The U.S. army didn’t like Slater Marshall’s opposition to the Vietnam war and assigned him with three other dissidents to Viet Cong territory as a recon unit to support a nearby regiment. They called his group the “quick death squad” because they expected him to die. To survive, Slater followed his own rules and waged peace with the village of Phan Lac, the scene of the deaths of the previous recon unit. He overcame their hostility and forged a friendship.
Months later, when he spotted a North Vietnamese scouting party, he knew the enemy planned an attack against the American base. No one in the army believed his information. The village chief feared that once the offensive began, the firing of mortars and artillery from both sides would destroy his rural community.
To protect an American platoon and save the village, Slater’s team set up an ambush. The plan worked until the enemy rocketed the commander’s helicopter that flew overhead. It crash landed near Slater’s location and sabotaged his plan. The North Vietnamese directed more units toward the downed aircraft and marched toward Slater’s position.
After his team pulled the six men out of the burning chopper, he had to face a fired up enemy with its infantry and mortar squads. With few weapons and a radio, Slater had to improvise to save the villagers, an army platoon, the men in the wrecked helicopter, and their own lives.
