From the Editor:

Chapter member and author Greg Walker pens a heartfelt and important article about the struggle still to be faced by many returning veterans and remembers old friends.

Believe it or not, it is October again, and here is your final reminder and information for SOAR in Las Vegas.

Bob Baker’s “Intelligence Ignored” is centered on the 1972 Easter Offensive, a push to grab as much land as possible before peace talks by the NVA. Unfortunately, accurate predictions of the scope and timing of expected events were provided but not disseminated to the proper people. That mistake cost many lives due to a lack of preparation that could have been made.

A worthwhile, but impossible, task is that of doing a thorough book review about Steve Sherman et al’s 14-book series, Indochina in the Year of…, so I selected one book as a shining example to review and include just one of the stellar articles. 1970 The Year of the Dog covered most of when I was in Vietnam and Cambodia. Each absorbing article had a plethora of information critical to understanding what was going on in Indochina at that time. It turned out to be both scholarly and easy reading—a real wealth of knowledge.

A very brief summary of each of the rest of the series is included, along with a link where you can find the table of contents for each book along with a deal for the entire series.

“William E. Colby,” by Lewis Sorley, is about one of the most effective men to tackle how to succeed in Vietnam. Bill was one of us, serving on a Jedburgh team in the OSS in WWII. That was a perfect prelude to helping the Vietnamese take charge of their country again through the pacification process. Many of us were contributors to that very successful effort, each in our own unique way. Bill went on to head the CIA for three years and got the Agency back on track with the recognition it deserved.

In “Thailand CPR,” chapter member Bob Reed relates another fascinating on-the-ground account of his dental CAPs in Thailand. One might not think that a dentist would be likely to be called on to perform CPR, but for one fortunate soldier, it was one of many things Bob and others would be called upon to do to keep him alive.

We learn about our ever-expanding YouTube channel from Debra Holm, our honorary chapter member, master of our website and social media platforms, and graphic artist for the Sentinel. She also explains how to make the most of YouTube and how to subscribe to the channel.

Thanks in part to our local U.S. Representative, Lou Correa, the Veterans Housing Assistance Program has received a million-dollar grant from the federal government to help it accomplish its mission of helping veterans.

And please enjoy our chapter meeting pictures.

How Miller
Sentinel Editor