This gut-wrenching firsthand account of the war is a classic in the annals of Vietnam literature."Guns Up!" was the battle cry that sent machine gunners racing forward with their M60s to mow down the enemy, hoping that this wasn't the day they would meet their deaths. Marine Johnnie Clark heard that the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam was seven to 10 seconds after a firefight began. Johnnie was only 17 when he got there, at the height of the bloody Tet Offensive at Hue, and he quickly realized the grim statistic held a chilling truth.
The Marines who fought and bled and died were ordinary men, many still teenagers, but the selfless bravery they showed day after day in a nightmarish jungle war made them true heroes. Guns Up! contains updated information about those harrowing battles. It is a tribute to the raw courage and sacrifice of the United States Marines.
