Cold War Conversations

Just another day in Vietnam (153)

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Episode notes

In this episode we talk with Col. Keith Nightingale who served in the US military from 1965 to 1993. He completed two tours of Vietnam; the first as a Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese Ranger unit and the second as a rifle company commander in the 101st Airborne.

Keith used the experience of his first tour to write ‘Just another day in Vietnam’ which gives a vivid first-hand account of a jungle operation with the South Vietnamese Rangers against the Viet Cong.

UK listeners can buy Keith's book here https://amzn.to/3lWljkb

US listeners can buy Keith's book here https://amzn.to/33VRcTD

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Co-host James conducts our chat and I am delighted to welcome Keith Nightingale to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information on this episode in our show notes, which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode153/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

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0:00 Introduction and Keith Nightingale's early experiences in Vietnam

1:02 Interview with Colonel Keith Nightingale and discussion about his book "Just another day in Vietnam"

7:13 Keith's assignment to the 52nd Rangers and comparison with US army

14:22 Keith's first experience in combat and discussion on PTSD

20:25 The writing process of Keith's book and the decision to write in third person

27:20 The B52 strike against the POW camp and the aftermath of the battle

40:02 Major Hep's leadership and influence on Keith Nightingale

53:21 Public attitudes towards the Vietnam War and preparing for a second tour

1:00:34 Reflections on the war, its impact and lessons learned

1:09:07 Keith's reflections on Vietnam and his book, closing remarks from Ian Sanders

1:10:04 Acknowledgement of financial supporters and politburo level Patreons: Sam Hardwick, Nicholas Butler, and Jeffrey Jones

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