Ron C. Wood

Vietnam: Remembrances of a Native American Soldier Ron C. Wood

Vietnam: Remembrances of a Native American Soldier is about the recollections of a young Native American soldier who served eighteen months in Vietnam as a MACV advisory team radio operator in 1966-68. Camp An Phu was an isolated, former, Special Forces A Team camp near the Cambodian border. During this time, he had extensive contact with rural Vietnamese civilians and soldiers. From his unique perspective, he developed a sympathetic view of the life struggles that the Vietnamese people endured on a daily basis. This book tells of the hardships, humor, love, and death of these Vietnamese and their American advisors. During the time period, 1966 to 68, I spent 18 months in Vietnam as a US Army radio operator at a remote advisory team camp on the Cambodian border living with and advising Vietnamese soldiers. As part of an eight-man American team, we interacted with the Vietnamese on a daily basis and had little contact with American forces. As a Native American soldier, I looked like a tall Vietnamese soldier and was sometimes mistaken for one. Over 18 months, I became very familiar with Vietnamese soldiers and civilians and their lifestyle.