• Home
  • Escapes and Pleasures
  • Family and Friends
  • Go Sox
  • The Outer Loop
  • Articles of Interest

MillersTime

MillersTime

Tag Archives: Vietnam

Veterans Day

11 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by Richard in Articles & Books of Interest, Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

"Legend", "Spoils", Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, Brian Van Reet, Eric Blehm, Iraq, Roy Benavidez, Veterans, Veterans' Day, Vietnam

from Ellen Miller

It’s Veterans Day, not a holiday I am accustomed to celebrating.

As a young adult of the 1960’s I was (mis)lead to believe that soldiers (and veterans) were part of the problem of a warmongering government. My opinions have changed over the years. Some of that is due to maturing political views and a better understanding of the politics of war. But also – after an early infatuation with the literature that came out after the Vietnam War (books like A Bright and Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan, Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, and Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried) – I’ve learned from my ongoing reading of memoirs, fiction and nonfiction about conflicts around the world and the soldiers who fight in them.

I was recently very much taken with Legend: The Incredible Story of Green Beret Sergeant Roy Benavidez’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines by Eric Blehm.

Medal of Honor presentation ceremony for Roy Benavidez in 1981

This is a movingly written nonfiction account of Special Forces staff sergeant Roy Benavidez and his legendary heroism in the Vietnam “theater” (actually in Cambodia) in May of 1968. Benavidez was a man from a tough Texas background who fought for his comrades even when he was close to death. His perseverance in the most devastating conditions was simply unbelievable, and the sacrifices he made for country and his family should be shouted from the rooftops.

A subplot of this story was the initial lack of recognition for his heroism – part of the story that is heartbreaking.

 

A second book I read this year that offered terrific insight is Spoils by Brian Van Reet. This is the author’s first book — a decorated soldier who served as a tank crewman in Iraq. He knows of what he writes.

Spoils Author Brian Van Reet. Photo by Peter Tsai

The setting for this novel is April 2003 in Iraq, and the job is now to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. There are three narrators (each one memorable): A 19-year old woman, Cassandra Wigheard, who like Van Reet, enlisted in the Army looking for something more real real than her uneventful American life; Abu Al-Hool, an emir in the Muslim Brotherhood who disapproves of the emerging tactics of younger Jihadis; and Specialist Private Sleed, a tank gunner who a reluctant player. This well-written read presents a nuanced picture of the dilemmas, and mistakes, our troops have faced.

This engrossing debut novel of a hostage drama was long listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence.

I don’t know if either of these books will make the top of my 10 favorite books of the year, but I offer them to you to honor our Veterans on this day.

Share

Impressions from Two Weeks in Vietnam & Cambodia

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American War, Angkor Wat, Aqua Mekong, Cambodia, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kymer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Siem Reap, Tonle Sap, Vietnam

Nov. 8 – Nov. 23: Hanoi –  Halong Bay – Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – My Tho – Mekong River – Phnom Penh – Tonle Sap – Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)

mao.2(Thanks to Larry Makinson, cartographer)

Drawing too many conclusions from spending a couple of weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia is foolish.

However, Ellen’s pictures give you a good sense of what we saw. (If you haven’t seen those pictures, stop now and go to: Through Ellen’s Eye: Vietnam & Cambodia.)

A few takeaways from not only what we saw but also what we did:

Continue reading »

Share

Through Ellen’s Eye: Vietnam & Cambodia

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Cambodia, Ellen Miller, Slide Show, Vietnam

Here a two dozen of Ellen’s pictures from our recent trip.

But they are nothing compared to the full screen slide show she’s created. When you’ve scrolled through these two dozen, there is a link to her slide show. You must see them on a lap top or a desktop.

I promise you, it’s worth the effort.

They’re the best she’s ever done.

Ho Chi Minh House

Ho Chi Minh House

Water Lillies

Water Lillies

Hanoi 'Hilton' (Prison)

Hanoi ‘Hilton’ (Prison)

Hanoi Street Scene

Hanoi Street Scene

Halong Bay 1

Halong Bay 1

Continue reading »

Share

♣ Search



♣ Featured Posts

  • Thru Ellen’s Lens: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
  • “I Used to Be a Human Being” – Andrew Sullivan
  • MillersTime Contributors Favorite Reads from 2021
  • Thru Ellen’s Lens: Alaskan Landscapes & Skyscapes
  • 20 Movies in 8 Days: The Philadelphia Film Festival, October ’21
  • Thru Ellen’s Lens: The Brown Bears of Katmai, Alaska
  • When I Was 22…
  • The Country ‘Spoke’ Again
  • “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”
  • Thru Ellen’s Lens: The Slot Canyons of Arizona
  • The Country Has ‘Spoken’
  • Why (I) Write?
  • If You Expect to Die One Day, Or Know Someone Who Will…

♣ Recent Comments

  • Nick Nyhart on Roger Angell: Thank You
  • Ed Scholl on Roger Angell: Thank You
  • Max Margolis on Carrie Trauth Made the World a Better Place
  • Michael Weinroth on Remembering Esty
  • Liz Frost on Winter-Spring 2022: Best Reads

♣ Archives

  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011

♣ Sections

  • Articles & Books of Interest
  • Escapes and Pleasures
  • Family and Friends
  • Go Sox
  • The Outer Loop

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Chateau by Ignacio Ricci.