Road of 10,000 Pains by Otto J. Lehrack demonstrates what it means to be an American soldier and fight for our country. In the beginning months of 1967, the military forces started a new tactic that was called “Search and Destroy” (Vietnam in HD.) This new tactic was going to be to be known for winning the war by body count and not land taken. Chapter 16 of Otto J. Lehrack’s book gives information on some of the men that served and survived the battle. Within the chapter it gives detailed accounts of several men and what the battle was like for them. Also, the book shows three ways that the soldiers survived. Those three ways they survived was by air support from their Marines, persevering through tough odds, and by the heroic acts of some
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Father Capadanno exhibited many heroic acts on the battlefield, but the one that stuck out was when he was under machine gunner fire and was standing straight up on top of the knoll. He was looking for who was injured and who were dying. “He was severely wounded by a mortar round that caused multiple wounds to his arms and legs and tore off part of his right hand” this just goes to demonstrate the heroic acts that he contributed to his fallen soldiers. (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 188.) Doc Leal was an injured soldier that Father Capadanno was trying to make it to before he was shot down by machine gun fire. While Doc Leal was wounded, he tended to his own injuries and others around him until he was shot a second time and couldn’t move. The doc wasn’t just worrying about himself, but also the members around him that he was “trying to get them to protected cover.” (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 189.) Corporal Larry Nunez was pulling the pins on grenades and was letting them tick a few seconds before he threw them at the NVA. In Nunez’s team, there was Tony Martinez, who “assaulted the top of the knoll along with the rest of my squad even though he had no weapon” (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 190.) Running into a battle with a jammed M16 and no weapon is a very brave act because the soldier has a zero percent of defending himself except for his bare hands. These men above showed many heroic acts, but these were not the only men that showed courageous acts throughout the
Father Capadanno exhibited many heroic acts on the battlefield, but the one that stuck out was when he was under machine gunner fire and was standing straight up on top of the knoll. He was looking for who was injured and who were dying. “He was severely wounded by a mortar round that caused multiple wounds to his arms and legs and tore off part of his right hand” this just goes to demonstrate the heroic acts that he contributed to his fallen soldiers. (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 188.) Doc Leal was an injured soldier that Father Capadanno was trying to make it to before he was shot down by machine gun fire. While Doc Leal was wounded, he tended to his own injuries and others around him until he was shot a second time and couldn’t move. The doc wasn’t just worrying about himself, but also the members around him that he was “trying to get them to protected cover.” (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 189.) Corporal Larry Nunez was pulling the pins on grenades and was letting them tick a few seconds before he threw them at the NVA. In Nunez’s team, there was Tony Martinez, who “assaulted the top of the knoll along with the rest of my squad even though he had no weapon” (Lehrack, 10,000 Pains, 190.) Running into a battle with a jammed M16 and no weapon is a very brave act because the soldier has a zero percent of defending himself except for his bare hands. These men above showed many heroic acts, but these were not the only men that showed courageous acts throughout the