Impact Zone

The Battle of the DMZ in Vietnam, 1967–1968

By Jim Brown

University of Alabama Press

A Vietnam War combat memoir from the perspective of an artilleryman

Impact Zone documents Marine First Lieutenant James S. Brown's intense battle experiences, including those at Khe Sanh and Con Thien, throughout his thirteen months of service on the DMZ during 1967-68. This high-action account also reflects Brown's growing belief that the Vietnam War was mis-fought due to the unproductive political leadership of President Johnson and his administration. Brown's naiveté developed into hardening skepticism and cynicism as he faced the harsh realities of war, though he still managed to retain a sense of honor, pride, and patriotism for his country.

Impact Zone is a distinctive book on the Vietnam War because it is told from the perspective of an artilleryman, and the increasingly dangerous events gain momentum as they progress from one adventure to the next. Impact Zone is not only an important historical document of the Vietnam conflict, but also a moving record of the personal and emotional costs of war.

[Impact Zone’s] originality and contribution rests in the fact that it is from the view of an artillery officer. . . . [and it] showed me, a former infantry officer, much about the artillery in that war. . . . It should appeal to all students of Vietnam. It fits that niche very nicely and an audience of those who are interested in military history in general, memoirs, and Vietnam should welcome it.’
—Otto J. Lehrack, author of No Shining Armor: The Marines at War in Vietnam, An Oral History

Jim Brown is a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War, for which he was decorated with the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

List of Maps

Acknowledgments

1 Why

2 The Transition

3 Arrival

4 The Rockpile

5 A Mountaintop Experience

6 The Ambushes

7 Dong Ha

8 Con Thien

9 Fix Bayonets