Overview

This isn't a book an action hero would want to option for a movie. There are no bigger than life heroics, no glamour, and no clear winners. It's a small personal story about a group of young men, children really, and what they endured. Living in the highland jungle was a miserable existence-leeches, giant spiders, snakes, tigers, jungle rot, lousy food, eighty pound packs, and folks trying their damnedest to kill us. The shared miseries, the isolation, the constant threat to life, the never ending stress, and the need for protection was very primal, pushing us into a tribal state. And that tribe is the heart of this story. The book is a tiny peek into that world, and hopefully of some use to the brothers in arms who may not have been able to put their own experiences into words, and to friends and loved ones and the curious, who may have been reluctant to ask. O'Meara's memoir focuses on the grunts, their personal war stories, and a glimpse into the lives of Vietnam combat soldiers.

Full Product Details

9798218606305

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A deeply thoughtful remembrance of a soldier's experience in war."" - Kirkus Reviews An absorbing account of one man's journey through the era of the Vietnam War and his return to life in the States. The book is a revelation into a time many of us may have chosen to forget, yet the sense of connection is immediate and visceral. O'Meara weaves his story in a way that is humorous, insightful, and at times frightening, and heartbreaking. - Garret Stephens Weekly Almaden Gazette O'Meara's memories are razor sharp. He tells his story with humor and fine detail and draws you into the Vietnam experience as if you were another grunt. We forget sometimes how young these soldiers were, but O'Meara reminds us with their rough humor and the clowning around they did to keep each other sane. You may find yourself laughing and crying at the same time. - Shelley Caldwell Hamden Book Club In The Long Return O'Meara tells what the day to day life was like fighting in that horrible war. He had me crying one moment and laughing the next as he negotiates his way through extremely difficult times with intelligence, wonderful relationships, hi-jinks, and grit. - Susan McKay I am a baby boomer who had friends who fought in Vietnam as well as my father, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War ll, in the same unit as O'Meara, the 101st Airborne. I've seen the damages of war on veterans. His book took me deeply into the lives of a group of very young men, fighting in a war, so very far from home. - Phyllis Ritchie

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available