Links
CAP & Degar Sites & Articles
Tim Duffie's CAPVet site was one of the first, and the most comprehensive, but unfortunately is no longer kept up.
The Montagnard Dega Association.
Save the Montagnard People (STMP).
Steve Harrison - pictures of the Dega tribes.
USMC Historical Reference - Civic Action Effort in Vietnam March 1956 - March 1966.
Peter Brush - Civic Action: The Marine Corps Experience in Vietnam.
MAJ C. L. Williamson III. The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Program.
Marine Special Operations Command Heritage section # 13 "Vietnam Conflict, 1961-1975", a writeup about CAP/CAC. (You have to scroll down to the Vietnam section.)
MSgt Gene Hays (USMC, Ret.) is the author of six books including "Civic Action, Marines Fighting a Different War in Vietnam"about his service in Vietnam with the MAG-12 Civic Action Team in Chu Lai during the last 9 months of 1968, which interacted with 1st CAG units around Chu Lai. He is also writing a book about CAP and CUPP units, and is looking for personal recollections. For more details, see the Bulletin Board or his Amazon site.
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh Veterans' Association
Mike Fishbaugh's site - includes Khe Sanh material.
An interesting account of the battle from the University of Florida's Interactive Media Lab which includes the Vietnamese point of view.
PBS program on KS - includes an interesting account by Bruce M. Geiger, an Army officer attached to the Marines at Khe Sanh and others.
3 / 26 - http://www.326marines.org - Story of the "Ghost Patrol" of Third Platoon of Bravo 1/26 -- -- includes several first-hand accounts, and a description of the action from the NVA point of view obtained from their records.
The Khe Sanh Peace Garden is being built on the site of the former combat base by both American and Vietnamese veterans, and is dedicated to the men of both sides who fought and fell at Khe Sanh.
Military Records
Getting your military records copied, updated, etc., has always been a long and difficult process. HQMC no longer handles these matters, nor do they handle changing or correction of records. This is all now centered in the NPRC (National Personnel Records Center). As the section dealing with records is now using three clerks to deal with well over a thousand requests, don't plan to get anything done immediately. If you need or want your military records, plan ahead However, veterans and next of kin can now use an online system at the National Personnel Records Center to request documents, including the DD 214.
VA, Agent Orange, PTSD, and other Veteran's Health Issues
VA Watchdog site by Larry King - contains many things of interest, and resource links.
Asbestos-Related illnesses
Many buildings, ships and vehicles (including those owned or operated by the US government) once contained asbestos, a naturally-occurring fire-retardant substance that was used in the building process.
If you served at sea in an older vessel, or ashore in one of these older ships or buildings, you may have been exposed to asbestos. Therefore you should be on the alert for symptoms of asbestos-related illnesses. Among these are lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma, all of which develop in the lungs.
The VA offers services for this condition if you have a service connected exposure. If you have exhibited symptoms of any of these conditions, you should contact your primary care physician immediately.
Other Vietnam Web Sites
Edwin E. Moïse and Clemson University offer this amazing and well-organized bibliographical compendium, the Vietnam War Bibliography.
Songs of Americans in the Vietnam War - an interesting collection of music fconnected with the war by Dr. Lydia Fish, a professor of Anthropology at Buffalo State University. If you scroll down, you'll see a photo of me playing the bagpipes at Camp Evans (Co Bi Than Tan), while stationed there with HQ 3/12.
An excellent "one-stop shopping" site for Command Chronologies and other official records of many USMC units serving in Vietnam. MSGT Raymond Backstrom, USMC (Ret.) has done an outstanding job of gathering records, and is in the process of adding maps and other records. If you have any you would like to share, please contact him at: http://www.recordsofwar.com/vietnam/usmc/USMC_Rvn.htm
MACV-SOG is an excellent site for material related to that program with many photos and info. Those in (or interested in) SOG will find it useful.
2nd Bn., 5th Marines has been very helpful in a search for info on one of their Marines, the late Peter Nee.
Memorial Sites
Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D. C.
A memorial site focused on Arlington Cemetery. (Not part of the official Arlington site, but very well done.)
The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial (aka The Wall)
The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund (The people who funded, built, and help maintain the Wall and raise funds for its preservation and maintenance).
National WW II Memorial, Washington, D. C.
The Women In Military Service For America Memorial in Washington, D.C., gives well-deserved and long overdue recognition to the women who have served America in war and peace.
A general guide to several veterans' memorials and monuments.
Other Marine and Veteran Links
The Leatherneck Bar - During our recent Oscar Co. Reunion in Las Vegas, we met at the truly memorable and outstanding Leatherneck Bar, home of the Marine Corps League Detachment of Las Vegas.
The owners and staff (“Ghost" and “Google” Kathy, “Asia", et al) kindly provided us with a place to meet, a staff for our guidon, a large flat-screen TV to watch the photo slide-show I put together, and some excellent food, drink and service. They went far "above and beyond" the call of duty to ensure we were comfortable and to ensure our meeting went splendidly.
They also have a fine USMC “mini-museum” running the length of the room on both sides, ranging from WW I through Iraq. It is reputed to be the best Marine Museum West of the Mississippi, and it certainly lives up to that reputation.
Thanks to their kindness and generosity, and the able and unstinting assistance of our honored guest, Dave Hansen, a former dust-off med-evac pilot involved with the Soldiers Sanctuary and Khe Sanh Peace Garden projects (see above), we had a pleasant afternoon where the men (and their families!) could get together for quiet chats, reminiscences, and renewing old friendships while making new ones.
"Heaven's Pavement" is not a CAP-related book, but it is a gritty portrayal of an Airborne unit in the Second World War. The author was a friend of mine, the late Juarez Roberts, who was then a paratrooper in the 507th, and fought with them from the first jump into Normandy all the way to Combat Varsity and the end of the war. Available at Amazon.com in both print and Kindle edition.
(Note: As with all links and reviews on this site and others, I receive no financial or material reward or incentives of any kind. They are posted because I have personal experience of them and / or their products, and think they are good quality and might be of interest to our readers.)
Glen Celt is a site for those with Celtic interests.
Glen Quilts is a website dedicated to quilting and fiber arts. Lisa did a great job in helping me make a quilt to commemorate the fight on Hill 471 (mentioned in the "In Memoriam" section). This quilt was later displayed at the SOA Reunion in Las Vegas, NV some years ago, and was then passed around in turn among the survivors of the action, who also received a smaller personalized version for themselves. It was later donated to and displayed in the Special Forces Museum in Ft. Bragg, NC.
(Note: This site represents the result of many years of investigative work and research. I have tried to be as accurate throughout as possible, but there is no such thing as 100% perfect. In cases where I was not present, I have relied on the accounts of those who were present and / or official records, correspondence, statements from comrades, their friends and family, and other sources. Statements, quotes, poems, or any material other than my own reflect the views of those who made them. Neither this author nor this site assumes any responsibility for any errata made in good faith, nor for any of the views expressed other than my own. All the photos, documents, text, and other materials are copyright, and they belong solely to the authors, photographers, etc., who retain all rights to the materials. All material is copyright, and may not be used without express written permission of the owners or their heirs and assigns. All material used with the express permission of the owners, who are named where known. Unattributed material will be attributed when the owner contacts me. I receive no financial or material reward or incentives of any kind for any reviews or links on this site. They are posted because I have personal experience of them and / or their products, and think they are good quality and might be of interest to our readers. Your contact information will NEVER be used for solicitation by us, nor will it be traded, hired, lent, sold or otherwise distributed. You will only be contacted if you request us to do so.)