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The greatest beer run ever : a memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war Cover Image Book

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

Donohue, John (Union leader), (author.). Molloy, J. T. (Journalist), (author.).

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.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780062995469
  • ISBN: 0062995464
  • ISBN: 9780062995476
  • ISBN: 0062995472
  • Physical Description: xiv, 248 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps, photographs ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition
  • Publisher: New York : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2020]

Content descriptions

General Note:
Publisher, dates, and paging may vary.
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages [245]-248).
Formatted Contents Note:
Introduction -- 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.

Search for related items by subject

Subject:
Donohue, John (Union leader)
Vietnam War, 1961-1975.
Tet Offensive, 1968.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 > Commando operations.
Soldiers > United States.
Male friendship.
Men's friendships.
Genre:
Autobiographies.

Available copies

  • 30 of 31 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 31 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Jacksonville Main Library 959.7043 DON (Text) 36015000390589 Adult Nonfiction Available -

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MARC Record

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1001 . ‡aDonohue, John ‡c(Union leader), ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)840403
24514. ‡aThe greatest beer run ever : ‡ba memoir of friendship, loyalty, and war / ‡cJohn "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy.
250 . ‡aFirst edition
264 1. ‡aNew York : ‡bWilliam Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, ‡c[2020]
264 4. ‡c©2020
300 . ‡axiv, 248 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations, maps, photographs ; ‡c24 cm
336 . ‡acartographic image ‡bcri ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
500 . ‡aPublisher, dates, and paging may vary.
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages [245]-248).
5050 . ‡aIntroduction -- 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.
520 . ‡aIn 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.
60010. ‡aDonohue, John ‡c(Union leader) ‡0(CARDINAL)840403
650 0. ‡aVietnam War, 1961-1975. ‡0(CARDINAL)257530
650 0. ‡aTet Offensive, 1968. ‡0(CARDINAL)255691
650 0. ‡aVietnam War, 1961-1975 ‡xCommando operations. ‡0(CARDINAL)457007
650 0. ‡aSoldiers ‡zUnited States. ‡0(CARDINAL)253983
650 0. ‡aMale friendship. ‡0(CARDINAL)272629
650 7. ‡aMen's friendships. ‡2homoit ‡0(CARDINAL)871607
655 7. ‡aAutobiographies. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)334997
7001 . ‡aMolloy, J. T. ‡c(Journalist), ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)840404
902 . ‡aMARCIVE 202103
902 . ‡aMARCIVE 202106
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