KILL ZONE

We were going to die. It was Vietnam 1968. My soldiers and I fought back. We improvised. We adjusted. We quickly learned what we needed to learn. We survived.

By: Michael D. Miller

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

We were a task force of 60 soldiers who were sent to an area of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam to build schools in poor rural villages. Their schools had been destroyed in WWII and these poor farmers were desperate to educate their children. There was great appreciation for our work. However, as you can imagine, the Viet Cong were determined to stop us.
The Viet Cong launched attacks to stop us. It became clear that we were going to die. It was Vietnam 1968. My soldiers and I fought back. We improvised. We adjusted. We quickly learned what we needed to learn. We survived. The Viet Cong’s Kill Zone was our biggest threat. So we mastered the concept of the Kill Zone. Later in life I realized that Vietnam had taught us about life. There is always a Kill Zone. But if you know to spot it, you can learn to survive and prevail. Just like Vietnam! Mastering the concept of the Kill Zone is a Mindset that will serve you well!
By the way, I was the first captain in the US Army ever to receive the Legion of Merit.

The Viet Cong were frustrated by their inability to destroy the "school builders". Their ambushes hadn't worked. We had a really effective ambush defense system. This kept us out of their ambush "Kill Zones". Their nighttime base camp attacks had failed (we had 42 base camp attacks). Snipers couldn't touch us. My anti-ambush convoy procedures thwarted their efforts to ambush us. Eventually they placed a bounty on my head. This was a dubious distinction. I was the only US Army officer within 50 miles to have this happen. But it was a great affirmation that our school building program was working; it showed the local people that we were there to help them. We were winning! We built 18 schools. They still operate today.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: "If you haven't found anything worth dying for, you haven't really lived". In Vietnam, with the school building program of Task Force Builder, my men and I had found something worth dying for.
General Douglas MacArthur once said, "Only in combat can men experience the ultimate love and camaderie of the human experience. Only in combat can mankind rise to the highest levels of spiritual existence."
I believe that my men and I achieved this in Vietnam in 1968.

Wisdom & Humility

Exceptionally emotional and moving retrospective of the RVN war by a true patriot and leader. I was in III Corp in ‘67-68 — wounded during TET and witnessed similar disappointments with ethically challenged officers.
Mike was obviously one of the exceptional officers who dedicated himself to his men and missions with skill and dedication not often enough seen. Like Mike, I left the Army as a young officer disillusioned with the gap between the ideals drilled into my being during training and the crushing disappointments serving under senior officers unworthy of their authority.
I am grateful Mike took the time to share his story of Task Force Builder — dedication to mission and each other — respect for one another was inspiring.
Welcome Home Brother!

Dull story that seemed to repeat itself.

The artificial intelligence (AI) didn’t know what some abbreviations meant! The voice sounded real, but words were mis pronounced.