What was it like to be serving in the military in 1966?
In
A Soldier’s Journey, George Graves
tells us what he recalls about his military service experience, including time
spent in Vietnam. I applaud his diligence in seeing this difficult task through
to completion because I personally know several Vietnam Vets who would never
voluntarily mentally or physically revisit this period of their lives. Wives of
Vets who have experienced combat situations repeatedly report the frequency of
recurring nightmares and cold sweats from which their husbands, even decades
later, awaken. I have always been told, “Don’t even ask them about their time
in Vietnam. Don’t make them have to remember.” And I’ve always tried to respect
that, even with our closest friends who served.
A Soldier’s
Journey
chronicles Graves’ recollections without painting a graphic canvas of much of
the ugliness that was later reported or documented in movies, but gives the
reader a good sense of how frightening it was to be there, only feet away from
enemy movement, with orders not to engage unless absolutely necessary. He also
briefly covers one of the most devastating aspects--accidental death of one of
our own by friendly fire.
I,
personally, appreciated that most of Graves’ chapter headings were accompanied
by a variety of quotes from Scripture--words which no doubt sustained him during
this tour of duty in Vietnam and beyond.
A
quick read, I devoured this book in a short time on a Sunday afternoon, comfortably
seated in my beach chair with a light, welcome breeze blowing through my hair.
I believe that it provides a gentle overview of this particular individual’s
service journey and thank him for sharing his piece of the puzzle in our
American history. I was relieved that the book was not a dissertation focusing
on the atrocities aspect that so often accompanies Vietnam stories. We are
aware that horrible, inhumane incidents occur in war, but do I want to read
about it and visualize it? Not really.
I
completely understand his sentiments of wishing he could have obtained his
dad’s World War II memories before it was too late, something that cannot be
reversed or fixed because there is no rewind. I felt exactly the same way about
my dad’s war experiences because he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, and
I never recorded his version of that event or his subsequent service on Guadalcanal
and other locations--something I will forever regret.
Graves
delivers a story that conveys the perpetual unease, what it is like to be
facing potential death or dismemberment at any moment and the concealed
emotional wounds from serving our country in a combat zone. God bless George
Graves and all
Vets for risking their lives to keep us free! We can’t thank you
enough.
Book Description
11 months - 26 days, Always anxiety,
Sometimes life, Sometimes death, Sometimes invisible wounds. George Graves
relives his journey with this masterfully chronicled account beginning with
AIT, (advanced infantry training for jungle warfare) and ends with the
departure from Cam Ranh, Vietnam. Your mind's eye will see what he saw as his
everyday experiences come to life: the tunnel in AIT, close call in the "3
holer," 12 on recon waiting for 3000 to attack, the TET offensive, and
many more. If you watched MASH, don't miss this book. (Includes over 70
pictures). Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/A-Soldiers-Journey-George-Graves/dp/0988619482
In
the words of George Graves:
“Writing
this journey was not for the telling, but for the hearing.”
About
George Graves
Husband, Father,
Soldier, Author
Thank you to George for visiting with us today!
Do you want to write about your life experiences? Visit http://www.maryannebenedetto.blogspot.com for memoir writing tips and http://www.awriterspresence.com for information about 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing! I'll be seeing you soon with another great book and talented author.
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