TRUTH, BLOOD, THE THINGS WE SURVIVED, AND CARRIED

I never believed we’d win in Vietnam. That wasn’t the point. We were a small unit, handed missions that smelled of blood before we left the wire. You didn’t measure success by the job getting done. You measured it by who returned breathing.

Drill Sergeant Greeley had a way of saying things you didn’t forget. “The only unfair fight is the one you lose.”

I made mistakes — more than I like to count. But I owned them and tried to learn from the consequences. I kept a strong face in front of the boys even when I felt the ground shifting under my boots.

We lived on the edge — a step before the abyss. There was no reason we should have made it home. Except I changed a few orders that would’ve broken us. The funny thing is we got it all done — every damn mission.

Do you want the truth? “Vietnam Uncensored — 365 Days in a Nightmare” tells it. It’s not just about war. It’s about what the war did to us. The first chapter is free. There’s a ghost in it. NPR broadcast it. Proceeds go to the Kaufman Fund to help vets. So, if you read it, it counts. Find out more at vietnamjerry.com.