Cap MOT : The Story of a Marine Special Forces Unit in Vietnam 1968-1969

Based on actual experiences during Barry Goodson's tour of duty in Vietnam from July of 1968 to June of 1969, CAP Mot is the riveting story of one Marine Special Forces unit: "CAP" for "Combined Action Program", and "Mot" for the word "one" in the Vietnamese language.

A CAP unit was comprised of six to eight men who lived in the jungles of Vietnam with no firebase or compound for security.

Their responsibilities were two-fold. They were to become involved in the everyday life of the Vietnamese villagers, helping them in everything from farming to healing their sick.

They were also instructed to help train a new generation of PFs - Popular Forces soldiers - young Vietnamese men committed to fighting the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and other forces of Communism.

In reality, the "help" went both ways. PF soldiers taught the marines basic jungle survival skills such as how to locate and defuse booby traps and how to cover their bodies with water buffalo dung to keep the mosquitoes away. Ordinary villagers like Mamasan Tou would set up a security network so the CAP marines could afford the occasional luxury of a nap or a few minutes to write a letter home.

The only time a CAP marine left the jungle was when he was rotating home, wounded or dead.

Goodson's thirteen-month tour of duty was almost over when he was wounded.

He spent several weeks in various hospitals before going home, and facing a whole different kind of battle there.