The Cage - Project Update - Nov 1, 2019

Hi, <<First Name>>,

In my last update, I shared one of the anxious questions I often ask myself, “Self, what right do you think you have to write this story?” Not only was I not in the Vietnam War, I’ve never even been in any of the armed forces! How, then, could I possibly write a book about Marines in the war? And as a new writer, why on earth would I choose such an epic story to cut my teeth?

First, I must thank all of you who wrote back with words of encouragement. It was surprising and magical to me that showing just an ounce of honest vulnerability would elicit such compassion in response. Your ongoing support gives me drive and your comments helped validate something else that I’ve been thinking: that my supposed weaknesses might actually be strengths in disguise.

The fact that I have never been in combat or any of the armed forces allows me to approach the work in my own unique way and with a perspective that could turn out to be uncommon to the genre. This, in turn, could reach readers that might not otherwise be interested, while also providing something fresh for those who are. 

WHO I'm Writing For

A lot of nonfiction books that deal with war or military history are written by veterans or academic historians. They seem to be written for a military audience and they make a lot of assumptions about what the reader knows - expecting all the acronyms, terms, and jargon to have been assimilated by the reader in boot camp, for example. In other cases, the works are like textbooks - something you might study in school in order to find facts for passing a test, but nothing that stimulates the senses, recreates experience, and elicits emotion. Nothing, that is to say, that you’d want to read for the sheer pleasure of the story -  to appease the wondrous child within that, when fascinated, begs beneath the nightlight for just one more page...

“And then what happened?”

My lack of military and combat experience can be a strength because it may help me write for those who are just like me. I have to keep reminding myself, for example, that the Vietnam Veterans are my story, but not my audience. While I do care about pleasing them, writing specifically for them is probably a mistake. My readers are their children, their children’s children, and new generations who, further and further removed from the war by time, should always be anchored to their country with an understanding of the ongoing duty to freedom and its cost. I, myself, am a good model for my reader.

Just one generation removed, my initial education on the Vietnam War was from Hollywood and a variety of politically twisted tales still resonating from that crazy time in our country’s history. Never mind the insanity of war itself; I was the kind of idiot who thought that anybody who would choose to serve in the military and potentially fight in a war was insane. Then, however, I started talking to Marines who were actually on the front lines of the war and they reeducated me. As the younger generation might say, “Homeboy got schooled.” I don’t think I’ve ever been so dead wrong about a thing and nearly missed a thing so profoundly important. So, who better to build a bridge than someone who has lived within the gap and now knows it?

I am just a vessel for voices that are not mine anyway. My part is to weave the stories of several men into a single, cohesive narrative. Wherever my own voice may humbly appear therein, I hope that its function will be to create words that newer generations are better able to understand and connect with. Seeing through virgin eyes and projecting through a modern lens, I hope, will prove to be a strength, not a weakness.

WHY I'm Writing "The Cage"

As far as being a new or unpublished writer and why I would choose this epic story as my first?

Bill Taylor (Charlie Co), who is nearing completion of his own memoir, 13 Months, inspired me when he said in a phone call, “Well, if not you, then who?” Right...and if not NOW, then when?

The fact is, I don’t feel like I have time to write anything else first. My little window of creative freedom may be limited, for one thing, but more importantly, the men are simply getting older. Time is of the essence; the risk of losing important facets of the story increases each day, whether by loss of memory or of the men themselves. I had only just met Jim Cook of Delta Company and conducted one interview, for example, before he died of a sudden heart attack. Enough said.

Finally, I know that I can always create a fiction story, but I cannot always learn and write this one true story, which is more astounding to me than fiction and probably more important than any I will ever invent. For some reason, God has seen fit to bless me with the feeling every single morning - that THIS is important; that right now, it is the most important thing.

In a recent email, my good friend and Marine, John Thorton, told me that “the best you can do is the way to go.” Your best is all you can do, he implied...and that will be good enough.

That I can do, and that I will.

Status Update

Since the recent reunion in Branson, MO, I’ve done very little actual writing, but a lot of research and project management. Here’s a quick summary of some of what’s been going on…

• Kevin Brooks from Charlie Company shared a handful of photographs from his tour of duty and I posted those. See: Vietnam Tour of Duty Photographs from Kevin Brooks. We have also been talking about setting up an interview soon.
• I’ve finally scheduled travel to go visit with General Steve Berkheiser who was a Platoon Commander in 1967 (he’s one of a small handful left on my list of VIPs). I’ll be visiting with him this November.
• Coordinating with Ed Kalwara (Charlie Co., machine gunner) for an interview.
• Coordinating with Ronald Stroud for an interview. Ronald also lives near Gary Hooper (who is one of the Marines that was shot in the hip on May 4th or May 5th with D Company). We’re trying to arrange a meeting for the three of us sometime in January.
• Teed up a possible meeting for my dad and I with Gary Culp in January after Gary returns from his trip to Hawaii. Gary’s been dealing with cancer, so it’s very nice to know that he’s been well enough lately to get out to the islands.
• Received feedback from the Texas Tech Vietnam Center and Archive, who have helped me conduct better searches for information on my subject matter. I have since found and downloaded several documents, declassified command chronologies, and maps. The wealth of new material is a little overwhelming, but exciting; I can’t wait to dig in.
• Made acquaintance with Donald F Teal, MD (formerly Lt(MC) USNR). In 1967, he played an important role aboard the USS Okinawa (LPH 3), which was designated as an Amphibious Combat Hospital Ship and flagship of Amphibious Ready Group and Special Landing Force Alpha. His unique facet of the story relates to the hospital on ship where over 1000 men were hospitalized, hundreds of surgeries were performed, and thousands were treated. He has said that he will help in any way he can, so I can’t wait to learn more from him.
• Scheduled travel to Vietnam, April 14 - May 16, 2020. I have been consulting with Bill Ervin (Delta Co.) who lived in Vietnam after his tour there. He suggested I go a different time for better weather, but I told him it’s a research mission, not a vacation. I’ll be there during the same time of the year when Operations Beaver Cage occurred, which is a key event in the story. It’s an expensive trip, but any veteran who cares to join me is more than welcome.