Reviewed by Peter Brush
By William H. Hardwick
Ballantine Books, New York, 2004
“Down South” was the name U.S. Marines on Okinawa gave to their most common destination: Vietnam. Lieutenant William H. Hardwick spent 1968-69 down south around Da Nang, coordinating artillery fire for units of the 5th and 7th Marines. The fighting mainly consisted of small battles with no names in places with no names, battles mostly forgotten by history. The author claims that the Marine Corps is the best in the world at delivering close supporting fire, and reading Down South seems likely to make believers of its readers.
Hardwick has a great sense of irreverence and a dry sense of humor (“There is hardly a more exciting way to spend a sunny afternoon than chasing men with guns”). His casual descriptions of killing and attempted killing of civilians and prisoners reminds us of the unsavory aspects of the war. He offers sage and sad comments on how easy it was to be killed by friendly fire (he once plotted harassment-and-interdiction fires that killed a Navy corpsman, and said he “will take his memory with me to my judgment”). One particularly bizarre account describes an area with no targets where a million pounds of bombs per month were dropped so planes could land safely. An enjoyable read, highly recommended.
