Philip Keith's Fire Base Illingworth is an epic, never-before-told true story of a North Vietnamese Army attack and how the men of this nearly overrun Fire Base survived.In the early morning hours of April 1, 1970, more than four hundred North Vietnamese soldiers charged out into the open and tried to over-run FSB Illingworth. The battle went on, mostly in the dark, for hours. Exposed ammunition canisters were hit and blew up, causing a thunderous explosion inside the FSB that left dust so thick it jammed the hand-held weapons of the GIs. Much of the combat was hand-to-hand. In all, twenty-four Americans lost their lives and another fifty-four were wounded. Nearly one hundred enemy bodies were recovered. It was one of the most vicious small unit firefights in the history of U.S. forces in Vietnam.As in his acclaimed book Blackhorse Riders, a finalist for the prestigious Colby Award, Phil Keith uncovers a harrowing true story of bravery and sacrifice by the men who fought valiantly to hold FSB Illingworth-a tale never-before-told and one that will not be soon forgotten.

Author's Notes Dramatis Personae Chapter 1: The Trap is Baited Chapter 2: The Firebase Strategy in VietnamChapter 3: "The Perfect Soldier"Chapter 4: From the Frying Pan Into the FireChapter 5: "Build it and They Will Come..."Chapter 6: "It's All Relative..."Chapter 7: Fire Support Base Jay: Portend for TerrorChapter 8: Illingworth in the CrosshairsChapter 9: "It Ain't No Laughin' Matter..."Chapter 10: "I Thought it was the End of the World..."Chapter 11: When Death Rained DownChapter 12: Judgment DayChapter 13: Repercussions and ReverberationsChapter 14: Epilog Acknowledgements AppendicesAppendix 1: Letter of 5 April, 1970, from Major General Elvy Roberts to General Creighton Abrams.Appendix 2: Letters that No Family Ever Wants to Receive: Some of the communications and letters that the Illingworth family received after the death of Corporal Jack IllingworthGlossary Bibliography Index