About the Author

James P. "Jim" Coan, author of Con Thien:  The Hill of Angels, University of Alabama Press, 2004, is a former officer of the Marines and a Purple Heart recipient at Con Thien.  Jim was a tank platoon leader during the siege at Con Thien by the North Vietnamese army in 1967.  He was an eyewitness to the brutal fighting between the U.S. Marines and the NVA over who would control the northernmost areas of South Vietnam, just below the Demilitarized Zone dividing both countries.  Determined to tell the Con Thien story, Jim spent over 20 years conducting research and interviewing participants from both sides of those battles. 

For ten months, from 1967 through 1968, Jim commanded a tank platoon that operated in support of several infantry units from the 9th and 4th Marines in the Con Thien and Leatherneck Square areas of Quang Tri Province.  Jim was subsequently wounded during a mortar attack on Con Thien, and ended his tour of duty as the XO of Alpha Company, 3rd Tank Bn.  Jim's tank platoon received a Meritorious Unit Citation for sustained superior combat performance.  His next assignment was as CO of Company "C", 2d Tank Bn., at Camp Lejeune, NC.  He attained the rank of Captain, USMCR after leaving active duty in 1970. 

Over the years, Jim has had numerous magazine articles published in Vietnam, Leatherneck, Khe Sanh Veterans Red Clay, and in several Veterans organization newsletters.  He is presently conducting research for a book dealing with Marine Corps tanks in Vietnam.