Military Me--On Point

In a Nutshell:  In May of 1967 I was drafted and for two years became a soldier in the US Army. After six months of training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and subsequently Fort Polk, Louisiana, I flew to what was then South Vietnam to participate in ground action against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces. I served with the second platoon of Charlie Company, 1/5 (Mech) Infantry, 25th Infantry Division--nicknamed Tropic Lightning. I went over as a private first class and eventually became a squad leader. I returned wearing sergeant stripes having been wounded on four occasions.

September 1968, Dau Tieng Basecamp, South Vietnam

On Point:  Given the above, one might surmise that I would have several anecdotes to share, and that hunch would be correct. I wrote extensively about my experiences in the military, and was fortunate to have it published in May 2000 by Presidio Press as a military memoir entitled On Point: A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies: Vietnam 1967 - 1968. The next year St. Martin's Press purchased paperback rights to the book. Shortly thereafter the large-print rights were bought by ISIS Publishing, located in Oxford, England, and they published hardback and paperback editions. The book won a Distinguished Book Award from the Army Historical Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of the American soldier. It also won the Stanley Larsen Award from the 25th Infantry Division Association, an organization comprised of veterans who served with the division.

Army Buddies:  Men at war form some of the closest bonds of society. I came home from Vietnam in 1968, and returned to civilian life in 1969 but to this day some of my closest friends are those from my Vietnam platoon or company. We keep in touch on an almost daily basis, which is wonderful.  

Citation of the Larsen Award

L to R: Presidio Press, St. Martin's Press, ISIS Publishing