{"product_id":"mekong-delta-yacht-club-norman-cameron-9798342966238","title":"Mekong Delta Yacht Club: A Story About Grandad's Gators, Call-Up Reserves","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout The Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMekong Delta Yacht\u003cbr\u003eThe Year of TET 1968\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt Happened in 1968: The Call-Up of Reserve Forces to Bolster the Undeclared War in Vietnam. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Untold Vietnam War Memoir of the 231st Army Reserve Boat Unit in Operation Game Warden\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1968, after the first Tet Offensive, the U.S. Army made an extraordinary decision: it called up the \u003cb\u003e231st Army Reserve Boat Company\u003c\/b\u003e from St. Petersburg, Florida - 190 men who had just 30 days to leave their civilian lives and prepare for combat in Vietnam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat followed was unprecedented. Overnight, the 231st was transformed from a heavy boat unit (tugboats and cargo ships) into a \u003cb\u003ecombat-ready river force\u003c\/b\u003e armed with 19 customized LCM-8 \"Mike Boats.\" Their mission: support the secretive \u003cb\u003eOperation Game Warden\u003c\/b\u003e, a joint effort to control the Mekong Delta's 3,000 miles of rivers and canals and cut off enemy supplies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is not a blood-and-guts story. It is a survival story of ordinary citizen-soldiers asked to do the extraordinary: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow the 231st adapted to combat with almost no preparation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe daily reality of firefights, ambushes, and Agent Orange spraying\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe miracle of completing their mission without losing a single man or boat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe resilience, humor, and camaraderie that gave them the nickname \u003cb\u003e\"The Beer Men\"\u003c\/b\u003e - proudly flying the Florida flag on every run\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"A miracle,\" said Army brass, that all 190 came home alive.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want to understand the Vietnam War through the eyes of reservists suddenly turned warriors, this memoir by Tom Twitty takes you deep into the Mekong Delta, where survival meant courage, creativity, and an unbreakable bond of brotherhood.\u003cbr\u003eIt was standard procedure when the land-based troops saw a Florida Flag flying from the mast of an Army 231st Mike Boat, it called for a celebration of the successful Beer Run. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCompliments of Granddad Gators' 231st Army Reserves.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePolitical Implications Discussed: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow did we get there for an undeclared War?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Norman Cameron\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798342966238\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.86lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.61d","brand":"Norman Cameron","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48801276428543,"sku":"9798342966238","price":24.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/mekong-delta-yacht-club-norman-cameron-9798342966238","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}