Like too many in the Vietnam Era this author had no desire for a
military career but lacking sufficient funds to remain in University
chose to become a combat helicopter pilot rather than wait for the
draft to railroad him into the infantry. Again, like so many others
he has chosen to write about the experience to record it for
posterity and as a form of catharsis. When I entered university in
1967 in Canada I encountered so-called draft dodgers who chose to
leave home to evade military service. A pacifist at heart I find the
military's methods and expenditures loathsome and an abominable waste
of human resources and materiel. On the other hand having exposed
young men to this training, discipline, and trauma I also feel there
is an obligation to provide the veterans of this war machine every
therapy and healing opportunity necessary to return them to civilian
life. Not all wounds are visible and not all injuries can be healed.
This author tells his story in concise matter of fact tones and has
my admiration for not finding it necessary to quote the profanity
that appears to be a standard part of military argot. I also commend
him for not throwing bucket-loads of military and technical jargon at
the reader and explaining that which he does use in terms a layman
can understand—the mark of a true expert. This man is the real
deal. [He does, however, tend to repeat the same explanations several
times which can become tedious.]
So, given my attitude why am I reading this account? Because those
who do not study history are fated to repeat it and I want no part of
being guilty of repeating it through ignorance of the past.
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