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HomeShop at BookSurgeFictionRomanceHistoricalMeeting the Enemy: A Marine Returns Home |
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heartfelt and classic Nov 21, 2009
Suel Jones takes the reader to the hard, dirty place of the jungle war in Viet Nam most of us will thankfully never have to know, and he juxtaposes the story against meeting a fellow Marine in a modern day Hanoi coffee shop. Ironic and powerful, Mr. Jones explores the horrible waste and disregard for life that warfare can bring to a human soul and the fragile path to a soldiers personal redemption.
Meeting The Enemy: A Marine Returns Home is an important book.
Lifting the veil Aug 18, 2009
"Meeting the Enemy" lifts the veil on many of the truths about wars and the warriors who fight them. So many Viet Nam vets seemed to blot that time from their memories and rarely spoke of their time or experiences in that country. Some say they just picked up and went on with their lives, but if questioned a little deeper, theys often become more withdrawn or agitated or sad. Those whose fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives served in Iraq and Afganistan would do well to read this book to help them better understand some of the behavior when warriors re-enter the real world.
While the book is about the Viet Nam "war," it is most relevant today as our young men and women are returning from Iraq and Afganistan and facing many of the same problems as veterans of Viet Nam. Both "wars" began with lies and a lack of concern for the young men and women we sent over without adequate training, supplies and leadership. Here in Central Texas, the highway between Killeen - home of Fort Hood - and IH-35 is becoming known as suicide road because so many veterans seem to just drive off the road and die in horrific crashes. The rise in domestic violence at Fort Bragg and other army and marine bases is well documented. In his story, Mr. Jones voices the frustration of those soldiers sent over to fight and then dumped like garbage when they returned home to the USA and offers hints on healing those wounds.
The author's descriptions and dialogue in battle scenes are vivid and sometimes unnerving. However, I wanted to know more about the interactions between Mr. Jones' and his family and friends when he returned home. It seems easier for him to write about Vietnamese and his fellow warriors than of his family and friends here. My deepest respect go to him for unveiling so much of the fear, isolation, terror and hurt he endured during the war and afterwards and of his efforts to heal those deep wounds. I am so glad the people of Viet Nam were so helpful in his quest.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Meeting the Enemy Jul 30, 2009
There are few books about the madness of the Vietnam/American War that speak the truth in a clear, powerful, moving, and insightful manner as does Jones's book. This creative and soul-searching book takes the reader through the personal horror of war and the rebirth of the author in an important contribution to the history of the era and the effects today on those who survived the insanity. The narrative is haunting. The structure of the book is such that a reader finds him/herself engaging the struggle of the author. Jones is to be thanked for this gift to the reader, those who fought the war, and those who attempt to resolve the war's effects.
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