It seems to me that the war I served
in, and the place I was sent—Vietnam—
is little more now than a dream. The
draft is gone, the protests caused by the
draft for an unpopular war (unpopular
at least among those who were drafted
to serve) are gone, and the country that
sent me to war is gone.
Today, I could return to Vietnam as
a tourist and I could see the places where
I served—Pleiku, Nha Trang, and Saigon—
but I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Once
was enough. I ’d rather not fall asleep
again into that long-ago dream. By
writing this book, I hope to awake
from my dreams of war.
