As patriotic and naïve young men, we trained and established a new helicopter assault company during 1966 destined for Vietnam. From the author's point of view as a crew chief of a helicopter gunship, the sights and sounds of battle are told in a riveting and candid manner. As a multi-decorated and wounded combat veteran, he returns home to an uncaring nation. Following a brief tour in Germany and honorable discharge, he finds civilian life as a veteran is not all its cracked up to be. Frustrated, lonely, and a 'fish-out-of-water' he reenlists to return to Vietnam during 1969. However, suspicion and illegal activity await him in an isolated fire support base that will be his home for the next year. No longer motivated to win the war, the mission seemed to be 'stay alive and get home' in one piece. Quite unlike his first tour, social problems, cultural changes, low morale, illegal activity and drug usage seemed an everyday occurrence. The anti-war mantra had found its way to his corner of the combat zone. The story describes his quest for normalcy and acceptance in a changing world. You Can't Come In describes his keeping others out of his life, while at the same time they kept him out of theirs.
Pages
336
Format
Kindle Edition
You Can't Come In: A memoir of Vietnam and its aftermath
As patriotic and naïve young men, we trained and established a new helicopter assault company during 1966 destined for Vietnam. From the author's point of view as a crew chief of a helicopter gunship, the sights and sounds of battle are told in a riveting and candid manner. As a multi-decorated and wounded combat veteran, he returns home to an uncaring nation. Following a brief tour in Germany and honorable discharge, he finds civilian life as a veteran is not all its cracked up to be. Frustrated, lonely, and a 'fish-out-of-water' he reenlists to return to Vietnam during 1969. However, suspicion and illegal activity await him in an isolated fire support base that will be his home for the next year. No longer motivated to win the war, the mission seemed to be 'stay alive and get home' in one piece. Quite unlike his first tour, social problems, cultural changes, low morale, illegal activity and drug usage seemed an everyday occurrence. The anti-war mantra had found its way to his corner of the combat zone. The story describes his quest for normalcy and acceptance in a changing world. You Can't Come In describes his keeping others out of his life, while at the same time they kept him out of theirs.