THE UNSUNG HEROES OF VIETNAM: THE FEW, THE PROUD … THE TRUCKERS
This is the story of Zeke Hammond, a baby boomer, who joined the Marine Corps and drove a 26-wheeler in the DaNang area and on convoys into “Indian Country” where danger lurked around every corner.
Truck drivers in Vietnam, regardless of their branch of service, were the unsung heroes of the war. They risked life and limb in support of American and allied operations against Viet Cong insurgents and North Vietnamese Army regulars, bringing food, water, ammo and supplies, often under fire, to far-flung base camps and skirmish lines.
Marines Never Cry also gives the reader a tragicomic glimpse of what it was like for rank-and-file Marines behind the scenes and off-camera, so to speak, both in Vietnam and on the home front. While in Vietnam, the people closest to him either died or were killed. Hammond has countless brushes with death in Vietnam and extraordinary life-changing moments after he came home and confronted his fiance’s killer and a gang of vandals that ravaged the family farm. Marines Never Cry is a work of fiction but is inspired by true events and crafted to portray the thoughts, emotions and actions of real people in the context of the Vietnam War in 1966 and 1967.
Where appropriate, names and other potentially identifying information have been changed. While some of the language, actions, thoughts or references may be jarring to some readers, it is a story that will make you laugh, cry, get mad … and appreciate another side of the Vietnam.
Timothy C. Hall served with the Marines in Vietnam in the 1960s. He’s headed public, private and non-profit organizations since then and has published numerous professional and technical articles. He is an honorary lieutenant with the Denver Police Department and remains active in military veterans’ activities and causes.
