Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War

The Tet Offensive begins in the early hours of the morning on January 31, 1968. The guerillas had been in Mỹ Tho for weeks without anyone knowing and quickly took over the town. Wolff and Benet hurry over to the Major’s headquarters, but the Vietnamese troops push them away, telling them to come back later when they are less busy. So, the two spend the morning cleaning their weapons and learning about the Offensive from the radio reports.

In the afternoon, the troops notice a single-engine spotter plane trying to get their attention. The plane has found a large group of Viet Cong sneaking up on their perimeter; the pilot continues circling while telling the troops where to fire. They cannot see who they are killing, but the guerillas eventually take cover. Once things look clear, the pilot leaves; however, Wolff and the others, with plenty of ammunition but few men, fire their weapons at their invisible enemies into the night.

The troops turn their attention to Mỹ Tho, laying waste to it, firing wherever the few remaining holdouts told them to fire. After a couple of days, air support arrives and continues the bombardment. By the time they are finished with it, Mỹ Tho is devastated and littered with corpses.