Author: Jim Stewart

Publisher: Iuniverse

ISBN: 0-595-36282-6

The following review was contributed by:   SHELDON (SHELLY) WAXMAN & click to view Shelly's reviews.

This book is an honest self-published memoir. One would think from the title that it is a story about a gung ho fighter who is going to tell us about his heroics during the war. Then he gets back to the U.S., meets the Anti-War Movement and starts the PTSD screw up (drugs, booze, sex, rock and roll and divorces). Also, there is the usual picture of the soldier on the front cover duded out with his flack jacket. This is the usual memoir of a Vietnam vet.

But this book takes another path. The author (an MP) admits that he never fired his gun in action, although he was under fire from time to time. No, this is a wonderful story of a hick teenage kid growing up, loving and having a child with a Vietnamese woman. He abandons his lover; finally gets over the booze and a divorce, marries again, goes the religious route and settles down. But he continues to live with his guilt.

He finally makes peace with himself after he searches for his long lost daughter and finds out what happened. It is a sad ending. But Stewart weathers the storm and comes out a hero, although he started out as a schnook. The book is well written and has good pacing, but it should have been proofed to eliminate what I consider to be too many typos. I did the same thing with my first book. Spell check, proofread, what’s that? I just wanted to get it “finished.” Now I have to send errata sheets with the book.

Once again, as a memoir writer myself, I find it sad that the only memoirs that sell are those written by famous people. I say it is too bad because “ordinary” people also have great stories to tell. This is a great non-fiction story that has the feel of a fictional novella. The book proves that you never know whether a book is good until you start reading it. This one grabs you and carries you through. I liked it.