The present day bridge crossing the da krong river. The nva wanted the dong ha bridge as a conduit for tanks and tracked vehicles on their way to take quang tri. John ripley was not well known outside of the marine corps for over a decade, until the release of john millers book the bridge at dong ha. John walter ripley june 29, 1939 october 28, 2008 was a united states marine corps. Golf company 24 had a patrol base in lam xuan west to the north and near the adjacent hamlet of nhia ha see map, pg.
Its dusty, trafficplagued main drag looks pretty dismal this is because the town was completely flattened during the american war. This talks about a marine who took on a huge mission in nineteenseventy two. Great story of individual heroism and courage in the face of strong enemy fire. Largescale vietnamization, american units winding down operations, and vietnamese warweariness combined to set up an allin north vietnamese assault across the dmz and along the ho chi minh trail. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. The naval academy would eventually honor him with a diorama in memorial hall depicting his exploits at dong ha and his tale is now required.
The 1968 tet offensive battles united states army center. The bridge at dong ha audiobook by john grider miller. The dong ha bridges were the only direct route for the advancing nva armored columns who were attempting to push south toward quang tri and hue city as part of the 3 front 1972 spring offensive. Ripley was an experienced warrior, alone with the the. Shininghearted, bloodandguts tale of marine corps captain john ripleys heroic demolition of a strategic bridge on easter sunday, 1972, in vietnam. Shot by air force combat camera, the caption says marines at dong ha, but that is suspect. Route 9 is the the road to go for those who wants to visit the old war sites as it stretches from dong ha in the east all the way to the laotian border. The bridge at dong ha bluejacket books kindle edition by john grider miller. But john miller has taken this daring act of heroism beyond the.
The destruction delayed the movement of vietnamese forces from the north to the south by three long years. Ripley, usmc narrates his early life and the influences which shaped his personality. Editions of the bridge at dong ha by john grider miller. You are currently browsing the tag archive for the dong ha bridge tag. Following his 1985 retirement from the marine corps, he became managing editor of proceedings and naval history, a post he held until 2000. This is the true story of the legendary vietnam war hero john ripley, who braved intense enemy fire to destroy a strategic bridge and stall a major north vietnamese. This book tells the story of the marine legend john w. The first bid in a bridge auction impacts the bidding, play and defense of the entire deal. If anyone can help with a positive id, please feel free to leave a. In the book the reader is told the story of two united states marines who work together to accomplish a task that to many would seem impossible.
They were in for a big surprise upon their arrival. Then the the old border bridge followed by the vinh moc tunnels quite an experience we are not sure if our guide was mr vu or not. The focus of the book is on the exploits of usmc colonel ret then captain john ripley who placed demolitions under the dong ha air field bridge that when exploded closed the immediate invasion route of the nva units. On easter morning 1972 marine captain john ripley, the sole u. Marine corps 11th engineer bn usmc veteran locator. In october 2006, john ripley returned to the site of the dong ha bridge to film a documentary of his action. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel.
Dong ha makes a useful base for exploring the dmz and is the gateway town to the. Founded in 1997, has become a leading book price comparison site. The bridge was strategic in that it was the only one that would allow tanks to cross. A map of the vietnamese dmz, route nine and a number of us military outposts. You can also get the e book from the official web site, so you can quicker to read the book. People live in this new day time of lifestyle always aim to and must have the spare time or they will get lot of. The bridge at dong ha by miller, john grider, 1935publication date 1989 topics dong ha, battle of, ong ha, vietnam, 1972 publisher annapolis, md. First published in 1989, the book has broad appeal as a riveting tale of adventure. Colonel ripley, who at the time was a captain and a military adviser to a south vietnamese marine unit, blew up the southern end of the dong ha bridge over the cua viet river on easter sunday. In the bridge at dong ha, john ripley is a covan during the vietnam war. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Khe sanh, the rockpile, con thien, camp carroll, dong ha, gio linh, ca lu and lang vei.
As stunning as the dong ha story is, there was much more to colonel john ripley. This account of the destruction of the dong ha bridges is a summary from the book the easter offensive the last american advisors vietnam, 1972. Bridge at dong ha bluejacket books by john grider miller. Going south from the dakrong bridge through the dakrong valley will reward you with a scenic journey through minority villages and breathtaking views. The bridge at dong ha was written by john grider miller. The book the bridge at dong ha written by john miller is a narrative description of the story of how a bridge on cua viet river separating north and south vietnam was destroyed by a brave american marine captain named ripley in 1972 in us vietnam war. Near the end of the fierce battles, ripley has to destroy the enemys access forward, dong ha bridge. Hero of the easter offensive the history of the 20th century saw the spread of communism the world over. This book is a real story of a marine corps hero, john walter ripley, who on easter sunday 1972, almost single handedly took on a massive concrete and steel bridge to derail the carefully prepared spearhead attack of the north vietnamese army at the cua viet river. Bridge at dong ha bluejacket books miller, john grider on. Ripley heroically performed the action at the dong ha bridge, for which he was awarded the nations second highest honor, the navy cross. Binhs battalion held the ground defending the only major bridge across the cua viet river near dong ha.
Buy a cheap copy of the bridge at dong ha book by john grider miller. Find and compare hundreds of millions of new books, used books, rare books and out of print books from over. Bridge at dong ha by john grider miller, paperback. When the boxes were in place on the bridge, captain ripley. Information for operations on this page from book titled semper fi vietnam, from danang to the dmz marine corps. It is the little known story of captain ripley, usmc, who assisted by an army officer and some arvn marines blew the bridge at dong ha, stalling an nva armored invasion of the republic of vietnam in 1972. The first was vietnamese lieutenant colonel binh, whose battalion known as soi bien or wolves of the sea held the ground defending a bridge across the cua viet river at the city of dong ha. Livingstons echo company 24 was at dong ha bridge, placed under 3rd marine division command, while the rest of the battalion was given the assignment of investigating the enemy presence. The bridge at dong ha the courageous actions of captain ripley the book the bridge at dong ha is an extremely inspiring book full of great life lessons. Millers book, the bridge at dong ha, naval institute press documents this action. The location on highway nine of a destroyed bridge crossing the da krong river. John miller, a retired marine colonel, is the author of the bridge at dong ha and the covans.
In youth, he was a rambunctious huckleberry finn who spent his days getting into all kinds of mischief in radford, virginia. The bridge at dong ha by john grider miller goodreads. His tiny force of south vietnamese marines was poised on one side of the dongha bridge to take on the enormous force of north vietnamese troops ready to attack from the other side. On easter morning 1972, captain ripley repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire over a threehour period as he prepared to blow up an essential bridge in dong ha. Binh and his men held their ground in spite of overwhelming odds. The book itself is good, but it sounds like the narration was recorded on a cheap handheld pointed in the general direction of a conference call. The book the bridge at dong ha bluejacket books paperback common is much recommended to you to read. Battle for dong ha the marines meet the 320th north vietnamese army division in a hamlet known as dai do. Dong ha travel central vietnam, vietnam lonely planet. The bridge at dong ha by john grider miller the bridge at dong ha is the real story of a marine corps hero, john walter ripley, who on easter sunday, 1972, almost singlehandedly took on a massive concrete and steel bridge to derail the carefully prepared spearhead attack of the north vietnamese army at the cua viet river near dong ha. John walter ripley june 29, 1939 october 28, 2008 was a united states marine corps officer who received the navy cross for his actions in combat during the vietnam war.
Numerous us marine and army units rotated through the base. By john grider miller get weekly book recommendations. Theres more to valuing a hand than adding up the highcard and length points. I have heard the name ripley before as a marine, and some vague summary of. Tompkins ordered the 3d marines to send a rifle company to guard a bridge on route 1 a few kilometers north of dong ha. The base was first used by the 4th marines in late april 1966.
John ripley, usmc, recounts his heroic feat destroying the dong ha bridge in vietnam. His training and leadership is what kept the unit together as his men fought for their. Bridge at dong ha bluejacket books by john grider miller 19961004 mass market paperback 1887. However, the town does have its attractive aspects, with a string of riverside. The bridge at dong ha recounts the confusion and fog of battle in the opening rounds of 1972s communist easter offensive in the northernmost reaches of military region 1. The bridge was highly strategic because it was the only crossing in the area sturdy enough to support the more than 200 tanks the nva had assembled. The enemy is advancing swiftly and ripley must go out, exposed to gunfire, and blow up the dong ha bridge along with barely anyone by his side. On easter 1972 captain john ripley braved light weapons fire from north vietnamese troops.
Dong ha is an important transport hub that sits at the intersection of hwys 1 and 9. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mary susan goodykoontz at her home in radford, virginia with a picture of her brother john ripley, dangling under. First was dong ha, a small town twelve kilometers south of the demilitarized zone that was within the range of.