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Once the foundation had been laid, the book jumped quickly into the story of the battle. Here are a few examples of the most memorable short stories told in the book. Lt Herrik's platoon was among the first eighty men that landed; they were referred to as the lost platoon. Once they were on the ground they spotted an enemy solider and pursued him into the jungle in the hopes of capturing him alive for interrogation. The chase lead the platoon away from the battalion and once battle broke out they were separated an on their own. The enemy quickly surrounded the platoon. To compound the problem, their captain and medic were among the first killed in battle. Without leadership, medical treatment or supplies the chance of survival was slim. The soldiers recited their personal account of the grueling twenty-six hours spent lying low, dodging bullets, and relying on their own sheer will and cunning to live. It was emotional. The platoon began with twenty-nine men, remarkably twenty men survived. Nine died, thirteen were wounded and seven were untouched. The author brought the terror these men felt to the reader through their own short stories.
It was a bloody battle, both sides suffered heavy causalities. The 1st battalion went into battle with approximately five hundred and fifty men. In the first three days during X-ray seventy-eight Americans lost their lives, one hundred and twenty one were wounded with zero MIA. The enemy lost eight hundred and thirty four from combat and an estimated twelve hundred more from air strikes. .
In late September 1965 the 1st Cavalry Division shipped out of Ft. Benning, GA and into its Base Camp at An Khe in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. In late October of 1965 the troops of 1st brigade were sent into battle after a large North Vietnamese force attacked the Plei Me Special Forces camp. The enemy was fought off and in early November 3rd Brigade replaced the 1stBrigade.
