SADDLE UP The Story of the Red Scarf by John Hedley
This is the story of the combat tour of John Hedley in the Central Highlands of the former Republic of South Vietnam in 1969 and 70. The primary focus is the time he spent as a Reconnaissance Platoon Leader of “Fox Force” in the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, and how that experience developed incredible bonds and friendships, as well as hard lessons in combat leadership, that have lasted for a lifetime.
It may seem strange to some that he waited almost 48 years to recount this time in his life, but the actual effort began almost 10 years ago in an effort to face his own personal demons and dragons. While sometimes a difficult experience, he was driven to document the legacy of an incredible group of young men who were thrown together in the crucible of small unit infantry combat in a small and specialized unit.
I read this book with great interest and found it to be a fascinating, personal account of what it was like to be in the infantry in Vietnam. There have been many books written about the Vietnam War but I find the personal accounts the most interesting. I recommend this book and think it should be on your shelf of Vietnam books.
You can email John to order the book at JohnHedley@saddleup-redscarf.com
Visit his web page: Saddle Up
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Published by Jack McCabe
Jack McCabe was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from high school in 1969 at the age of 17 and two days after he turned 18 he joined the Army. He was sent to Vietnam less than a year later in October of 1970. He extended for a second tour and finally came home for good at the end of May 1972. He finished his three-year enlistment at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and returned home to Chicago.
After his return from Vietnam, he pursued his education using the G.I. Bill, receiving an associate degree in electronics engineering from DeVry Institute. He eventually continued his education by attending night school and received his bachelor’s degree in business and management from Northeastern Illinois University in 1981, at the age of 30.
He owned his own business for 20 years and then sold real estate for 20 more before retiring to North Carolina, where he became a certified Peer Support Specialist with a veteran designation.
He has a deep passion for helping veterans doing volunteer work with the YMCA Resource Gateway in Gaston County, NC where he handles all the calls from those with past military service. He helped veterans with PTSD, financial crisis’s, substance abuse, homelessness, and veteran benefits. He received the North Carolina Governors Award for Volunteer Work.
Jack believes that the most important thing he can do is to give Vietnam and all veterans a voice. By sharing their stories veterans understand that they are not alone. There are many going through the same struggles as they are.
For non-veterans, he hopes they will understand the struggles veterans face when they return home from war.
He has since retired and is in the process of writing another book.
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