The war stories and combat narratives of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment during 5.5 years of combat in Vietnam.

When the U.S. Army went to war in South Vietnam in 1965, the general consensus was that counterinsurgency was an infantryman’s war; if there were any role at all for armored forces, it would be strictly to support the infantry. However, from the time the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived in country in September 1966, troopers of the Blackhorse Regiment demonstrated the fallacy of this assumption. By the time of Tet '68, the Army’s leadership began to understand that the Regiment’s mobility, firepower, flexibility, and leadership made a difference on the battlefield well beyond its numbers.

Over the course of the 11th Cavalry’s five-and-a-half years in combat in South Vietnam and Cambodia, over 25,000 young men served in the Regiment. Their stories—and those of their families—represent the Vietnam generation in graphic, sometimes humorous, often heart-wrenching detail. Collected by the author through hundreds of in-person, telephone, and electronic interviews over a period of 25-plus years, these “war stories” provide context for the companion volume, The Blackhorse in Vietnam.

Amongst the stories of the Blackhorse troopers and their families are the tales of the wide variety of animals they encountered during their time in combat, as well as the variable landscape, from jungle to rice paddies, and weather. Blackhorse Tales concludes with a look at how the troopers dealt with their combat experiences since returning from Vietnam. Between the chapters are combat narratives, one from each year of the Regiment’s five-and-a-half years in Southeast Asia. These combat vignettes begin on 2 December 1966, when a small column of 1st Squadron vehicles and troopers was ambushed on Highway 1 and emerged victorious despite being outnumbered. They go on to describe the one-of-a-kind crossing of the Dong Nai River on 25 April 1968, as the Blackhorse Regiment rode to the rescue during Mini-Tet 1968, and the 2nd Squadron's fight to clear the Boi Loi Woods in late April 1971.

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Troopers
Combat: 2 December 1966

Chapter 2: The Families
Combat: 19 June 1967

Chapter 3: The Civilians
Combat: 25 April 1968

Chapter 4: The Animals
Combat: 13–14 April 1969

Chapter 5: The Land
Combat: 27 March–1 April 1970

Chapter 6: The Weather
Combat: 29 April 1971

Chapter 7: Life After Vietnam

"Without question, Donald Snedeker has paid a fitting tribute to this superb unit, its soldiers, and their families."

"Blackhorse Tales is well designed with seven chapters interspersed with 'Combat Vignettes' The chapters include many details about Vietnamese civilians and allies, animals, terrain and weather, and how all of that affected every aspect of the lives of the troops."

"...captures the thoughts and reactions of young men in combat who just a few months earlier were in high school, spending time with friends. It also includes their reflections and recollections decades later. Their stories are easy to read. Ample photos and maps ensure the book will appeal to military and nonmilitary audiences alike."

"...the stories provide a vivid picture of almost every aspect of life for the 25,000 men who served in the regiment, a mechanized unit equipped with tanks and armored personnel carriers."