Swift Sword

The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967

De: Doyle Glass

Narrado por: Tim H. Dixon

Monday, September 4, 1967.

Marine Lance Corporal Jack Swan crested the face of a bare, rocky knoll in the Que Son Valley of South Vietnam. Following Swan were the 164 Marines of Mike Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. Their mission was to locate and rescue two understrength and isolated companies of felow Marines who were under attack by the North Vietnamese Army. The sight of a quiet and serene rice paddy and shrub covered valley greeted Swan. Too serene, he thought, as he caught sight of a trembling bush.

"I think I just saw that bush move!" He shouted.

"If it moves again, shoot it!" His squad leader commanded.

Then, hell on Earth broke loose. Rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47 fire, mortars, and machine guns engulfed the exposed Marines. The vaunted Second NVA Division, six thousand, five hundred men strong and expertly camouflaged, had sprung their well-laid trap. Instead of coming to the rescue of their embattled comrades, it was now the men of Mike 3/5 who were about to be annihilated. Burdened with a rifle, the M16, that would often malfunction, how could they hope to beat back a vastly superior foe bent on their destruction?

Outnumbered, out-gunned, and exposed, would any of the men of Mike 3/5 survive?

©2014 Doyle Glass (P)2023 Doyle Glass

Crime Scene

This was not the scene of a battle, but a crime scene. Whoever had a hand in having the Marines field that deathtrap of a weapon should have been thrown in prison. Armalite or whomever profited from the sale of that worthless piece of crap should have been prosecuted. Good men died trying to defend themselves with a Joke. The Marines should have immediately reissued the M-14 to rifle after this.

Incredible story

This book puts you in the action, the craziness, the heroism, the ecstatic visions, the fog of war. Balanced with retrospectives from both sides, after stories of the participants. Amazingly researched. Wept many times.

Powerful Narrative

I knew about Operation Swift but not to the level of detail described in this book. It is a hard listen but worth it. Fr. Vincent Capodanno has been a personal hero of mine throughout my adult life. And there are others in this story whose actions are also incredibly heroic. I would recommend this to anyone willing to read it or listen to it

bravery, courage and sacrifice

The unvarnished stories of our Marines in a desperate battle. The follow up of the survivors was very impressive and informative.

Well organized and well told

This is really a terrific account from several different angles of a horrific and historic operation told through the eyes of those who lived through it.. Very well done sir. Also, thank you for not using artificial intelligence to narrate this wonderful book and ruin it for me.