Chapter 4 Summary

For over a month, Caputo and the rest of the Marines continue with perimeter patrols, building barricades, digging ditches, and a whole lot of waiting to see direct action. Men become sick from various ailments, including diarrhea, dysentery, malaria and "fevers of unknown origin." Between the heat, the thick dust that settles on everything, and the waiting, the men of C Company sink into a state of depression.

They see their first action when they relieve another platoon on Hill 327, where more waiting follows. It is not until April 22, that a skirmish takes place between the Viet Cong (VC) and B Company that the first real engagement fought by an American unit takes place. This first real pump of adrenaline makes the commanders decide to turn their defensive mission into an offensive one, and they make plans to engage in a search and...