Alone In Vietnam
[ALONE IN VIETNAM][1] is a collection of stories of a young draftee and infantry soldier's experiences in the war zone of South Vietnam in 1968 -1969. [Robert B. Boyd Jr][2]. tells his stories as he experienced them, raw and powerful, from the grunt's point-of-view, with his own voice, that of a 20-year old American kid suddenly in a foreign jungle, surviving boredom, fear and death. Rob served in the [Army's 196th Light Infantry Brigade][3] from June 3, 1968 - June 3, 1969 (365 days). He was a machine gunner in Company D called “Black Death”. His combat experiences led to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition better understood today, than when he returned in 1969. ![Photo: Rob in South Vietnam][4] Photo: Robert B. Boyd Jr. in South Vietnam Many years after his return from Vietnam, Rob sought treatment for his combat related PTSD symptoms (nightmares, flashbacks, hypersensitivity etc.). This treatment required Rob to remember and own traumatic events that he had suppressed. Rob began telling his stories, owning the narratives, and eventually putting them into book form – the first many copies of which he printed and hand-bound himself. He received this support and therapy at the Vet Center in Rocky Hill, Ct. Robert B. Boyd died in April 2009. He completed these stories in spring of 2007 after receiving a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. He wrote them knowing that he would not be here to tell them. The hope is that in reading Rob’s stories, other vets will be encouraged to “own” their equally powerful stories and that their families may have a glimpse into what combat soldiers experience and what horrific memories they carry. You can get the book at the [book's website][5]. [1]: http://www.aloneinvietnam.net/index.html [2]: http://www.aloneinvietnam.net/AloneAuthor.html [3]: http://www.aloneinvietnam.net/AloneTourOfDuty.html [4]: http://www.aloneinvietnam.net/images/Robert_B_Boyd_Jr_Jungle_260.jpg [5]: http://www.aloneinvietnam.net/AloneBuy.html
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Fiction, Mental Health. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
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Nonfiction · Fiction · Mental Health
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict, violence, death, or criminal harm, abuse or trauma, mental-health concerns. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
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Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
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A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-1-4243-2305-0
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL11857295M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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