Michael P. Chapanar 11th Engineer Battalion 3 rd Marine Division U.S.M.C. 1967 Vietnam D.M.Z. America's Backpack Nuke

Annotation

Blessed with two special talents, I was ordered to strap on a nuclear weapon at the age of 19. The mission was to save thousands of Marines from being slaughtered on the DMZ. Khe Sahn and Con Thien were in peril. How close we were to nuclear war on an eerie night in the fall of 1967 is beyond imagination.The Vietnam conflict started out as a noble cause. It was an opportunity to help the South Vietnamese people fight for their freedom and independence while at the same time stopping the aggressive spread of communism. Ego began to play a significant role among some of our leaders and a worthy and noble cause went awry. When ego and deceit replaced logic and truth in the war, no one on earth was "Beyond the Call" of destruction.