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Dear Mr. Heslin,
I am writing this to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible email you wrote about my father, General Ly Tong Ba. Reading your words about his heroism during the 1972 battle of Kontum, and your defense of his actions at the battle of Ap Bac, moved me more than I can properly put into words.
Your concept of "stolen honor" is profound and an accurate way to describe what so many South Vietnamese soldiers faced. For you to recognize the deep pain my father carried from those false narratives - and to actively fight to correct the historical record against powerful, established voices - means the world to our family.
My father was an extraordinary man who fought bravely until the very end, endured 13 years of imprisonment, and still managed to rebuild a life with us here in America. Knowing that he found a true friend in you in 2005, and that he was able to share his pain and his triumphs with someone who truly understood, is a great comfort to me.
Thank you for seeing my father for the hero he truly was, for cherishing his message to you about his visit to the White House, and for making it your mission to ensure others see him that way too. You are keeping his true legacy alive.
People like you are rare, Jack, I am so grateful for your presence in my father's life and your continued friendship.
With my deepest and most sincere appreciation,
Ly Tong Chau,
USA - Monday, March 30, 2026 at 13:49:54 (EDT)
To Uncle Jack,
Learning about your stories and your commitment to faith is inspiring to all. All the success and recognition that you have gained over the years is deserved 1000x over. I find myself coming back to your stories time and time again and somehow walking away with something new every time. Love to you and Jean always.
Paige
Storrs, Connecticut United States - Friday, March 27, 2026 at 22:52:30 (EDT)
This website and your two books, "Thunder" and "Lightning" have given non-military people like me a vivid and descriptive understanding of what our great Vietnam Veterans and their families experienced during the end of the war. I was too young to be drafted during your tours but I was old enough to follow what this country was going through during that time. I was always and still am a supporter of our great military and want to thank you, Jean and the thousands of Vietnam Veterans for their patriotism, heroism and sacrifice. We shall never forget what you and your brave comrades did for the United States of America and the World. Godspeed to you, your families and those who share their stories so that a greater understanding and appreciation of your commitment to freedom rings loudly for all eternity.
Ed Hunt <edwardmhunt@msn.com>Woonsocket, Rhode Island - Friday, February 27, 2026 at 15:10:23 (EST)
Lt. Col. Heslin - the content here is amazing. I was too young to serve in Vietnam, and frankly it was a topic that was ignored in my history classes. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant to much of what was happening in Vietnam. The Battle Of Kontum website has provided a trove of information that I now feel confident enough to approach Vietnam veterans and have a discussion about their experience.
Thank you for your service, and to all those that served in Vietnam, and to the wives and families who served at home. Job well done!
- Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 10:10:22 (EST)
"TO THOSE WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR IT, LIFE HAS A FLAVOR THAT THE PROTECTED WILL NEVER KNOW!" This was the maxim of the Vietnam soldier and those of us who served fully understand it. I fought the NVA in the infantry near the Cambodian border with the 25th Infantry Division out of Tay Ninh and then was rotated to Long Binh to work with soldiers suffering from combat fatigue. My Combat Infantryman's Badge allowed soldiers to feel comfortable talking with me. I chronicled my experiences into a memoir titled "Courage on the Mountain" which is a free read for Amazon Prime members. It has received over 900 five-star reviews and been read by thousands of our brother and sister veterans. As I said, it is a free read and I would be honored if you chose to view the introduction on Amazon and even more so if you decide to read it. I'm sure that you'll find it captivating. I'm glad that you made it home! May God Bless! Courage on the Mountain- Courage on the Mountain
George Alan Reischling <greischling@hotmail.com>Rutledge, Tennessee United States - Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 16:53:42 (EDT)
Kudos to Jack and all the contributors to his excellent web site. In January 1972, I was a young Infantry Captain on my second tour in Vietnam (first was with a rifle battalion in the 101st) and assigned as the Deputy District Senior Advisor Dakto District, Kontum Province. My assignment as DDSA was personally directed by Mr. John Paul Vann, Commander SRAG/II Corps, who, concerned over an imminent major NVA attack in the near future, wanted the District defenses improved and local forces' training intensified to better meet the expected offensive. The major NVA attacks in late April throughout Dakto District resulted in the defeat of the 22nd ARVN Division at Dakto/Tan Canh and the loss of a number of our district hamlets and forced the evacuation of Dakto District Hq. The District Chief, LTC Lo Van Bao, led the compound survivors on an E&E route for four days until picked up by Chinooks and flown to Kontum City. Under protest, my boss and I were ordered to Kontum City and not allowed to stay with our counterparts on the E&E, but I soon reunited with Bao and assigned as his counterpart advisor in mid-May 1972. LTC Bao and I were tasked by the Kontum Province Chief with organizing the surviving Dakto District and Kontum District RF/PF soldiers and units into one Territorial force. This territorial force was comprised of 8 Regional Force Companies and 25 PF Platoons and tasked with the defense of Kontum City proper and the area south and southeast of the city's airport. Like the ARVN units of the 23rd Division in northern and eastern Kontum, for several weeks in late May and early June, we successfully defended against the NVA's two main attacks conducted by several Sapper units, a full strength NVA Regiment augmented with T-54 tanks, and continuous indirect fires. Bao was a magnificent and fearless leader who commanded from the front throughout the battle. We were always involved in the fight side by side, including a time when both he and I personally engaged and destroyed an enemy T-54 tank. It was both an exciting and scary time to be an advisor with a front row seat to the action. Following the defeat and retreat of the NVA in June-July, I became part of the drawdown in personnel and left Kontum in late July. I would very much appreciate any direct contact from my US comrades assigned either in Dakto or Kontum, before, during, or after the Battle of Kontum. .
Colonel (Ret) US Army Richard Cassidy <cassinbangkok@gmail.com>Alexandria, Virginia USA - Friday, January 31, 2025 at 13:43:42 (EST)
Thank you for the service of all those mentioned in the posted articles about Kontum and the Easter Offensive in 1972.
I was with an Army group called Radio Research (ASA) on Artillery Hill outside of Pleiku. I spent a few days in Kontum on my way to and back from a remote site called Golf-5. Stayed with the SOG folks while in Kontum.
A big thank you all those I met and worked with during our time in Kontum and beyond.
R/
Paul Rinkleib
Mesquite, Nevada - Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 16:36:50 (EST)
"Extraordinary Valor" is the true story of American Special Forces officer John Duffy, and South Vietnamese paratrooper, Lê Văn Mễ, as they fight to defend Charlie Hill, a key to holding Vietnam's Central Highlands during North Vietnam's 1972 Easter Offenve.
John Joseph Duffy was born in New York City; Le Văn Mễ in a small village outside the old imperial capital of Hue in South Vietnam. Living on opposite sides of the globe, they come together in the heat of war in Southeast Asia when Major Duffy is assigned as the American advisor to the elite South Vietnamese 11th Airborne Battalion where Mễ is second in commad.
The battalion receives the order to "Fight to the death" on Charlie Hill. After two weeks of intense combat, hundreds lay dead and those still standing are out of food, water, and medical supplies. Their ammunition is nearly gone. Duffy and Mễ draw on their bond of friendship and trust to make a selfless two-man last stand against the final North Vietnamese human wave assault. Both are badly wounded, Duffy multiple times. Their heroic action allows 36 members of the 471-man battalion to escape and be rescued. The rest are killed, captured, or missing in action. This is their story."