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Infantry has been the decisive force on every battlefield
throughout history.
The words dominated the Vietnam War and dominated me once upon a time.
Infantry in Vietnam was often carried into battle by helicopter in
Vietnam. The infantry’s mission was the same as it had been for
centuries – close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver in order
to destroy or capture him or to repel his assault by fire, close combat,
and counterattack.
Most believed the war as fought by guerrillas using hit-and-run tactics.
The reality was that most battles were fought from entrenched fortified
positions. Enemy forces assaulted U.S. fire bases and when U.S. forces
assaulted enemy positions, the fighting was intense. The statistics for
U.S. combat divisions indicate that casualties were as high as or higher
than those in the Korean War or in World War II. This was the reality of
an infantryman in Vietnam.
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