Just another day in Vietnam (153)

Cold War Conversations

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/

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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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