That Powerless Feeling

The book is a revealing anti-Vietnam War narrative about the day to day interactions of a group of young combatants coping with the realities of war during redeployment. The lives of these mostly draftees are candidly detailed as the story negotiates the one year tour faced by all who served there. It gives an insight into the Spartan life of the foot soldier and the predicament of the many reluctant warriors who, by 1970, were faced with fighting a war that seemingly no longer needed to be fought. The story deals with a lot of the intimate issues that were both common to all of the troops and relevant to many of the families at home. It is an informative study for the uninitiated and a remembrance for all who were affected that would easily qualify as more than just a journal dealing only with the conflict. There is also a parallel story portraying the tragedy of a mother struggling with the loss of her son to the war. Her ensuing long term grieving process and the effect she had on the survivors of the battle is a centerpiece of the book. The abundance of drugs and the immaturity of the troops facing the disparity of fighting for an unpopular foreign policy created an unusual war effort. With no victory to achieve, there were only lives to be lost as the war dragged on. In the face of the odds stacked against them, they reinvented their purpose for being there and fought for each other creating a bond that testifies to the human spirit and its ability to adapt.