BARBWIRE, BROTHELS, AND BOMBS IN THE NIGHT

A Vietnam veteran recalls his experiences in Southeast Asia in this memoir.

“I’d entered the army ass-first, not by any well-thought-out design,” writes author Hogan in this exploration of his one-year tour in Vietnam. As a naïve Kentuckian, Hogan’s “draft evasion maneuvers” were foiled by academic probation at the University of Louisville, and, like many of the more than 2 million Americans who served, the author was thrust into an “awkward and difficult transition to manhood” by the war. The work contains harrowing stories of “bombs in the night” and the deaths of fellow soldiers, but since Hogan didn’t experience direct combat, the book’s strength lies in its exploration of the war’s psychological impact. To “survive a year in a strange world where I never wanted to be,” Hogan turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex. But the celebrated baby boomer concept of “adulthood” and its associated privileges seemed “hollow” to young soldiers like Hogan in Vietnam. The persistence of trauma long after the war ended is a major theme of the book, and the author grappled with a recurring nightmare of duty reactivation. Dedicated to a counselor at Western Kentucky University who listened “without judgment when I most needed to be heard,” the memoir emphasizes the value of therapy. Hogan eventually obtained a master’s in counseling and now serves in the field of alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Using his professional expertise, he offers guidance to other veterans with a warning against facing one’s “demons alone.” Hogan writes thoughtfully and does a fine job of balancing storytelling and reflection. On the topic of patriotism, for example, he says that he has “proved my patriotism beyond doubt,” and no longer feels the need to pledge allegiance to the flag, place his hand over his heart, or engage in any other gestures that he believes society incorrectly uses to judge levels of personal patriotism. Hogan’s candid, cleareyed perspective may help others manage their own lingering PTSD.

An introspective memoir that catalogs the mental tolls of war.