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Powerful in its simplicity Dec 03, 2002
Honest, innocent, succinct, fast-paced. These are some of the adjectives that strike me about my read of "Dig In" by Rick Bartholomew. I am not a Vietnam veteran myself, but I have read many personal accounts of the Vietnam War, authored by vets, similar in their purpose and origins to this one. "Dig In" stands out because it does not dwell on the bitterness that many of our Vietnam vets still display. Rather, in simple yet powerful language, it truly brings the story of America's involvement in Vietnam to life.The author was 18 upon arriving in Vietnam, and all of 19 years old when he left. Through short accounts of daily events he tells of being sick, terrified, miserable, homesick, lonely, and very, very brave. His bravery comes through without bravado. The author never brags. He simple tells what happened, and the reader is left to ponder what bravery it must have taken to slither into a VC tunnel with only a flashlight and a .45, or to endure day after endless day of living life in constant danger. He wasn't always the charge-up-the-hill John Wayne style soldier, but he did his duty with distinction, like most of the young Americans that served over there. I hope that the author is proud of what he did for his country in Vietnam. I think his story, as told in "Dig In," could represent the story of most of our soldiers that served over there and were never properly recognized or rewarded. The punctuation ain't perfect, the spelling ain't perfect, but what is perfect about "Dig In," and perfectly obvious, is that it comes from the heart. For me, I thought it was well worth reading.
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