Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969

Phil Ball

Nov 2015 · McFarland

About this ebook

The author arrived at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego ill-prepared for the training and abuse that awaited him in boot camp. At the time, he would have done anything to escape; only upon reflection years later did he realize that the self-confidence instilled in him by his drill instructors had probably saved his life in Vietnam. A few months after boot camp, Private Ball was shipped out to Vietnam, joining F Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, near Khe Sanh. As a grunt, in the vernacular of the Corps, Ball, like the other youths of F Company, did a difficult and deadly job in such places as the A Shau Valley, Leatherneck Square, the DMZ and other obscure but critical I Corps locales. His--their--fear of death mingled with homesickness. Little did they realize that the horrors of the Vietnam War--horrors that while in-country they often claimed did not even exist--would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Ratings and reviews

Well written account of infantry combat operations form viewpoint of rifleman. The diliemma of the Vietnam involvement.

Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969

About the author

After serving in the Marines, the late Phil Ball worked as a marine mechanic in Cincinnati, Ohio.