Days of Valor

Days of Valor tells the story of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, a major combat unit of the US Army that served in the Vietnam War. The brigade was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was sent out to Vietnam in December 1966. In January 1968, the 199th were conducting an operation in Bien Hoa Province, scouring the sector for NVA personnel, when the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive. This sudden offensive caught the US Army completely by surprise. The Viet Cong attacked all of the major cities in South Vietnam and 58 major towns. The Communist forces had considerable success in Huéand Saigon. Armed with rockets, mortars, Chinese claymores, mines, machine guns and AK-47s, the Viet Cong were able to force the 199th onto the back foot.Many of the characters described in this book did not make it home, and the narrative gives the reader a vivid impression of what it must have been like to fight in this horrific war. The author was a company commander during these battles, and he has interviewed many of the soldiers of the 199th who fought in this bloody conflict.Days of Valor is a no-holds-barred account of the Tet Offensive, and reveals the shocking reality of what young US soldiers faced. The Tet Offensive was the turning point of the Vietnam War. It was a huge propaganda victory for the Viet Cong, and the beginning of the end for the US in Vietnam.About the AuthorRobert L Tonsetic is Vietnam veteran and author of Forsaken Warriors (Casemate, 2009).