West of Pleiku. The Infantryman's Novel

Col. Brock Danforth's simple morale-boosting mission turns perilous when captured by the North Vietnamese Army, heading for the Hanoi Hilton. A Green Beret leads a rescue through the Ho Chi Minh Trail, as NVA Major Luc Ninh eyeing Danforth as a bargaining chip. This book plunges into the grunts' survival battles in the Central Highlands, from the raw arrival to patrols in enemy territory. Experience the infantryman's harrowing emotions, the haunting jungle noises, and brief escapes to cherished memories. "West of Pleiku" merges intense Vietnam War action with Edgar Allan Poe's darkness, beckoning readers on an unforgettable journey.

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About the Author: John F. Bauer
During the Vietnam War, John F. Bauer was a rifle platoon leader with the Fourth Infantry Division operating in the Central Highlands. Sent to relieve a sister company overrun by the North Vietnamese Army, his own company was surrounded for over two days and suffered more than 50% casualties. During the action, Bauer was wounded by mortar fire and was evacuated after the siege was broken. In the spring of 1969, he led an ambush that helped rescue an American POW who was being led north. This action formed the basis of his plot for West of Pleiku. His awards include the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

After his tour of duty, Bauer went back to his career as a high school English teacher, which he began as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1964-66. After earning his doctorate degree, he began a second career as a college professor, specializing on online education. He now lives in South Carolina with his wife, Anne, a retired colonel with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. They have three children and four grandchildren.
All Col. Brock Danforth wanted to do was fly in, give his battered company a morale boost, and fly out. He knew the zone was hot, but his capture by the North Vietnamese Army and his trek north toward the Hanoi Hilton was way more heat than he thought possible. Racing against time, Army Command sends out a crafty Green Beret to lead a team up the Ho Chi Minh Trail deep into the Central Highlands to get the colonel back. But wily, relentless NVA Major Luc Ninh won't be denied his prize, a bargaining chip at the Paris Peace Talks.

The author, a decorated combat veteran, gets you down and dirty with the common grunts, the nameless foot soldiers who clawed from foxhole to foxhole for survival against overwhelming odds in the crucial battles for the Central Highlands. Learn what it was like to arrive in country, be assigned a platoon, and patrol into enemy territory for a certain baptism by fire. Crawl into the infantryman's mind as he faces moments of courage and cowardice, gut-wrenching emotion in the face of death, deceit and despair. Relive the horrible sounds of nights in the jungle forest, where you just knew every noise was the click of an AK47, and that the only escape from the misery might be the warm memories of a romantic R&R in Sydney, Australia.

In West of Pleiku, the trail into darkness is lined with allusions to the darkest of authors, Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy the journey!

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Available in the following formats: .epub, .pdf, .mobi

Price: $3.99 USD

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