The Ugly American

Major James Wolchek—nicknamed “Tex” (100)—reports to the Frenchman Major Monet in Hanoi. He has been assigned to drop into Dien Bien Phu with the Foreign Legion unit. When he meets the other men, he notices a tall black man and correctly identifies him as an American. The man’s name is Jim Davis. Monet tells Tex that Davis is beloved by the Vietnamese soldiers. 

Two days later, at the airfield, Monet arrives with MacWhite. The soldiers learn that Dien Bien Phu has fallen, and the battle is lost. MacWhite is there to ask why they believe the Communists won the fight. Tex asks to speak to him alone, and they discuss battle tactics. Tex believes they are losing because the Vietnamese use unconventional tactics. He believes they must do the same to win. MacWhite decides to stay for a few weeks to observe the fighting so that he can learn what tactics might be used against his forces in Sarkhan. 

For weeks, the Legionnaires fight in dozens of conflicts and continue to lose. The attacks are always at night, and morale is low: They keep losing men and never see the enemy, who are adept at surprise attacks.