Imagine you are emotionally exhausted, plagued by nightmares so intense they’ve spilled over into your waking hours. You know your troubles are linked to traumatic events you experienced in a war from the distant past, a war you thought you’d managed to put behind you. Desperate for some inner peace, you write down your memories of the tiny, faraway country of South Vietnam where you were a soldier, after being drafted into the army infantry back in 1966. Will reliving your past heal your demons or just hasten your slide into mental illness?
In his multi-award-winning book, the author, Johnny F. Pugh, desperate to make sense of his PTSD-induced nightmares, relives the time when he was a soldier in the Vietnam War. He takes us with him on a soul-wrenching journey into Agent Orange-blackened jungles and booby-trapped, sniper and viper-infested rice paddies. But throughout his journey, he opens his heart and shares his feelings honestly and truthfully, portraying all of the terror, outrage and disgust he and his fellow soldiers felt daily trying to fight in a violent war that made no sense. Throughout the book, he shares the pride in his Mexican-American heritage that he learns from his Latino compadres and he sprinkles in some Spanish dialogue and barrio humor to lighten his narrative and endear us to his squad members.
The author’s message about the immorality of invasive wars like Vietnam rings loud and clear in this courageous memoir. In addition, this veteran’s story of his struggles to deal with his sense of shame and guilt for surviving that war effectively examines the lasting damage these wars do to our combat veterans and their daily battle for a little piece of mind.
What Readers Say About This Book:
I highly recommend this treasured book to others, so that they can learn valuable lessons retrieved from the wounds of war.
Zosiaulinski, Amazon reader
It is a book that needs to be sent to every politician as they consider sending young people to kill and maim in the name of freedom.
Bud Alley, Vietnam Veterans of America reviewer
Johnny Pugh writes with great talent and keeps you riveted throughout the read…This book belongs in every library.
Donald Arndt, Vietnam combat veteran and author
Experience the war in Vietnam as fought in the bush and endured by a combat infantry soldier…
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Through Smoke-Teared Eyes: The Vietnam War I Fought 