Tour Host: Col Don Price, USMC

 

Tour Leaders: Capt Ed Garr , USMC & SgtMaj Pete Ross, USMC

 

MILITARY HISTORICAL TOURS (MHT) is proud to honor one of the most courageous Marines to ever serve his country as we retrun to Vietnam to honor Colonel Donald G. Cook, USMC MOH. 

 

On 11 December 1964, then Capt Donald Cook was reassigned to Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, to report to the Senior Marine Advisor. On December 31st, Col Cook volunteered to conduct a search and recovery mission for a downed American helicopter and set off with the 4th Vietnamese Marines.

 

Ambushed on their arrival at the crash site, he rallied the Vietnamese Marines who accompanied him, tended to the wounded and was attempting to drag others to safety when he was wounded in the leg and captured. He was taken to a Viet Cong POW camp in the jungles of South Vietnam near the Cambodian border where he quickly established himself as the senior American (even though he was not) and provided guidance and strength to his fellow prisoners. His actions were in direct defiance of his captors who attempted to remove all semblance of military rank and structure among the POWs. He impressed upon the Viet Cong that he was senior among the POWs and therefore spokesman for the group, fully aware that his actions would lead to harsh treatment for himself. Col Cook was subjected to physical abuse and isolation but he resisted his captor's efforts to break his will. Surviving on limited rations, he tried to maintain his health in his ten foot square cage. He could be seen by other prisoners exercising and running for hours. Still, the jungle prison took its toll on his health and he and the other prisoners found themselves in a weakened state. As a consequence, he contracted malaria shortly before moving to a new camp. He was so weak that he staggered when he walked, could not traverse log bridges, and lost his night vision due to vitamin deficiency. Still, he persevered refusing to allow anyone to carry his pack or otherwise put a strain on themselves to help him. Upon reaching the new camp, even the camp commander complemented Col Cook on his courage. Although he regained some of his strength at the new camp, Col Cook still suffered from the effects of malaria. He was instrumental in saving the lives of several POWs who were convulsing with severe malaria attacks.

 

Even though he was on half-rations, Col Cook shared his food with the weaker POWs even giving up his allowance of penicillin. He knew that in his deteriorated condition that he would not survive a long imprisonment yet he continued to offer food and badly needed medicine to other POWs. In this respect, he went far above and beyond the call of duty by risking his life to inspire other POWs to survive. Col Cook was last seen on a jungle trail by fellow POW, Douglas Ramsey, in Nov 1967. When Mr. Ramsey was released in 1973, he was told that Cook had died from malaria on 8 Dec 1967 while still in captivity. On 15 May 1980, a memorial stone was placed in Arlington National Cemetary and the flag from the empty grave presented to his wife, Laurette. The following day Col Donald G. Cook was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The highly experienced, Vietnam-veteran Battlefield Tour Leaders of MHT have walked the ground. We have an outstanding working relationship with the Vietnam government that allows us access to areas previously restricted to other travelers. Our guides have been back to Vietnam dozens of times and are intimately familiar with the terrain, the battlefields, and the people. And now the best part at only $3295 per person, this tour is an outstanding value, making it affordable for you to travel. The single supplement is only $545.

 

Tour Host: Col Donald Price USMC (Ret) is the acclaimed author of The First Marine Captured in Vietnam: A Biography of Donald G. Cook and frequent MHT Tour Leader.

Daily Itinerary

 

12 Apr Mon - (Day One) Depart Los Angeles for Vietnam.

 

13 Apr Tue - (Day Two) Arrive in Inchon and transfer to a flight to Vietnam. Arrive HCMC in the afternoon and transfer to our hotel.

Arrive at Tan Son Nhut Airfield, Saigon Check in Majestic Hotel, an officers’ hotel (BOQ) during the war and the most famous of the French-built hotels in Saigon. From the roof garden of the Majestic, at the hub of Saigon’s downtown, observe Le Loi Street to the former RVN Parliament Building on Dong Khoi Street, well known during the war as Tu Do Street.
Hotel: Majestic (B/L/D)  

 

14 Apr Wed - (Day Three) City tour of Saigon including the Presidential Palace, Remnants of War Museum (formerly American War

Crimes Museum), old U.S. Embassy, Cho Lon (Chinatown), central post office and Notre Dame Cathedral on what was once called John F. Kennedy Square, Thien Hau Pagoda, Binh Tay Market, and the lacquer ware factory.
Hotel: Majestic (B/L/D)    

 

15 Apr Thur - (Day Four) Ride hovercraft ferry from Saigon to Vung Tau, the biggest in-country R&R site during the war. See sunken American ship in Saigon River, the 8,500-ton SS Baton Rouge Victory, mined by Viet Cong sappers. Pass through Rung Sat Special Zone, the “Forest of Death.” Meet bus. Visit following: Pacific Hotel where Marine advisors stayed. Cyrno's Restaurant, where  advisors ate, the Catholic church where Cook attended last mass of his lifetime, the airport that Cook used to make recons of the Mekong Delta, the 4th Battalion's old base camp, and the mountaintop Jesus statue. We will have an opportunity for swim call on the very popular beaches. RON at a classic hotel, the Canadian. Places of interest: Villa Blanche, Light House, Niet Ban Tinh Xa Pagoda, shipwreck museum, Buddhist temple dedicated to fishermen.

Hotel: Canadian (B/L/D)   

 

16 Apr Fri - (Day Five) Visit Catholic village of Binh Gia that Cook helped liberate and the nearby rubber plantation where he was captured, and the 4th battalion was destroyed. Take counterclockwise POW march route around Saigon and pass through Long Khanh, Bien Hoa, Di An. Dau Mot, Xuan Loc, Ben Cat, and Dau Tieng.

Hotel: Hoa Binh Tay Ninh (B/L/D)     

17 Apr Sat - (Day Six) Visit Nui Ba Den . Head for Bu Gia Map nature preserve where Cook died after nearly three years in  captivity.

Hotel: An Loc. (B/L/D) 

18 Apr Sun - (Day Seven) Visit Bu Gia Map. Return to HCMC.
Hotel: Majestic (B/L/Dinner on your own) 

19 Apr Mon - (Day Eight) Fly to Hue on the early morning flight. Walk the south Perfume River in trace of 2/5 and 1/1. After lunch, we will have free time to explore the Citadel on your own or to shop on exciting Le Loi Street.

Hotel: Huong Giang, (B/L/Dinner on own)  

20 Apr Tue - (Day Nine) Early morning departure for Quang Tri.Today is a full day in the field, all along Route 9 to the Lao Border, with stops at Camp Carroll, The Rockpile, Razorback, Khe Gia Bridge, Da Krong, The Hairpin, Lang Vei and Khe Sanh. Return to Hue.

Hotel: Huong Giang, (B/Box L/D)

21 Apr Wed - (Day Ten) Fly to Hanoi on the early morning flight. In the afternoon we visit the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) and the Army Museum .Later that afternoon open house with the U.S. Marine Security Guard Detachment.

Hotel: Starview(B/L/D)  

22 Apr Thur - (Day Eleven) This morning we visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum the Presidential Palace and other sites of interest.  After lunch we will visit JPAC for briefing on current body recovery activities. We depart for the airport in the late evening for our flight to Inchon. We will return to LAX at 0840 Friday April 23 2010.

Hotel: Starview (B/L/D on plane)

Tour Price: $ 3,295 (Based on double Occupancy)