The Conflict that was a War; In Vietnam and at Home

by William Shepherd Sr, Jim Corso, William Bruno

Overview

This book is a collection of 19 short stories put together by 19 Vietnam Veterans with their experiences, and their nightmare upon returning home from war. These stories capture what it was like for many of them before they entered the service; While they were in Vietnam, and what it was like to come home to a hostile social environment. These veterans from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force unlock their inner feelings that have been penned up inside for over forty years. This is your opportunity to understand what what these veterans and families have suffered through since their return. Being in combat is a life changing experience which leaves the veteran searching for his former life, a life that is gone forever. The effect of trying to stay alive, seeing friends torn up by bullets or explsives, and constantly looking over his shoulder leave scars that last forever. From the insights of what these veterans put in their stories, all of us maybe able to help our young vets returnung from war, to seek the help that is now available and for you the reader to recognize that these veterans need to be welcomed home as the heros they are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477489420
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	10/06/2012
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.48(d)

About the Author

Nineteen Vietnam Veterans from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force, all with different jobs, discuss their experiences with war and the return to a society that didn't want them.

Editorial Reviews

Nineteen Vietnam veterans share their recollections of in-country time in Vietnam and their re-entrance into American society. The 19 contributors to the collection met as members of a PTSD therapy group in Modesto, Calif. They open with a preface which neatly and succinctly delineates two of the major themes in the lives of those who fought in Vietnam: guerilla warfare, along with the paranoid mindset it engendered, and the routine hostility veterans encountered upon their return to America, where instead of being greeted as heroes, they were shunned and, in some cases, literally spat on. The majority of the men were infantrymen, and as such, they had a front-row seat for the horrors of combat. Dead bodies were a common sight, as were dismembered limbs. Many were forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat and to kill enemies in close proximity. Hollywood-worthy jungle terrors were in fact very real--poisonous cobras, spiders as a big as a man's hand, triple-digit temperatures, stifling humidity--and an oppressive stench hung over everything. One man recounts the story of a soldier's gruesome attack by a tiger. Another tells of a friend who, not wanting to complete another mission, willfully sticks his fingers into a fan in order to receive medical exemption. The sentiments of each veteran bear remarkable similarities. They don't defend their actions and, while regretful, rarely apologize. They're incredulous at the treatment they received at home since they did what their country asked of them (the specter of Agent Orange is the notable and frequent exception to their patriotic feelings). Some still seethe and are openly angry, but most are resigned. What's left unexplored is how helpful the support-group meetings were for the men struggling with PTSD. It's only natural, with the peculiar and extreme circumstances of Vietnam, that such a group would offer them solace. Perhaps that's what led them to speak their minds here, as well as to state their final, selfless mission: to encourage this generation of Americans to treat the veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and all future wars with the respect and honor they deserve. Open, honest, raw and readable.

Kirkus Reviews