Chapter 7: The Lesson Summary and Analysis

It was January 31, 1968, and the enemy had been coming into My Tho and the surrounding areas for weeks, gathering for the slaughter. No one knew. He and Benet stopped by a visiting carnival. When he reflected back on it, he realized that their presence had been part of the plan. The killing started at night. Wolff was in his bunk. Had he been on the road, it would have been end of story. The first soldier killed was exiting a bar late at night. In addition to American soldiers, the invaders were targeting Vietnamese soldiers, politicians and police. Reports came in that the VC had invaded all the towns in the Mekong Delta. Every airfield had been hit and every road cut off. They were even in the American embassy. The Tet Offense had begun. Major Chau...