8th of November

Early on in their career Country Duo, Big and Rich spent some time in Deadwood South Dakota. In fact most of the songs on their first album were written there. While there they met Niels Harris and heard his tale of being in Vietnam. Niels was sent overseas with the 173rd Airborne and found himself and fellow soldiers in the middle of a jungle and ambushed by 1200 enemy soldier out numbering his unit three times. According to Deadwood Mountain Grand,”

Just 19, Niles was assigned to the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade. On November 5, 1965, he and his fellow soldiers of C Company landed in Vietnam’s War Zone D near Bien Hoa. Three days later, on the 8th of November, B and C Companies found themselves in a fierce battle with 1,200 Viet Cong soldiers equipped with machine guns, claymores and sniper rifles.

At the end of the battle, 48 Americans and more than 400 Viet Cong were dead. Many more U.S. soldiers were wounded, including Niles. His right leg, from knee to hip, was hit by machine gun fire.

The man in the video is actually Mr. Harris.

There is a documentary out there where Big and Rich go with Mr. Harris back to where this happened in Vietnam. Niels still had the pair of boots that were cut off of him when he got hit by machine gun fire in 1965. They bury the boots, sing the song and “Throw back a strong one.” If you ever get a chance to see it do.

Take a minute to enjoy what I feel is one of the greatest songs, ever. Raise a toast tonight to those who lost their lives, we must never forget.