Sign Here for Sacrifice - The Untold Story of the Third Battalion, 506th Airborne, Vietnam 1968

Sign Here for Sacrifice - The Untold Story of the Third Battalion,

506th Airborne, Vietnam 1968 written by Ian Gardner and published

by Osprey Publishing - £25 - Hardback - Pages 304

 A hard-hitting history of the U.S. airborne unit that made a name for

themselves in the unforgiving jungles of South Vietnam.

“It was easier killing than living.” Third Battalion 506th Airborne veteran

Drawing on interviews with veterans, many of whom have never gone on the record before, Ian Gardner follows up his epic trilogy about the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II with the story of the unit's reactivation at the height of the Vietnam War. This is the dramatic history of a band of brothers who served together in Vietnam and who against the odds lived up to the reputation of their World War II forefathers.

Brigadier General Salve Matheson's idea was to create an 800-strong battalion of airborne volunteers in the same legendary “Currahee” spirit that had defined the volunteers of 1942. The man he chose to lead them was John Geraci, who would mold this young brotherhood into a highly cohesive and motivated force.

In December 1967, the battalion was sent into the Central Highlands of Lam Dong Province. Geraci and his men began their Search and Destroy patrols, which coincided with the North Vietnamese build-up to the Tet Offensive and was a brutal introduction to the reality of a dirty, bloody war. Gardner reveals how it was here that the tenacious volunteers made their mark, just like their predecessors had done in Normandy, and the battalion was ultimately awarded a Valorous Unit Citation. This book shows how and why this unit was deserving of that award, recounting their daily sanguinary struggle in the face of a hostile environment and a determined enemy.

Through countless interviews and rare personal photographs, Sign Here for Sacrifice shows the action, leadership, humor and bravery displayed by these airborne warriors.

Sign Here for Sacrifice is a book that follows the 506th Airbourne, as they enter the Vietnam War, the book follows various characters throughout the unit, their exploits, challenges, raids, skirmishes and fighting the Vietnamese. This unit of men are a mixed group of various backgrounds and characteristics but the book does feature predominantly the leadership roles. The operations and events are very described and it does give you that feeling of being a part of the action and conflict, the book feels very well researched by the author Ian Gardner.

As someone who usually reads about WWII rather than the Vietnam war, I found it to be a good book about the conflict and I found it being a newbie to the subject quite revealing, although in my opinion not quite as good a good WWII book. I would most certainly recommend this book and if you bag is the Vietnam War you’ll really enjoy this book.