Defend and Befriend: The U.S. Marine Corps and Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam

Acknowledgments

153 Acknowledgments I owe a sincere debt of gratitude to numerous people in the history department at Texas Tech University for helping me complete my doctorate degree and this book: Laura Calkins, Lynne Fallwell, Randy McBee, Justin Hart, and Patricia Pelley. Each of them offered either personal or academic support far beyond the realm of their job descriptions. I would also like to thank Jim Reckner for his encouragement over the years to continue my pursuit of military history. I will forever treasure our private conversations about the subject and profession of history, a truly enlightening experience. I am also grateful for Larry Berman’s advice and suggestions on preparing this manuscript for publication. Ron Milam deserves the utmost credit for propelling me through graduate school and my manuscript. He always put my concerns ahead of his own. Moreover, Ron’s office was my main stop for nonhistory conversations , providing much-needed social relief. Ron is perhaps the most popular professor among undergraduate and graduate students alike at Texas Tech. His immense knowledge of the Vietnam War is surpassed only by his respect and appreciation for his students. Several employees at the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech also deserve my recognition. During the summer of 2007, I studied abroad in Vietnam, courtesy of the Vietnam Center. This life-changing experience would not have happened without the Vietnam Center. Le Kang Khanh was an absolute lifesaver during our travels, spearheading linguistic transactions with the Vietnamese. Steve Maxner, the director of the Vietnam Center, organized the trip and for the past five years has 154 Acknowledgments provided assistance with research and letters of recommendation. Kelly Crager’s advice on interviewing CAP veterans was an enormous help. Also, I would like to thank the employees of the Vietnam Archive, most notably Amy Hooker, for their research assistance. I would also like to thank Peter Worthing at Texas Christian University , where I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees. I credit Peter with helping me make my choice to turn a love of history into a career. He graciously took much time out of his schedule to improve my skills as a historian in training. His unmatched love and passion for history is infectious, which has an enormous impact on students who have had the fantastic opportunity to work with him. In 2010 and 2011, I had the distinct honor of interviewing veterans of the Combined Action Program at their annual reunions. I was blown away by their sincerity, friendliness, and generosity. A special thank you to Fred Caleffie, Michael Noa, Jose Molina, Jay Baxter, Mike Murphy , Paul Kaupus, Gary Evins, Pat Morris, Jerry Gonnell, Robert Averrill , Richard Thunhorst, Bryan Haddock, Bob Nation, Ron Schaedel, Bill Bennington, Mike Smith, Tom Morton, and Bill LeFevre and his wife, Sandy, for making my experiences at the reunions memorable. I also am greatly indebted to Nick Duguid, Robert Holm, Tim Duffie, Rick Groulx, Tom Harvey, Douglass Reed, Roger Marty, Channing Prothro, Robert Hall, and Ron Titus for providing photographs. A special thank you also to the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Foundation , which awarded me with a fellowship that allowed me to travel to Washington, DC, and Quantico, Virginia, to complete my research. The staff at the Alfred Gray Research Center offered timesaving advice and suggestions, maximizing the efficiency of my research visits. It has been a pleasure working with the University Press of Kentucky. Everyone at the press involved with publishing this book exuded muchappreciated alacrity. Press director Steve Wrinn expressed enthusiasm and confidence in my work, and Allison Webster, assistant to the director, exemplified promptness and professionalism throughout the publication process. Kyle Longley and Kathryn Barbier read the manuscript and provided perceptive commentary that improved the final manuscript. Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my family. My parents , Dan and Kari Southard, have wholeheartedly supported my choice to become a historian. After three years as a business major, I chose to Acknowledgments 155 prolong my undergraduate education in order to receive enough history credits to apply for graduate school. My parents never even remotely questioned that choice. Many of my own students’ desires to attend graduate school in history are undermined by parents who want them to be doctors or lawyers. My parents have given moral and financial support to allow me to achieve my goal of becoming a historian. Words cannot describe how much they mean...