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Summary
Hastily conceived joint operation to recover the American container ship Mayaguez and her crew, which had been seized by the Khmer iuge off the Cambodian coast in 1975, was plagued by inaccurate intelligence and a micromanaged command structure that extended to the Oval Office. This book focuses on the two hundred young Marines, fresh out of boot camp, sent to rescue the crew that was supposedly being held captive on Koh Tang Island. Briefed to expect minimal resistance on the island, the Marines landed to find some three hundred heavily armed Khmer Rouge combat veterans waiting for them. An intense battle ensued as the Marines held out for half a day against a vastly superior force before being evacuated.
As a result of that 14-hour battle, four Air Crosses and a Navy Cross were awarded, 41 U.S. servicemen lost their lives, and three Marines were left behind. In the valor demonstrated by these young Marines on koh Tang, however, the United States regained a small bit of luster to a reputation tarnished by its withdrawal from Cambodia and Vietnam.
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