Synopses & Reviews
In October 1969, William Albracht, the youngest Green Beret captain in Vietnam, took command of a remote hilltop outpost called Fire Base Kate, held by only 27 American soldiers and 150 Montagnard militiamen. He found their defenses woefully unprepared. At dawn the next morning, three North Vietnamese Army regimentssome 6,000 mencrossed the Cambodian border and attacked.
Outnumbered three dozen to one, Albrachts men held off repeated ground assaults by communist forces with fierce hand-to-hand fighting, air support and a dangerously close B-52 strike. For days, the NVA blanketed Kate in a rain of rockets, mortars, artillery, machineguns, and small arms, blocking efforts to resupply, reinforce, or evacuate the outpost. Albracht continually exposed himself to enemy fire to direct air strikes, to guide re-supply helicopters, to distribute ammunition and water to his men, to retrieve the dead and to rescue the wounded, often shielding men with his own body. Wounded by rocket shrapnel, he refused medical attention or evacuation. Exhausted from days without sleep, he continued to rally his men to beat off each new enemy attack.
After five days, Kates defenders were out of ammo and water. Aerial resupply was suicidal, and reinforcements were denied by military commanders who had written off Kate. Albracht refused to surrender or die in place. Refusing to allow his men to surrender, Albracht led his troops, including many wounded, off the hill and on a daring night march through enemy lines.
Abandoned in Hell is an astonishing memoir of leadership, sacrifice, and brutal violence, a riveting journey into Vietnams heart of darkness, and a compelling reminder of the transformational power of individual heroism. Not since Lone Survivor and We Were Soldiers Once, And Young has there been such a gripping and authentic account of battlefield courage.
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Review
ôItÆs a privilege to call [Col. Jack Jacobs] a friend and an honor to recmend this remarkable life story.ö
ùTom Brokaw
ôOne warning:e book you are about to read, at its core, is a story about selflessness, sacrifice and service, and it collides loudly and rather violently with much of our current culture. We are presently a nation of 120 million blogs and bloggers. Put differently, 120 million of us are enthused enough with our own stories û convnced enough in our own wisdom and wonderfulness of self û to believe there is geat utility in posting our every thought, desire and daily movement on the internet, presumably for the common good, the benefit of all. Jack was handed a weapon and told to use it on foreign soil to defend his brothers and his country. As you read this, ask yourself which of the two actions you find more heroicà I wil never view my friend Jack in the same way again. I just didnÆt think it was ossible to admire him any more than I already did.ö
ùBrian WilliamsR
ôCol. Jack Jacobs (Ret.) received a Medal of Honor for is heroism duringthe Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, vividly described in his new book,If Not Now, When? Duty and Sacrifice in AmericaÆs Time of Need. He offers a mixof no-holds-barred personal history and pointed observations about the demands (or lack thereof) the U.S. makes on its citizens today. Never self-indulgent or preachy, Jacobs takes an honestùand often brutally funnyùlook back at his own fe and forward to the future of the military and the nation.ö
ùParade
Review
“Why read a book about a battle in a war everyone is trying to forget? Because you will learn an important secret. Are there other ways to learn it? Yes, but you do not want them.
Abandoned in Hell is an epic tale of junior officers and NCOs salvaging a cluster f**k with minimum losses and maximum damage to the enemy. Nasty war. Great book.” —Jim Morris, Author of
War Story and
Above and Beyond “Surrounded, vastly outnumbered, pounded day and night by incoming fire and all but abandoned, tiny Firebase Kate should have fallen within twenty-four hours. That it did not is a testament to Captain Albracht and the fighting tenacity of those around him. This is an exceptional account, told in much detail. —Major John L. Plaster, U.S. Army Special Forces (ret) and Author of SOG and Secret Commandos
“The siege of Firebase Kate was a microcosm of the war in Vietnam, just as that conflict was emblematic of Americas wars-to-come through the 1990s and into the 21st century. Marvin Wolf and William Albrecht have produced in Abandoned in Hell a riveting, dead-true account in the tradition of Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young—that is, an in-detail narrative of events that could be studied by historians or by cadets in academies of war, but that also reads like a breathless, hair-raising novel. Gripping, relentless, and superbly-written, Abandoned in Hell is a testament to the courage of the Montagnard tribesmen and their U.S. Army Special Forces brothers, who endured the unendurable and survived.” —Steven Pressfield, National Bestselling Author of The Lions Gate
“A tale of heroism above and beyond the call of duty. Albrachts gallantry defending Kate, and his actions in the days that followed, reached mythical proportions. A true story told as only a combat veteran can tell it, Abandoned in Hell is essential reading about the brave men who lived and died fighting an unpopular war.” —David Hume Kennerly, Winner of the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography
“Wolf and Albracht have interwoven the history, the tumult of battle and the spectrum of personalities that turn up on a forlorn red dirt hill on the Cambodian border in the crunch year of 1968. Firebase Kate becomes a microcosm of the turn of events, the disasters that were the death knell of the Vietnam war. Its a story that grabs you by the throat and wont let go.” —Tim Page, Photojournalist and Author of Another Vietnam
“This gripping, gritty and cinematic blow-by-blow account of outnumbered Americans locked in a desperate battle with the North Vietnamese Army is destined to become a classic of its genre. If you read only one book about Vietnam this year, this must be the one.” —Major General Paul Vallely, US Army (Ret.), Two-tour Vietnam Veteran, Fox News Senior Military Analyst, and Author of Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror
“This extraordinary narrative about leadership, loyalty and trust grabbed me from page one. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to know what really happened in Vietnam.” —Rocky Bleier, Decorated Vietnam Veteran and Four-Time Super Bowl Champion
“A riveting look at a little-known but compelling Vietnam War story.” —Publishers Weekly
“Albracht and Wolf present a vivid, often gripping account of the attack by 4,000 members of the People's Army of Vietnam...This fast-paced narrative encapsulates Vietnam War themes, significantly the bravery of grunts and company grade officers and their loyalty to one another...Readers of such excellent battlefield works as Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway's We Were Soldiers Once...And Young will delve into this one.” —Library Journal
Review
Praise for Single-Handed: and#8220;Tibor Rubinand#8217;s story is unbelievable, fantasticand#8230;and all true. This is the most exciting and riveting war memoir you will ever read.and#8221; and#8212;Jack Jacobs, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
and#8220;Daniel Cohen has captured the essence of unblemished character and raw courage during the Holocaust and the Korean War, demonstrating that heroism outlasts prejudice.and#160; We are in Tibor and#8216;Teddyand#8217; Rubinand#8217;s debt for his distinguished service under the most challenging conditions.and#160; We are in Cohenand#8217;s debt for making Rubinand#8217;s story accessible to the American public.and#8221; and#8212;Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, coauthor of Beyond Band of Brothers and author of Conversations with Major Dick Winters
and#8220;Captivating from page one, Single-Handed is an epic survival story layered with meaning and told with ferocity and honesty. Author Daniel M. Cohen details the life of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Tibor Rubin, an unlikely hero who embodied faith, charity, and valor in the most horrific of conditions. Rubinand#8217;s life story offers a narrative of the truly extraordinary. It is vastly important in its telling, finally uncovered like a long-lost gemstone.and#8221;and#8212;Marcus Brotherton, bestselling author of Shiftyand#8217;s War
and#8220;All American heroes are not homegrown. Meet Tibor Rubin, a Hungarian Jew who survives the hell of a Nazi death camp, emigrates to America, joins the U.S. Army where, despite virulent anti-Semitism, he serves in the Korean War, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor for his selfless valor in defense of his comrades and his adopted nation. A real page-turner.and#8221;and#8212;Larry Alexander, national bestselling author of Biggest Brother and coauthor of A Higher Call
Synopsis
A Medal of Honor recipient looks back at his own service?and ahead to America?s future. Jack Jacobs was acting as an advisor to the South Vietnamese when he and his men came under devastating attack. Wounded, 1st Lt. Jacobs took command and withdrew the unit, returning again and again, saving fourteen lives?for which he received the Medal of Honor.
Here, Col. Jacobs tells his stirring story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life, and expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.
If Not Now, When? is a compelling account of a unique life at both war and peace, and the all-too-often unexamined role of the citizenry in the service and defense of the Republic.
Synopsis
From a World War II concentration camp to the Korean War to the White House, this is the incredible story of Tibor and#147;Teddyand#8221; Rubin, the only Holocaust survivor ever to receive a Medal of Honor...
In 1944, a thirteen-year-old Hungarian boy named Tibor Rubin was captured by the Nazis and sent to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp. The teenager endured its horrors for more than a year. After surviving the Holocaust, he arrived penniless in America, barely speaking English.
In 1950, Tibor volunteered for service in the Korean War. After acts of heroism that included single-handedly defending a hill against an onslaught of enemy soldiers, braving sniper fire to rescue a wounded comrade, and commandeering a machine gun after its crew was killed, he was captured. As a POW, Tibor called on his experience in Mauthausen to help fellow GIs survive two and half years of captivity.
Tibor returned from Korea in 1953, but it wasnand#8217;t until 2005and#151;at age 76and#151;that he was invited to the White House, where he received the Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush. It had taken over half a century for Tiborand#8217;s adopted homeland to recognize this Jewish immigrant for acts of valor that went and#147;beyond the call of duty.and#8221; But when it did, the former Hungarian refugee became the only survivor of the Holocaust to have earned Americaand#8217;s highest military distinction.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts and extensive interviews, author Daniel M. Cohen presents the inspiring story of Tibor and#147;Teddyand#8221; Rubin for the first time in its entirety and gives us a stirring portrait of a true hero.
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About the Author
Jack Jacobs retired from the Army as a full Colonel in 1987, after more than twenty years of service. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s most knowledgeable—and outspoken—military analysts. His career has bridged the disparate worlds of the military, business and academia. Jacobs serves on a number of charitable boards of directors and is the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He holds the McDermott Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the US Military Academy and appears about 500 times annually on television, commenting on defense issues, terrorism, and international affairs.