Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam

In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive. Almost all of the American forces had already withdrawn from Vietnam except for a small group of American advisers to the South Vietnamese armed forces. The 23rd ARVN Infantry Division and its American advisers were sent to defend the provincial capital of Kontum in the Central Highlands. They were surrounded and attacked by three enemy divisions with heavy artillery and tanks but, with the help of air power, managed to successfully defend Kontum and prevent South Vietnam from being cut in half and defeated. Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. In Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam, Thomas P. McKenna fills this gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent engagement. McKenna, a U.S. infantry lieutenant colonel assigned as a military adviser to the 23rd Division, participated in the battle of Kontum and combines his personal experiences with years of interviews and research from primary sources to describe the events leading up to the invasion and the battle itself. Kontum sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. McKenna’s book is not only an essential historical resource for America’s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival. Thomas P. McKenna, Lt. Col., USA (Ret.), served as a military adviser to the Army of South Vietnam and has published articles on military history in Vietnam, Military Officer, and Military Heritage magazines. A gripping combat narrative. McKenna does an excellent job of combining his personal experiences and observations with the extensive information he has drawn from official records, contemporary press reports, and published works. -- David T. Zabecki, editor emeritus, Vietnam Magazine Tom McKenna is a \u27soldier\u27s soldier.\u27 His reputation for integrity, courage and professional know how is known throughout the Army. His peacetime as well as wartime service marked him as one of the infantry\u27s most remarkable leaders, the kind admired by not only his subordinates but also his peers and superior officers. This book reflects his professional acumen and contributions to freedom. -- Major General Guy S. Meloy, USA (Ret.), former commanding general, 82nd Airborne Division A superbly written and researched account of the 1972 NVA Easter Offensive and the heroism and professionalism of the unsung heroes of the Vietnam War, the advisor teams. If you are interested in understanding why the Vietnam War ended as it did, read this book. -- Major General Neal Creighton, USA (Ret.), former Commanding General of 1st Infantry Division McKenna sweeps away the fog of war in his detailed history of the Battle of Kontum. He expertly blends his personal experience as a military adviser to the victorious 23rd South Vietnamese Division with years of painstaking research in this significant account of one of the final battles of the Vietnam War. -- Edward Richards, Emeritus Professor of English and Military Literature, Norwich University, CDR, USNR (Ret.) Accurately describes the important contribution of the U.S. Air Force in winning the Battle of Kontum. B-52 bombers, fighter-bombers, and gunships supported the advisors and the troops in Kontum while C-130 airlifts delivered vital supplies to the beleaguered city. -- Major General James C. Pfautz, USAF (Ret.) Although the Easter Offensive was the biggest battle of the Vietnam War, it has been neglected by historians. McKenna helps fill the gap with his account of the battle for Kontum in the Central Highlands. His perspective as a participant in the fighting there makes this an interesting and valuable addition to the historiography. -- Dale Andradé, author of America\u27s Last Vietnam Battle: Halting Hanoi\u27s 1972 Easter Offensive Offers an illuminating picture of the colorful, contradictory ex-military man in action. McKenna. . . does an effective job of melding his own story with the bigger picture. -- Publishers Weekly McKenna, a U.S. infantry lieutenant colonel assigned as a military adviser to the 23rd Division, participated in the battle of Kontum and combines his personal experiences with years of interviews and research from primary sources to describe the events leading up to the invasion and the battle itself. -- Siagon Arts, Culture, & Education Institute Newsletter Thomas McKenna\u27s fine work is an important addition to our knowledge of advisors and those they advised, during a critical period of the war . . . In a balanced and detailed account McKenna tells it like it was. -- Journal of Military History Kontum sheds new light on the actions of U.S. advisers in combat during the Vietnam War. McKenna\u27s book is not only an essential historical resource for America\u27s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival. -- West Point Grad News McKenna was a lieutenant colonel serving in South Vietnam as an adviser to the 23rd Army of the Republic of Vietnam. In this detailed account, he makes use of interviews, primary documents, and personal experience of how the 23rd successfully defended against three North Vietnamese divisions of superior numberical strength with the help of U.S. advisers and air power. -- Library Journal This biography details his career in the US Army...and also gives information on his early life and his marriage, drawing on the author\u27s personal interviews with Meadows. -- Book News Riveting account of desperate combat. -- Armchair General McKenna\u27s book is not only an essential historical resource for America\u27s most controversial war but a personal story of valor and survival. -- First Call Although much has been written about the Vietnam War, little of it addresses either the Easter Offensive or the Battle of Kontum. In Kontum, Thomas P. McKenna fills this gap, offering the only in-depth account available of this violent engagement. -- Military Officer Readers unfamiliar with the later stages of the Vietnam War will enjoy McKenna’s attention to detail, particularly his account of the battle of Kontum and the realities faced by American advisors. -- H-Net Review The author\u27s detailed accounts of the fighting make this book a must read for anyone interested in military history and particularly for anyone studying or who simply enjoys reading about the Vietnam War. -- Military Writers Society of America McKenna has done a great job of bringing us his firsthand account of the Battle of Kontum and America\u27s pivotal role in keeping South Vietnam from being split in half and defeated in 1972. This book is compelling reading wheather you were \u27in country\u27 at the time or not. -- Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Aviator McKenna combines solid research and first-person interviews with his own experiences there to produce an informative book that should serve as a \u27how not to\u27 for Iraq and Afghanistan. -- The Past in Review A well-written book that examines a relatively brief but critical chapter of the Vietnam War. -- On Point A powerful testament to the indispensable role played by advisor teams, which has often been obscured in conventional combat histories. . . . It is a must for any veteran or scholar who wants an in depth understanding as to how the Vietnam War was fought, and why its conclusion came to be. -- Military Winner of the William E. Colby Award [A] thorough and insightful account about the Easter Offensive launched by the North Vietnamese in Spring 1972. . . . Beyond being just a history of the Battle of Kontum, McKenna’s well-written and balanced account provides exceptional insights in the NVA, ARVN, and the withering commitment of the United States. -- Parameters: US Army War College Quarterly [. . .] [T]he book is a heavily researched, very detailed look at the 1972 North Vietnamese Army invasion of South Vietnam, better known as the Easter Offensive, which was designed to topple the South Vietnamese government and end the war. [. . .] [A]nd offers an insightful picture of the colorful, contradictory ex-military man in action. -- VVA Veteran Books in Reviewhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_military_history/1033/thumbnail.jp

Native Microbes Amplify Native Seedling Establishment and Diversity While Inhibiting a Non-Native Grass

Although several studies have shown increased native plant establishment with native microbe soil amendments, few studies have investigated how microbes can alter seedling recruitment and establishment in the presence of a non-native competitor. In this study, the effect of microbial communities on seedling biomass and diversity was assessed by seeding pots with both native prairie seeds and a non-native grass that commonly invades US grassland restorations, Setaria faberi. Soil in the pots was inoculated with whole soil collections from ex-arable land, late successional arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi isolated from a nearby tallgrass prairie, with both prairie AM fungi and ex-arable whole soil, or with a sterile soil (control). We hypothesized (1) late successional plants would benefit from native AM fungi, (2) that non-native plants would outcompete native plants in ex-arable soils, and (3) early successional plants would be unresponsive to microbes. Overall, native plant abundance, late successional plant abundance, and total diversity were greatest in the native AM fungi+ ex-arable soil treatment. These increases led to decreased abundance of the non-native grass S. faberi. These results highlight the importance of late successional native microbes on native seed establishment and demonstrate that microbes can be harnessed to improve both plant community diversity and resistance to invasion during the nascent stages of restoration

Helianthus maximiliani and Species Fine-Scale Spatial Pattern Affect Diversity Interactions in Reconstructed Tallgrass Prairies

1. Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function analyses aim to explain how individual spe‐ cies and their interactions affect ecosystem function. With this study, we asked in what ways do species interact, are these interactions affected by species planting pattern, and are initial (planted) proportions or previous year (realized) propor‐ tions a better reference point for characterizing grassland diversity effects? 2. We addressed these questions with experimental communities compiled from a pool of 16 tallgrass prairie species. We planted all species in monocultures and mixtures that varied in their species richness, evenness, and spatial pattern. We recorded species‐specific biomass production over three growing seasons and fit‐ ted Diversity‐Interactions (DI) models to annual plot biomass yields. 3. In the establishment season, all species interacted equally to form the diversity effect. In years 2 and 3, each species contributed a unique additive coefficient to its interaction with every other species to form the diversity effect. These inter‐ actions were affected by Helianthus maximiliani and the species planting pattern. Models based on species planted proportions better‐fit annual plot yield than models based on species previous contributions to plot biomass. 4. Outcomes suggest that efforts to plant tallgrass prairies to maximize diversity ef‐ fects should focus on the specific species present and in what arrangement they are planted. Furthermore, for particularly diverse grasslands, the effort of collect‐ ing annual species biomass data may not be necessary when quantifying diversity effects with DI models

Modification of Charge Trapping at Particle/Particle Interfaces by Electrochemical Hydrogen Doping of Nanocrystalline TiO2

Particle/particle interfaces play a crucial role in the functionality and performance of nanocrystalline materials such as mesoporous metal oxide electrodes. Defects at these interfaces are known to impede charge separation via slow-down of transport and increase of charge recombination, but can be passivated via electrochemical doping (i.e., incorporation of electron/proton pairs), leading to transient but large enhancement of photoelectrode performance. Although this process is technologically very relevant, it is still poorly understood. Here we report on the electrochemical characterization and the theoretical modeling of electron traps in nanocrystalline rutile TiO2 films. Significant changes in the electrochemical response of porous films consisting of a random network of TiO2 particles are observed upon the electrochemical accumulation of electron/proton pairs. The reversible shift of a capacitive peak in the voltammetric profile of the electrode is assigned to an energetic modification of trap states at particle/particle interfaces. This hypothesis is supported by first-principles theoretical calculations on a TiO2 grain boundary, providing a simple model for particle/particle interfaces. In particular, it is shown how protons readily segregate to the grain boundary (being up to 0.6 eV more stable than in the TiO2 bulk), modifying its structure and electron-trapping properties. The presence of hydrogen at the grain boundary increases the average depth of traps while at the same time reducing their number compared to the undoped situation. This provides an explanation for the transient enhancement of the photoelectrocatalytic activity toward methanol photooxidation which is observed following electrochemical hydrogen doping of rutile TiO2 nanoparticle electrodes

Community structure of soil fungi in a novel perennial crop monoculture, annual agriculture, and native prairie reconstruction

The use of perennial crop species in agricultural systems may increase ecosystem services and sustainability. Because soil microbial communities play a major role in many processes on which ecosystem services and sustainability depend, characterization of soil community structure in novel perennial crop systems is necessary to understand potential shifts in function and crop responses. Here, we characterized soil fungal community composition at two depths (0–10 and 10–30 cm) in replicated, long-term plots containing one of three different cropping systems: a tilled three-crop rotation of annual crops, a novel perennial crop monoculture (Intermediate wheatgrass, which produces the grain Kernza®), and a native prairie reconstruction. The overall fungal community was similar under the perennial monoculture and native vegetation, but both were distinct from those in annual agriculture. The mutualist and saprotrophic community subsets mirrored differences of the overall community, but pathogens were similar among cropping systems. Depth structured overall communities as well as each functional group subset. These results reinforce studies showing strong effects of tillage and sampling depth on soil community structure and suggest plant species diversity may play a weaker role. Similarities in the overall and functional fungal communities between the perennial monoculture and native vegetation suggest Kernza® cropping systems have the potential to mimic reconstructed natural systems

Abiotic and biotic context dependency of perennial crop yield

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Perennial crops in agricultural systems can increase sustainability and the magnitude of ecosystem services, but yield may depend upon biotic context, including soil mutualists, pathogens and cropping diversity. These biotic factors themselves may interact with abiotic factors such as drought. We tested whether perennial crop yield depended on soil microbes, water availability and crop diversity by testing monocultures and mixtures of three perennial crop species: a novel perennial grain (intermediate wheatgrass—Thinopyrum intermedium-- that produces the perennial grain Kernza®), a potential perennial oilseed crop (Silphium intregrifolium), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Perennial crop performance depended upon both water regime and the presence of living soil, most likely the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in the whole soil inoculum from a long term perennial monoculture and from an undisturbed native remnant prairie. Specifically, both Silphium and alfalfa strongly benefited from AM fungi. The presence of native prairie AM fungi had a greater benefit to Silphium in dry pots and alfalfa in wet pots than AM fungi present in the perennial monoculture soil. Kernza did not benefit from AM fungi. Crop mixtures that included Kernza overyielded, but overyielding depended upon inoculation. Specifically, mixtures with Kernza overyielded most strongly in sterile soil as Kernza compensated for poor growth of Silphium and alfalfa. This study identifies the importance of soil biota and the context dependence of benefits of native microbes and the overyielding of mixtures in perennial crops.Perennial Agricultural Project sponsored by the Malone Family Land Preservation FoundationNational Science Foundation (DEB-1556664, DEB- 1738041, OIA 1656006

Signatures of quantum effects on radiation reaction in laser-electron-beam collisions

Two signatures of quantum effects on radiation reaction in the collision of a GeV electron beam with a high intensity (>3×1020Wcm-2]]>) laser pulse have been considered. We show that the decrease in the average energy of the electron beam may be used to measure the Gaunt factor for synchrotron emission. We derive an equation for the evolution of the variance in the energy of the electron beam in the quantum regime, i.e. quantum efficiency parameter . We show that the evolution of the variance may be used as a direct measure of the quantum stochasticity of the radiation reaction and determine the parameter regime where this is observable. For example, stochastic emission results in a 25% increase in the standard deviation of the energy spectrum of a GeV electron beam, 1 fs after it collides with a laser pulse of intensity 1021W cm-2. This effect should therefore be measurable using current high-intensity laser systems

Humid Evolution of Haze in the Atmosphere of Super-Earths in the Habitable Zone

Photochemical hazes are expected to form and significantly contribute to the chemical and radiative balance of exoplanets with relatively moderate temperatures, possibly in the habitable zone of their host star. In the presence of humidity, haze particles might thus serve as cloud condensation nuclei and trigger the formation of water droplets. In the present work, we are interested in the chemical impact of such a close interaction between photochemical hazes and humidity on the organic content composing the hazes and on the capacity to generate organic molecules with high prebiotic potential. For this purpose, we explore experimentally the sweet spot by combining N-dominated super-Earth exoplanets in agreement with Titan's rich organic photochemistry and humid conditions expected for exoplanets in habitable zones. A logarithmic increase with time is observed for the relative abundance of oxygenated species, with O-containing molecules dominating after 1 month only. The rapidity of the process suggests that the humid evolution of N-rich organic haze provides an efficient source of molecules with high prebiotic potential