In the Vietnam War, few units were more essential—or more overlooked—than the US Army’s combat engineers. Operating in some of the most hazardous terrain in Southeast Asia, they cleared roads, built fortifications, set obstacles, detonated explosives, and reinforced fighting positions—all while facing the constant threat of ambush, mines, and enemy fire.
On August 25, 1966, during a route-clearing mission in support of Operation AMARILLO, Specialist Dan Crowley and his demolition team from Charlie Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, found themselves thrust into a major battle. Along Highway 16, an American patrol had been surrounded by the Viet Cong. In the scramble to save them, Charlie Company was thrown into a hastily-assembled rescue force. The fight that followed would be remembered as the Battle of Bong Trang.
Fire in the Hole presents a detailed, ground-level account of Charlie Company’s 1965–66 deployment to the Republic of Vietnam. Drawing on extensive interviews with four veterans—Dan Crowley, Larry Blair, Chuck Humphrey, and Jay Franz—this book offers a rare and deeply personal look at the combat engineer’s role in Vietnam.
Inside these pages you’ll witness:
Road-clearing missions under constant threat
Mines, booby traps, and sudden explosions that reshaped the land—and the men
Close-quarters firefights where engineers became frontline soldiers
The grit, nerve, and loyalty that held Charlie Company together.
Raw, immediate, and impeccably-researched, Fire in the Hole is a ground-level journey into the world of America’s combat engineers—ordinary men thrust into extraordinary danger, shaping the battlefield one blast at a time.
