The President's Sandbox

The year 1968 proved to be the defining year for the U.S. Marines fighting in Vietnam. One month after the New Year, the Tet Offensive shook the world. Just prior to that, the Marines were besieged at Khe Sanh, and would be so for 89 days. Khe Sanh was one of the most dramatic and complicated conflicts of the entire war.

President Lyndon Johnson used a little-known scale model to help him visualize the complexities of the battles that were taking place around Khe Sanh in Quang Tri Province. This novel relates the intricacies of the White House, Hanoi, Saigon, the main characters on both sides and the times. Set in both Vietnam and the USA, the novel traces events from early December 1967 through April 1968.

Gary Foster of Muscatine, IA

Gary Wayne Foster is the author of Phantom in The River: The Flight of Linfield Two Zero One. He has also written and copyrighted numerous articles and stories. A comprehensive account of his experiences in India has been translated into the Bengali language and published internationally. He has been a contributor to Red Clay magazine, the official publication of the Khe Sanh Veterans Association. His professional assignments have taken him to many countries including India, Vietnam, Bosnia, Jamaica, Cambodia, China, Bolivia, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Liberia and Congo, as well as other parts of Africa, and Iraq. He holds a BS degree from the University of California at Davis, an MS degree from the University of Alaska and an MBA from The George Washington University. In addition to his years living in India, he has also lived in Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Australia, Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) and France. The President’s Sandbox is his first novel.