: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Miller, Peter: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Mullen, Thomas V.: Alpha platoon leader

Newman, George: First Brigade commander

Phillips, Raymond: Delta radiotelephone operator

Reece, Ronnie: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Reese, Thomas: Charlie Company commander

Schroder, Jack: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Scott, Jimmy: Delta radiotelephone operator

Scott, Paul D.: Delta radiotelephone operator

Sena, Faustin: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Shelton, Jim: Black Lions operations officer

Sikorski, Daniel: Delta machine gunner and squad leader

Sikorski, Diane: Danny’s little sister in Milwaukee

Sloan, John: Black Lions operations officer

Smith, Mark: Reconnaissance platoon sergeant

Stroup, David: Delta platoon leader

Tallent, Doug: Delta weapons platoon from C Packet

Taylor, Mike: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Thompson, Gerald: Delta squad leader

Tizzio, Pasquale: Black Lions radiotelephone operator

Triet, Vo Minh: VC First Regiment deputy commander

Troyer, Mike: Delta rifleman from C Packet

Valdez, José: Alpha first sergeant

Warner, Terry: Delta weapons sergeant from C Packet

Welch, A. Clark: Delta Company commander

Westmoreland, William C.: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, commander

Weyand, Frederick C.: III Corps commander

Woodard, Carl: Alpha squad leader

Wisconsin Story

Archer, Sandra: San Francisco Mime Troupe actor

Bablitch, William: UW law student and demonstration observer

Beutel, A. P. (Dutch): Washington lobbyist for Dow Chemical Company

Boll, James: Dane County district attorney

Brandes, Stuart: History doctoral student and observer

Brandt, E. N.: Dow Chemical Company director of public relations

Brotman, Jane: UW freshman from New Jersey

Bunn, Peter: UW assistant dean of students

Center, Charles: UW business school professor