In the spring of 1966, the North Vietnamese Army overran a Special Forces Camp in the A Shau Valley in South Vietnam. Using the valley as a major staging area for the movement of troops, equipment and supplies, the NVA continued to operate unopposed until the American Forces once again challenged their strong hold in 1968. But it was a year later, when in 1969 another drive into the A Shau Valley, would produce one of the most infamous battles of the war, which many consider a turning point of that war - at least in public opinion.
In the summer of 1864 the Nation’s eyes were focused on two major events; Grants pursuit of Lee, bogged down at the siege of Petersburg and Sherman’s eventual “March to the Sea” presently bogged down outside Atlanta. In the midst of these two major campaigns, General Philip “Little Phil” Sheridan, forcefully and effectively marched his army into the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to take on the Confederate strong hold. An earlier campaign in 1862 by the Federals had turned disastrous when Stonewall Jackson had run them out of the valley. Commanded by Confederate General Jubal Early, the rebels were determined not to give up the valley against any new Federal incursion. Sheridan’s mission was to take control of the valley and ultimately stop those rebel forces from moving men, equipment and forage in support of Lee. It was to be an epic battle and most agree, a major turning point of that war.
Imagine having been an infantry soldier in one of the helicopters being lifted back into the A Shau Valley…
or imagine having been a Union blue coat soldier, marching en echelon into the Shenandoah Valley …
now imagine having been that soldier in both campaigns.