Description Winner of the 2013 Silver Medal in History from the Military Writer\'s Society of America Finalist, 2013 Colby Award Winner of the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Military History Philip Keith\'s Blackhorse Riders is the incredible true story of a brave military unit in Vietnam that risked everything to Rescue an outnumbered troop under heavy fire--and the thirty-nine-year odyssey to recognize their bravery.
He lives in Southampton, Long Island..
Keith is also a columnist for the Southampton Press and a feature writer for magazines.
During three tours in Vietnam he was awarded, among other decorations, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Air Medal for Gallantry, the Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal.
About the Author PHILIP Keith became a naval aviator after graduating from Harvard.
The full circle was completed when President Obama stepped to the podium on October 20, 2009, to award the Alpha Troop with the Presidential Unit Citation: the highest combat award that can be given to a military unit.
Thus began the second phase of this remarkable story: a "battle" to ensure that his brave men\'s accomplishments would never be forgotten again.
Thirty years later Poindexter was made aware that his award recommendations and even the records of the Battle had somehow gone missing.
Many brave deeds were done that day and Captain Poindexter tried to make sure his men were recognized for their actions.
Not making the attempt was deemed unacceptable, so he ordered his men to "saddle up." With the courage and determination that makes legends out of ordinary men, they effected a daring Rescue and fought a pitched battle--at considerable cost.
It just might be possible that they could "bust" enough jungle by nightfall to reach them.
Overhearing the calls for help on his radio, Captain John Poindexter, Alpha Troop\'s twenty-five-year-old commander, realized that his outfit was the only hope for the trapped company.
The company was fated to be worn down and eventually all killed or captured.
Helicopters could not penetrate the dense jungle, and artillery and air support could not be targeted effectively.
Outnumbered at least six to one, the ninety-man American company was quickly surrounded, pinned down, and fighting for its existence.
On the morning of March 26, 1970, they began hearing radio calls from an infantry unit four kilometers away that had stumbled into a hidden North Vietnamese Army stronghold.
Deep in the jungles of Vietnam, Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry, the famed Blackhorse Regiment, was a specialized cavalry outfit equipped with tanks and armored assault vehicles.
Description Winner of the 2013 Silver Medal in History from the Military Writer\'s Society of America Finalist, 2013 Colby Award Winner of the 2012 USA Best Book Award for Military History Philip Keith\'s Blackhorse Riders is the incredible true story of a brave military unit in Vietnam that risked everything to Rescue an outnumbered troop under heavy fire--and the thirty-nine-year odyssey to recognize their bravery
