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Beskrivelse
An historical novel of romance and hardship set during the Vietnam War. A new Army lieutenant leaves his fiancé to serve at an obscure air force base in Thailand where the love for his sweetheart clashes with his attraction to a dazzling Thai beauty. Serving in the Corps of Engineers, he joins an epic construction project reminiscent of The Bridge on the River Kwai. Their mission is in support of the air war to destroy the supply lines of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Unsure of his leadership ability, he relies on the experience of seasoned soldiers while struggling against grueling schedules, homesickness, overwhelming weather, and demoralizing protests against them back home. Follow their successes and failures as they balance their commitment to service with their uncertainty about the purpose and reasons for the war. Set in time just after the first Vietnamese Tet Offensive of 1968, Ted Walker leaves behind his elderly grandmother who raised him; and the girl he loves and plans to marry when he returns. He finds himself living in a mud camp for months while his unit constructs a more permanent facility. Thai house girls provided maid service for Army personnel, and Ted's house girl is an extraordinary beauty. He experiences an unexpected attraction to her kind and gentle ways, and blameless admiration develops between them. The 809th Engineers work more than a year to upgrade a road leading to a small air base known as Nakhon Phanom, or NKP as the airmen of the 56th Special Operations Wing called it. The dedicated airmen of NKP fly exhausting missions and risk their lives to rescue downed pilots and to stop the flow of supplies on the major arteries of the Trail. This is a fraction of their story at NKP. Dozens of stories have been told and films have been made about the combat soldier in Vietnam. This story is about just one about the thousands of men and women who served in a support role. In 1969, the ratio of individuals assigned to support men in direct combat has been estimated at 10 to 1. The number of troops in Vietnam peaked at about 550,000 in 1969, which means nearly half a million served in support. Ordinary people became soldiers. They left their jobs, families, sweethearts and homes. Whether they were part of the majority that volunteered for service, or whether they were drafted, they faced the disheartening scorn of protests against them at home. Many servicemen felt orphaned by their own country and in conflict with their own generation. For most, their individual contributions were routine, but their dedication was extraordinary, and they came to realize that they gave the highest order of service to their country.
