Jungle Combat

The Truth about the Vietnam War...this book is different because it is written in real time, not upon reflection.

Those of us who fought in the Vietnam jungles — who bled, suffered and watched our friends die — share an experience that is difficult to decipher, and whose implications are still hotly debated. It was, I am convinced, the definitive experience that has shaped the mindset of my generation. Many of us have struggled for a long time to come to terms with the legacy of Vietnam, and some of us have dealt with it better than others. In my case, it took a long time.

Committing this story to paper has helped me come to terms with the war, and to put it in focus. It has become commonplace to describe the conflict there as a defeat, but those of us who took part in it have difficulty with that. We were never bested on the battlefield. Every time the enemy stood up to challenge us, we took the worst he had to offer and returned it with interest.

It is generally held that the celebrated Tet Offensive was a great communist victory that proved to be the turning point in the war. The reality on the field was that Tet was a debacle for the Viet Cong, after which they were never again able to maintain a viable presence in the field. One more such victory, and the North Vietnamese would have likewise been reduced to impotence.

Yet we were the ones who withdrew, not because we were defeated on the battlefield, but because of a failure of will among our political leadership. For a variety of reasons, the Vietnam conflict provoked a divisive cataclysm that ripped our society apart, and shook our nation to its very foundation.

For me, the final evacuation was terrible humiliation. I thought of the brave men who had given their lives in the cause. Turning our backs and running away seemed to dishonor their sacrifice. It ran contrary to everything I had ever held fast and believed in, a betrayal of my values and heritage.
- Colonel John “Ace” Astle U.S.M.C. (Ret.)

Gemma is the daughter of creative and entrepreneurial first generation Italian/American parents. Growing up as the youngest of 4 and spending her youth working in the family restaurant business, she learned a lot about business and people. After graduating college, she enjoyed a career in commodity futures trading for nineteen years while living in Manhattan and Chicago. On a snowy evening visiting her sister, she met the man of her dreams. Soon after, Gemma relocated and married Mike off the 18th hole on Pebble Beach in Monterey, California. She happily and creatively lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania and writes books about people and circumstances. After meeting and becoming friends with John over the past 18 years, Gemma was and remains impressed with his military stories about his heroism and that of his military brothers. She felt compelled to put his words to print, and to share with others who wore the uniform, who served, and who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedom.

Battle of Ia Drang, Commanding Officer of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" - Book by Co-Authors Joseph L. Galloway & Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Movie.