Siege At Khe Sanh

A remote combat base in the Vietnamese highlands, Khe Sanh was the scene of one of the most ferocious and controversial battles of the Vietnam War. The 6,000 Marines and soldiers at the base were surrounded by a massive North Vietnamese enemy force numbering more than 20,000. From January through April 1968, they endured unrelenting enemy fire, heavy casualties and dwindling supplies of ammunition, food and water. Overhead, B-52s dropped more tons of bombs than had been dropped on any one place in history. This transformed what were once lush, green mountains into a barren dustbowl that resembled the surface of the moon. Through it all, the Americans held their ground and broke the back of the enemy. But U.S. military commanders decided to abandon the base soon after the siege was broken. This left many of the Marines and soldiers who defended it extremely bitter. In this action-filled episode of "War Stories with Oliver North," get to know several of the men who nearly lost their lives at this dangerous and remote outpost. Go back to Khe Sanh with on Marine for his emotional return to the very bunker he lived in for those 77 days under siege. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices