War stories
Most of these links lead to first-person narratives of events in CAP 2-7-2 during 1970 or early 1971. Others lead to newspaper and magazine stories, or research papers. We encourage CAP Marines and others to send contributions for this page. Please send your items to Roch Thornton.
| N=newspaper article | OD=official document |
- WESTPAC orders — Christmas Eve 1969 (OD)
- III Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnam, 1965-71 (RP – 14 pages)
- Civic Action: The USMC Experience in Vietnam (RP – 16 pages)
- U.S. Guerrilla Warfare Tactics in Vietnam (RP 2-page excerpt)
- What was a CAP (Combined Action Platoon)? (FPN)
- A day in the life of a CAP — Tactics and procedures (FPN)
- Two CAP 2-7-2 KIAs found in USMC records — Jan. 14, 1970 (FPN)
- An article about the death of Andrew M. Phillips (N)
- An article about the death of Daniel Lewis Wood (N)
- “… and then I cried” — The story of Ed “Mac” McIntyre (FPN)
- It’s a Doc’s life, but somebody’s gotta’ do it (FPN)
- An interview with Ken “Dunc” Duncan (FPN)
- Two new guys arrive at CAP 2-7-2 — March 11, 1970 (FPN)
- A list of CAP 2-7-2’s “named” day sites and ambush sites (FPN)
- A-gunner (FPN)
- Villagers (FPN)
- Sgt. Whitmer is lost — March 24, 1970 (FPN)
- Ray St. Germain’s account of the March 24 ambush (FPN)
- A comparative discussion of the M-16 rifle (FPN)
- CAP 2-7-2 ordnance list (OD)
- As U.S. Marines Leave Vietnam — A Close-Up Of One War Zone
U.S. News & World Report — April 20, 1970 (M) - Mosquitoes, flies and rats (FPN)
- A birthday in the bush, and a firefight — May 7-8, 1970
- Counterparts (FPN)
- The death of CAP 2-7-1 — May 9-10, 1970 (FPN)
- Army choppers fly medevacs for Marines (FPN)
- History of the 236th Medical Detachment (RP)
- Steel pots (FPN)
- The reality of Civic Action in CAP 2-7-2 (FPN)
- Ambush — late May, 1970 (FPN)
- CAP 2-7-4 gets booby-trapped, and we lose Mike Kubina
— June 1, 1970 (FPN) - How to screw up a great idea (FPN)
- 30 years later, duds still claim lives in Vietnam (N)
- Methuselah’s leg (FPN)
- The man in the middle (FPN)
- The death of Greg Keller — July 18, 1970 (FPN)
- A deadly lapse in security (FPN)
- A newspaper article and Greg’s obituary (N)
- A tribute to Greg Keller, KIA July 18, 1970 (FPN)
- Standing watch (FPN)
- Doc and the pacifist (FPN)
- The pacifist and the soldier (FPN)
- The commanding general sends CAP 2-7-2 a letter — July 27, 1970 (OD)
- Field hygiene or … careful with that zipper, buddy (FPN)
- “Doc” Doggett gets wounded — Aug. 31, 1970 (FPN)
- 5 pink shirts (FPN)
- One-night R&R (FPN)
- The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps visits CAP 2-7-2 (FPN)
- A siren in the night (FPN)
- Two KIA, five WIA — Sept. 10, 1970 (FPN)
- Father Frank Bianchino (FPN)
- Capt. Mallard’s letter to the Gallagher family (OD)
- Dan Gallagher’s obituary (N)
- A small package (FPN)
- Meeting Lizbeth (FPN)
- A teacher in Iowa (FPN)
- The war comes home to a small Wisconsin town (N)
- Doc’s dilemma — Sept. 10, 1970 (FPN)
- Dysentery and my tropical cruise — Sept. 12, 1970 (FPN)
- CAF Deactivates; Mission Goes On, from the Sea Tiger
— Oct. 2, 1970 (N) - An interview with Ken “Dunc” Duncan
- A poem about going on R&R, and coming “home” (FPN)
- Donut Dollies (FPN)
- A newspaper columnist drives through Camp Pendleton
— Oct. 25, 1970 (N) - A landlocked sailor (FPN)
- Typhoon Kate and the flying Noah’s Ark — Oct. 30, 1970 (FPN)
- A perfect ambush — Nov. 10, 1970 (FPN)
- Terror in the Night — Nov. 16, 1970 (N)
- Smoking (FPN)
- Damn this cigarette is hard to light! (FPN)
- Unfriendly fire — December, 1970 (FPN)
- Christmas Eve at CAP 2-7-2 — Dec. 24, 1970 (FPN)
- Christmas elves make a surprise visit — Dec. 24, 1970 (FPN)
- Atrocities (FPN)
- Bob Hope on the road to Da Nang (FPN)
- Report to the red line! (FPN)
- Thornton’s last day at CAP 2-7-2 … and after (FPN)
- Candy from a baby, or anything from the Army (FPN)
- ‘Mallards at Sunset’ the story of Paul “Tex” Hernandez
— Jan. 18, 1971 (N) - Tex Hernandez’s obituary — Oct. 19, 1999 (N)
- Fragmentation grenades of the mind (FPN)
- A large-scale attack on 2nd CAG and CACO 2-7 — March 26, 1971 (FPN)
- Two RFs are killed by a satchel charge — March 28, 1971 (FPN)
- Gen. Simmons says goodbye to the CAPs — May. 10, 1971 (FPN)
- Guerrilla skills prove useful on the home front — (FPN)
- Our village too … — (FPN)
- Dreams of war — (FPN)
- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial — November, 1982 (N)
- A letter arrives from John Sievers’ father (FPN)
- Thinking of ‘Archie’ on Fathers Day — June 20, 1999 (FPN)