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“Under Fire with ARVN Infantry,” by Las Cruces author Bob Worthington has been awarded a gold medal for excellence in literature in the memoir/biography category by the Military Writers Society of America. The award was presented at the society’s Sept. 19 virtual awards banquet.
Worthington’s book describes his first tour of duty during the Vietnam War as a combat advisor to Vietnamese infantry units, Wilson-Binkley Advertising and Marketing said in a news release.
Worthington’s book “begins by recounting his training at the Army Special Warfare School in unconventional warfare, studying Vietnamese culture and customs and then Vietnamese language school. In-country he served as senior advisor to infantry defense forces and then an infantry mobile rapid reaction force.”
In one part of the book, Worthington describes a helicopter night assault by a 320-man Army of the Republic of Vietnam (AMVR) battalion against a 1,200-man North Vietnamese regiment. In another section, he recounts a night when the Viet Cong stopped the fighting so Worthington could arrange for a U.S. Marine helicopter to medevac a wounded Vietcong baby.
“From 1945 to 1973, more than 100,000 military men served as advisors in Vietnam,” the news release said. “Combat advisors lived and fought with South Vietnamese combat units, advising on tactics and weapons and liaising with U.S. military support.”
Worthington is a retired U.S. Army officer with 15 years in the infantry and a decade as an Army clinical psychologist, the news release said.
His military awards include the Combat Infantryman Badge, seven decorations for valor, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal and several awards for meritorious service.
A retired professor in the New Mexico State University Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Worthington has more than 2,500 publication credits. He produced the 2019 documentary film, “Combat Advisor in Vietnam.”
“Under Fire with ARVN Infantry” is published by McFarland & Company. Publication of his next book on his second combat tour in Vietnam is due in 2021.
The Military Writers Society of America is a nonprofit national association of more than 800 authors, poets, and artists with a common bond of military service who publish on military subjects. Each year the Society hosts an awards ceremony to honor the best books in various categories. Visit www.mwsadispatches.com.
