Ted Easterling served as a U.S. Marine combat engineer in the Vietnam War. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Akron, where he taught history. He studied and wrote a book about USMC Combat Action Platoons in Vietnam. We spoke about these units and the Vietnam War. War in the Villages: The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War (University of North Texas Press, 2021)
https://youtu.be/s2cy8dsSYG0
Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, academic, videos, University of North Texas Press, Modern War, United States, Vietnam, Vietnam War,
Ted Easterling served as a U.S. Marine combat engineer in the Vietnam War. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Akron, where he taught history. He studied and wrote a book about USMC Combat Action Platoons in Vietnam. We spoke about these units and the Vietnam War. War in the Villages: The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Platoons in the Vietnam War (University of North Texas Press, 2021)
0:42 – Ted talks about his experiences as a Marine in Vietnam and why he wrote this book.
3:04 – Ted talks about being a combat engineer in Vietnam.
4:37 – ed talks about when he got his PhD.
5:48 – Ted talks about how he broke the parts of the book.
15:27 – Ted talks about the strategy of attrition versus an enclave strategy.
19:13 – Ted describes what the Marine CAPs were like.
20:20 – Ted talks about the size of the villages and the CAPs that were in them.
21:58 – Ted goes into detail about the Popular Forces.
22:42 – Ted discusses the interactions between the CAPs and PFs.
23:59 – Ted discusses the volunteer aspect of the CAPs.
25:44 – Ted talks about the support the CAPs had.
27:05 – Ted talks about the bases for the CAPs.
28:39 – Ted talks about how support for CAPs began to increase.
35:02 – Ted talks about the dangers the CAPs faced.
41:53 – Ted talks about the resources he used for his research.
42:37 – Ted talks about the evolution of the CAPs
50:27 – Ted talks about Lt Col Corson.
54:45 – Ted talks about the three American leaders who fascinated him the most.
58:22- More information about the book can be found at the North Texas Press website.
David de Haas has written extensively on Old West history. He recently co-authored a book on a subject not written on before, the Earp bootlegging operation at the Sawtelle Old Soldiers’ Home in Sawtelle, California. We spoke about the Earp connection to the Civil War, veterans’ issues, and the book. The Earps Invade Southern California (University of North Texas Press, 2020) This is the youtube version of a previously posted podcast interview.
https://youtu.be/3RbFZRBVdkA
Tags: Books, audio interviews, David de Haas, videos, University of North Texas Press, American history, American Politics, US Civil War, history of crime, United States
