Nationalist in the Viet Nam Wars: Memoirs of a Victim Turned Soldier

Title Page, Frontispiece, Copyright, Dedication

Nationalist in the Viet Nam Wars Gulf of Thailand South China Sea Gulf of Tonkin M e k o n g Dao Phu Quoc Cu Lao Re Cu Lao Cham Hainan Dao Bach Long Vi Dao Cai Bau C H I N A L A O S T H A I L A N D C A M B O D I A Camp 5 Camp 6 Lang Son Lai Chau Dien Bien Phu Yen Bai Hoa Binh Vinh Yen Nam Dinh Ha Dong Hong Gai Vinh Hue Tam Ky An Diem Quang Ngai Ninh Hoa Dong Xoai Da Lat Sai Gon Long Xuyen Chau Doc Ca Mau Bac Lieu Can Tho Tan An Tra Vinh Mekong Delta Mekong Delta Soc Trang Rach Gia U Minh Ha Tien Cao Lanh Thanh Hoa Haiphong Dien Chau Quynh Luu Ky Son Thanh Phong Nghe An Ron Dong Hoi Quang Tri Dong Ha North 17th Parallel Da Nang Ban Me Thuot Gia Nghia Loc Ninh Dac To Dak Pek Phu Cu pass Phu Bon Plei Me Song Cau An Khe Bong Son My Lai Kon Tum Pleiku Qui Nhon Tuy Hoa Xuan Phuoc Nha Trang Cam Ranh Phan Rang-Thap Cham Phan Thiet Ham Tan Vung Tau My Tho Ben Tre Vinh Long Bien Hoa Thu Dau Mot Tay Ninh Ha Tinh Thai Binh Phat Diem Bui Chu Ninh Binh Pingxiang Son La Ha Giang Camp Cong Troi Con Son (Poulo Condor) Lao Cai DMZ Vientiane Ha Noi Phnom Penh Bangkok VIETNAM Ho Chi Minh Trail International Boundary Road River National Capital 0 0 50 100 Kilometers 100 Miles 50 Nationalist in theViet NamWars Memoirs of a Victim Tur ned Soldier • Nguyễn Công Luận Indiana University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 USA iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931© 2012 by Nguyễn Công Luận All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system , without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-inPublication Data Nguyễn Công Luận, [date] Nationalist in the Viet Nam wars : memoirs of a victim turned soldier / Nguyễn Công Luận. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-253-35687-1 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-00548-9 (ebook ) 1. Nguyễn Công Luận, [date] 2. Vietnam (Republic). Quân lực— Officers—Biography. 3. Political prisoners —Vietnam—Biography. 4. Political refugees—Vietnam—Biography. 5. Indochinese War, 1946–1954—Personal narratives, Vietnamese. 6. Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Personal narratives, Vietnamese. 7. Vietnam—History— 1945–1975. 8. Vietnam—History— 1975– I. Title. DS556.93.N5215A3 2012 959.704’3092—dc23 [B] 2011024044 1 2 3 4 5 17 16 15 14 13 12 Publication of this book is made possible in part with the assistance of a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency that supports research, education, and public programming in the humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In memory of warriors from all sides who were killed, wounded, or recorded as missing while fighting the wars they believed would bring freedom and prosperity to Việt Nam This page intentionally left blank ...