Six Silent Men...Book Three: 101st LRP / Rangers [Paperback]

"The Eyes and Ears of the Screaming Eagles . . ."

By 1969, the NVA had grown more experienced at countering the tactics of the long range patrols, and SIX SILENT MEN: Book Three describes some of the fiercest fighting Lurps saw during the war. Based on his own experience and extensive interviews with other combat vets of the 101st's Lurp companies, Gary Linderer writes this final, heroic chapter in the seven bloody years that Lurps served God and country in Vietnam. These tough young warriors--grossly outnumbered and deep in enemy territory--fought with the guts, tenacity, and courage that have made them legends in the 101st.Gary A. Linderer is the publisher of Behind the Lines, a magazine that specializes in U.S. military special operations. In Vietnam, he served with the Lurps of the 101st Airborne Division, earning two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star with V device (for valor), the Army Commendation Medal with V device, and two Purple Hearts. His two earlier books were selected by the Military Book Club.On February 1, 1969, thirteen Long Range Patrol (LRP) and Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) companies and detachments serving throughout the Republic of South Vietnam were summarily deactivated by the Department of the Army. Simultaneously, the Department of the Army activated the first thirteen letter companies of the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger). There was no fanfare, no parades, no physical transfer of unit personnel, no change of command, no relocation, no turn-in or reissuance of weapons, gear, and equipment, and no additional training. It was little more than a paper transaction conducted under the auspices of military protocol that affected only unit designation, unit heritage, and the exchange of one unauthorized shoulder scroll for another.
 
The units affected were small groups of volunteers, most between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. But they were warriors who prosecuted their war deep behind enemy lines. They folĂ2