“Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts”

“Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts” is the story of how in January 1969, David Hackworth is brought to Viet Nam from the United States to “fix” (p. 1) the 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry of the 9th Division. It is the story of how the 4/39th went from a demoralized and dispirited infantry battalion to one of the top rated hardcore Battalions in the Army (p. 3).

The book is written in the first account. Colonel Hackworth and Ms. England rely upon his memories of the time spent with the 4/39th as well as interviews conducted with former member of the Battalion who served under him from January through May of 1969. They also used material from U.S. Army records (p. 437). Pseudonyms were used for some people to “preclude

embarrassing those who didn’t always shine and/or to protect their families from any discomfort (p. 440).”

Colonel Hackworth writes about how he transforms a poorly trained, inept group of soldiers into an effective fighting force. He writes of dealing with the harsh conditions, terrain and climate of the Mekong Delta, lack of adequate leadership and the poor attitude of the soldiers not

The 9th infantry Division’s chief of staff was bird Colonel Ira Augustus Hunt whom, the Army considered one of their best and brightest. Colonel Hackworth considered him useless (p. 2). The two men go head to head more than once during Hackworth’s stay with the 4/39th. Hunt is out for glory, headlines and medals and has no regard for the safety or well being of the troops, which Hackworth clearly shows in detail (p. 155-172).

Soldiers had difficulty telling the “good guys from the bad guys” (p. 16). The Viet Cong were not just men; they were women and children, young and old (p. 367). In the Delta they didn’t normally wear military uniforms and intentionally mixed in with the civilians. This gave them the advantage of ditching weapons quickly and being able to blend in with the population (p. 16). Sometimes this led to the killing of innocent victims (p. 266, 367). The hatred of the Vietnamese amongst the men was high, not only for the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese but also for the ARVN who where fighting along with the U.S., “We fought their war while they watched” (p. 129). Day after

Colonel Hackworth believed that the 4/39th could be the best if they were properly motivated, trained, cared for and led. He made a point of talking with all new replacements and getting to know the men who served under him. He would take routine walks around the FB to visit and asses the troops, feeling that it was important for the men to know that their leader did care about them and would be with them when the bullets started flying (p. 58). He would also go on routine patrols to asses the leaders. Hackworth felt that most of the leaders were well trained, but not trained to fight insurgents (p. 60). The book details his efforts to teach the men how to fight an unconventional war. He stresses taking care of their men, train them and let them know you care about them, and in return you will earn their trust and respect and they will fight with you (p. ) Hackworth made it clear that he cared about his men from the lowest of soldier up, (p. 42), and that his commanders and staff had “better well look after them (p. 42)”.

Some topics in this essay:
Colonel Hackworth, Viet Cong, Mekong Delta, Ms England, Hackworth FB, Brigade Commander, Vietnamese Army, Unit Citation, Fire Base, United State’s, colonel hackworth, viet cong, mekong delta, body counts, north vietnamese, fire base, viet cong north, david hackworth, endorse report, cong north, 9th division, battalion 39th infantry, infantry 9th division, 4th battalion 39th, bullets started flying,