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MILITARY
BOOKS
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Charles Baker
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Colonel Charles Baker, USA (ret.) "left Buffalo, Wyoming in 1942 at the age of
four, grew up thereafter in the Army, graduated from West Point in 1960, and
became an Infantry Officer. He served with the 101st Airborne Divisions
reconnaissance troop during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and later commanded a
rifle company in Berlin at the time of President Kennedys famous visit. He
served two tours in Vietnam first with the 1st Cavalry Division as an
infantry battalion operations officer in 1968, and again as a Vietnamese Ranger
advisor in 1972. He retired after twenty-three years of service with the rank of
Colonel. In 2005, he traveled as an embedded writer in Iraq with the same
battalion he had served with in Vietnam in 1968, which was the catalyst for this
book." Charles Baker is the author of Gray Horse Troop: Forever Soldiers.
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According to the book description of Gray Horse Troop: Forever Soldiers,
it "is the story of the 5th Battalion 7th U.S. Cavalry in Vietnam in 1967-68,
and also in Iraq in the spring of 2005. This unit traces its heritage back to
the Indian Wars in the 1870s, when it was E Troop, 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment. E
Troop stood out sharply from the others units on the battlefield by being
mounted on dapple gray horses. In the fall of 1967, the 5/7th Cav fought
numerous intense battles in the deadly Que Son Valley south of Danang. They
moved north of Hue to reinforce the Marines just three days before the onset of
the North Vietnamese Armys Tet Offensive, and played a vital role in the Battle
of Hue. In April the battalion was the lead air-assault unit for the 1st Cavalry
Division in their move to eliminate the siege of Khe Sanh, and then led the
divisions massive air-assault into the infamous A Shau Valley.
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The author describes these major operations at the peak of the Vietnam War from
his unique perspective as the battalion operations officer, and provides the big
picture that surviving veterans could not get from fighting for survival down at
squad level. Gray Horse Troop is a personal account of what the author saw,
remembered, and further researched; which he writes about with traces of wit,
political incorrectness, and cynicism. Being invited to ride with 5/7th Cav
again in Iraq in 2005 provides the catalysts for recalling the various Vietnam
stories. He compares service in 5/7th Cav during the two wars, thirty-seven
years apart, and gives a glimpse of being an infantry and cavalry officer
throughout the hottest periods of the Cold War. His memories as a lieutenant in
the 101st Airborne Divisions elite reconnaissance company during the Cuban
Missile Crisis are included, along with his command of a rifle company in Berlin
during the time of President Kennedys historic visit. In Gray Horse Troop, the
author tells the story of the others in the unit, honoring the men who served in
this storied battalion. He writes in simple language, directed beyond the
military reader to all who are interested in the Cold War Era."
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