Recommended Reading
Binding Their Wounds: America's Assault on Its Veterans
by Robert J. Topmiller
Vietnam vet and historian Robert “Doc” Topmiller began Binding Their Wounds while he was still struggling with his own PTSD but died before he could finish the book. Completed by his friends, the book provides an engaging account of America’s attitudes and treatment of its veterans, from the revolutionary war forward. Major chapters focus on the failures of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (and its predecessors) to address the needs of vets exposed to radiation in post–World War II military experiments, vets suffering from Gulf War illnesses, and vets exposed to Agent Orange during Vietnam. Particular attention is given to the persistent issues of trauma and suicide in soldiers and veterans. This volume documents strengths and shortcomings of military and VA responses to the needs of our servicemen and women and suggests ways that we can do better, including the avoidance of armed conflict. Rich in personal accounts of veterans, Doc’s own story is compellingly woven into the narrative.
http://www.paradigmpublishers.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=280222
Red Clay on My Boots |
Encounters with Khe Sanh 1968-2005
by Robert J. Topmiller
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Few people are more intimately acquainted with the horrors of war than Navy corpsmen serving with U.S. Marine units in combat. Upon that terrible and grisly stage, corpsmen carry out their duties, and become heroes to Marines, by risking their lives to help others; bandaging wounds, easing pain, comforting the dying and lamenting (sometimes forever) the loss of those they could not save.
In 1968, at age 19, Bob Topmiller found himself in just such a situation, amidst of the longest and bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War -- at a place called Khe Sanh. Surrounded by as many as 30,000 of North Vietnam's best troops supported by artillery, tanks, anti-aircraft guns and rocket units, 6,000 Americans successfully held the majority of their positions despite fierce ground attacks and endless artillery bombardment. Young Bob Topmiller was among a handful of corpsmen that, at great peril to their own lives, forayed out each day under intense enemy fire to assist some of the nearly 3,000 Marines who would eventually be killed or wounded during the three-month long battle.
In Red Clay on My Boots: Encounters with Khe Sanh 1968-2005, now Professor Bob Topmiller combines chilling personal recollections, with his expertise as a distinguished scholar of Vietnamese history, to create a unique and powerful account of the Vietnam War -- and the disturbing human toll it continues to exact. Topmiller's courage during that fierce and bloody battle would later serve him well in his tireless quest for reconciliation; eventually leading him from the brink of despair to rediscover a level of compassion he thought lost forever amid the carnage and ubiquitous red clay of Khe Sanh.
Topmiller's search took him back to Vietnam a dozen times, visiting a multitude of cities, villages, and former battle sites. His knowledge of the language and culture permitted him access to facets of the society often missed by more causal travelers, but which provides the reader with astonishing glimpses of the war and its aftermath.
Everywhere he traveled, Bob Topmiller witnessed the shocking legacy of Agent Orange on Vietnamese society; particularly evident in the appalling numbers of children deformed at birth by an environment still poisoned from the war. His search for inner peace ended in 2002 at a non-descript doorway on a street in Hue - a special school for these severely handicapped boys and girls. Since that day, Bob has been supporting them- back again, easing the pain of war.
Terrifying, heartbreaking, enlightening and, above all, honest; Red Clay on My Boots is a story hard to forget. (Michael Archer)
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http://www.kirkhouse.com/Books/Red-Clay-on-My-Boots
Wandering Souls
by Wayne Karlin
I cannot recall being moved more deeply by a book than I was while reading Wandering Souls. Wayne Karlin's beautifully crafted account of compassion, grace and forgiveness is made even more amazing in the knowledge that a despairing Homer Steedly somewhow found his way to Karlin -- the one person whose sublime understanding and enormous talent could fully capture the essence of that experience. I have no doubt that this honest and enlightening book will soon rank among the most highly regarded works in the literature of the Vietnam War. (Michael Archer)
http://www.amazon.com/Wandering-Souls-Journeys-Dead-Living/dp/1568584059
OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
Mesothelioma & Veterans
Veterans comprise approximately 30 percent of all mesothelioma diagnoses due to asbestos-contaminated products that were used by the military, primarily by the Navy, from the 1930s through the 1970s. Pleural mesothelioma can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Mesothelioma life expectancy depends on a number of factors. Unfortunately, asbestos-related diseases are not always recognized by the VA, which is why we’ve dedicated a portion of our website with information that can assist those affected by asbestos-related diseases in order to help them file for VA benefits.
My recent (Dec. 2007) two-week journey throughout Vietnam proved to be an amazing experience largely due to the excellent arrangements made by a tourist office in Hue City managed by Nguyen Thi Dieu Van at
34 NGUYEN TRI PHUONG STREET
HUE CITY , VIETNAM
TEL : OFFICE : 054 821773
CELL : 098.486.4485.
I would highly recommend her service to U.S. veterans and their families. Van speaks excellent English and is dedicated to making every facet of your visit a memorable one. Van's familiarity with the former U.S. military outposts along the old DMZ makes her particularly helpful to those who served in that area. Email:dieuvan73@yahoo.com
Remarkable, high-resolution aerial photos of Khe Sanh Combat Base during the siege.
VO-67 Association - Khe Sanh Page
Provides declassified, open source defense information on all aspects of the military world.
www.goinfantry.com
Where We Were in Vietnam by Michael
Kelley contains information about nearly every postion and LZ used by U.S. troops in Vietnam. An excellent resource for all Vietnam vets
www.wherewewere.com
An interactive, on-line forum for Vietnam Veterans, families and friends to exchange information, stories, poems, songs, art, pictures, and experiences in any publishable form.
www.vietvet.org
PBS History of Khe Sanh
www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/
Khe Sanh Veterans Association
www.khesanh.org/
Vietnam Veterans of America
www.vva.org
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Offers a variety of information on the armed forces and links to military related sites.
www.infantrymen.net
Service Flags and more... a family business that makes products to support the U.S. military and their families
www.serviceflags.com
The Marine Corps League
www.mcleague.org
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
www.vfw.org
National Association of County Veterans Service Officers
www.nacvso.org
NEVADA Magazine
www.nevadamagazine.com
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