A Tiger Among Us: A Story of Valor in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley by Bennie Adkins. A story from growing up in a large family in Oklahoma to his indeed extraordinary heroism at the Battle of A Shau Valley in March 1966. This is truly an amazing patriot and community leader.
Bennie served three tours in Vietnam before returning stateside retiring in 1978. In addition, he complete two masters degrees and launched his own accounting firm. However following his awarding of the Medal of Honor in 2014, Bennie changed his life to serve again.
He was drafted in 1956 and served in Germany before returning to the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Benning. Bennie volunteered for Special Forces in 1961. Deploying to Vietnam three times between 1963 and 1971, as a result blending life and family into his early service and initial training within Special Forces.
Then the focus shifts to A Shau. At first glance Bennie is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross from the battle. As just one of 17 serving at a Special Forces camp at A Shau, Bennie also found 400 South Vietnam irregulars serving at the camp. This included Montagnards. Bennie addressed their fighting skills, yet also the discrimination they faced by fellow Vietnamese.
38 hour battle at Special Forces camp A Shau
Two North Vietnamese defectors revealed the NVA 325th Division was planning an attack. The odds and weather were certainly overwhelming. Time Magazine article from March 18, 1966. During the attack Bennie was wounded 18 times. In addition, the worst part of the attack included the South Vietnamese Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG). Within a wall of the triangular camp, CIDG members however revealed themselves to be the NVA enemy and began attacking US Special Forces.
Bennie also relays the story of a downed aircraft and the heroic actions that resulted in another Medal of Honor recipient Bernard Fisher, with a PDF link to a US Air Force article about Bernard’s actions.
The title of this book is from a moment in battle. While escaping the overrun camp, a tiger actually emerged from the jungle between advancing NVA and Bennie and fellow soldiers. This personal story of service in Vietnam certainly reminds me of The Eagle Weeps by Lieutenant colonel Keith Honaker, and Matterhorn: A novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes. Accordingly, Bennie painfully shares how he remained haunted by the men he could not rescue.
Scholarship program
Certainly to no surprise, he launched The Bennie Adkins Foundation offering college scholarships to members of the special forces transitioning into civilian life.
In conclusion, Bennie’s life, from Oklahoma to overcoming odds that seemed unbelievable at A Shau, gaining two masters degrees, and launching an accounting firm serve as his enduring legacy.