Research Catalog

Title

The greatest beer run ever : a memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war / John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy.

Author

Donohue, John (Union leader)

Publication

• New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2020]
• ©2015
• ©2020

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Molloy, J. T. (Journalist)

Description

xiv, 248 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

In 1967, John (Chick) Donohue was a 26-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran working as a merchant seaman when he was challenged one night in a New York City bar. The men gathered at this hearth had lost family and friends in the ongoing war in Vietnam. Now, they were seeing protesters turn on the troops. One neighborhood patriot proposed an idea many might deem preposterous: One of them should sneak into Vietnam, track down their buddies in combat, and give each of them messages of support from back home, maybe some laughs - and beer. Chick volunteered for the mission. He sailed to Vietnam on a cargo ship carrying a backpack full of American beer, landing in Qui Nho'n in 1968. Things went awry when Chick got caught in the Tet Offensive, starting in the early hours as an eyewitness to the battle to retake the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, where he became stuck for months. Chick Donohue later became legendary as "the Sandhog who went to Harvard." He worked for decades on behalf of New York's tunnel builders as the legislative and political director of Sandhogs Local 147. This is the story of his epic beer run to Vietnam, in his own words and in those of the men he found in the war zone.

Subject

• Donohue, John (Union leader)
• 1961-1975
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975
• Tet Offensive, 1968
• Vietnam War, 1961-1975 > Commando operations
• Soldiers > United States
• Male friendship
• Soldiers
• Commando troops
• United States

Genre/Form

• Autobiographies.
• Informational works.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-248).

Contents

One night in a New York City bar, the colonel's challenge -- Gathering the names -- Setting sail -- Voyage to Vietnam -- Anchored off Qui Nhon -- Looking for Chuckles's brother -- The Texan couldn't care less about orders -- The good samaritan in An Khe looked familiar -- LZ tombstone -- "Who's this guy?!" -- "Wait a minute, you don't have to be here, and you're here?!" -- Firefight at the ambush post -- Screams on the night road -- An Air Force pilot does me a favor -- Stuck in Saigon -- American money is good for bribes -- The Caravelle rooftop bar -- Finding a seafaring friend -- Happy New Year, baby -- Beaucoup VC -- Broken truce -- The American embassy under siege -- Battle at the president's palace -- Am I dead and in purgatory? -- Befriending a South Vietnamese cop -- A giant floating freezer full of food in the midst of famine -- Coast guard brass: a big job on a big ship -- Australian Marines lock the Caravelle up tight -- Finding Bobby -- Explosion at Long Binh -- Helping a descendant of the Mayans -- C.D., phone home -- Please do feed the animals -- "We cannot win" -- "We're outta here!" -- I kiss the ground -- Afterword: reflections on the journey -- Where are they now? -- Addendum: the neighborhood: Inwood, Manhattan, New York City -- Bonus chapter: BBQ and a beer-can shoot with a powerful stranger.

Call Number

JFE 21-1037

ISBN

• 9780062995469
• 0062995464

OCLC

1112268487

Author

Donohue, John (Union leader), author.

Title

The greatest beer run ever : a memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war / John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy.

Publisher

New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2020]

Copyright Date

©2015

New materials, ©2020

Edition

First edition.

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-248).

Chronological Term

1961-1975

Added Author

Molloy, J. T. (Journalist), author.

Other Editions:

Expanded edition of : Donohue, John. Greatest beer run ever : a true story of friendship stronger than war New York : Sugarwhistle LLC, 2015 9780998686820 (OCoLC)989979831

Research Call Number

JFE 21-1037