Memories from Vietnam: 45 Years and a Wakeup

'Memories from Vietnam - 45 Years and a Wake-up' was written to record, for posterity, the experiences and feelings of a group of combat veterans that served together in the jungles of Vietnam in 1968. These stories are told with the truthfulness of the events and the feelings of the authors exposed for the reader to get a better understanding of what it was like in Vietnam as a combat infantryman.

'Memories' begins with the unit training in Hawaii. It continues with transportation to Vietnam via troop ship. Then the book tells many different stories. Some stories are humorous. Some are very graphic as well as sad. There are stories that express the inner feelings of the authors that give the readers a better understanding of what it was like being a young combat soldier. Several stories at the end divulge the author's feelings about the treatment they received after they returned home.

Brad Newell, a draftee who spent 5 months in the Vietnam bush, was wounded and medevac'd, and eventually discharged in 1968. Bill Strouse, an enlistee, served 12 months in Vietnam and was eventually discharged from Ft. Hood, Texas, in 1969, after serving 3 years. Strouse eventually received a direct appointment in 1979, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves in 1998, having served with a variety of units including Special Forces, and Civil Affairs in Bosnia.