Tragedy at Chu Lai - by David Venditta (Paperback)

About the Book

"Nicky Venditti, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, went to Vietnam in 1969 and was dead after 11 days, killed by an explosion during training at Chu Lai. This book documents the Army's mishandling of the incident and the effects on the families and friends of Venditti and of the two other young soldiers who died with him."--

Book Synopsis

Nicky Venditti, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot with a love of fast cars and practical jokes, went to Vietnam in 1969 and was dead in 11 days, killed by an Americal Division grenade training explosion at Chu Lai. The full story of the incident did not come out until the author, David Venditta (a different spelling), Venditti's cousin, made a chance discovery that began a decades-long effort to find out exactly what happened, what the Army did about it and who was held responsible. This book documents the Army's mishandling of the incident and the effects on the families and friends of Venditti and of the two other young soldiers who died with him.

Review Quotes

"Venditta tells us what the war meant to the families who lost loved ones in a war that was hard for all of us to understand"-Americal Journal (Americal Division Veterans Association); "this is an extremely well written and documented book that reveals the tragic truth"-The VHPA Aviator; "terrific"-The Morning Call.

About the Author

David Venditta is a retired newspaper writer and editor in Allentown, Pennsylvania.