The Vietnam War was a terrible war, only worsened by the treatment our Vets received when they returned home. These are stories of some of these men and women, some of them reluctant warriors, and a brief glimpse into their experiences in that war and their return home. Included are stories of rescues, personal loss and extreme combat, as well as the mundane. Not all who served in Vietnam were in combat roles, but all served. The San Francisco Bay Area was the most radical place in our country at the time and this is where many returned. This is also the story about how this group of Vets came together and found a safe place where they continue to serve today, truly living the motto of duty, honor, country. They come from all walks of life and all branches of service and are united by their efforts to make our world a better place. This book will make you proud of them and of their service to our country. The book contains 24 separate stories in individual chapters, all taken from interviews with the Vets, with the stories carefully researched to insure accuracy. 320 pages
About the Author: This is Jerry Whiting's sixth book. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota he moved to Pleasant Hill, California (San Francisco Bay Area) when he was in high school. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree at U.C.S.B. and later a Master's degree at John F. Kennedy University. He worked as a counselor for a few years and then began a 25+ year career in law enforcement, working in a variety of assignments including patrol and the detective bureau. He was also a hostage/crisis negotiator during the last 15 years of his career. During this time he had the unique opportunity to work with several European police departments. In addition, he worked on a special project with the tribal police on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Jerry has always enjoyed investigating history, culminating in his first book, I'm Off To War, Mother, But I'll Be Back. He ultimately took an early retirement to pursue his passion, resulting in other books, including Don't Let the Blue Star Turn Gold, Veterans in the Mist, and Of Broad Stripes and Bright Stars. In addition, he published Missions by the Numbers, a group history of the 485th Bomb Group, a group that flew B-24 bombers out of Italy. Along the way he found the time to produce two documentaries, In the Shadow of Mt. Vulture and New Year's At Ramitelli: A Safe Haven for Change. The Ramitelli documentary tells the story of a unique relationship between one American bomb group and the Tuskegee Airmen. All of his previous works are about WWII and are non-fiction. His interest began while researching his father's story, resulting in that first book. He became the Historian for his father's bomb group association and during the research for some of his books, while working with European researchers, he located crash sites in Europe that were previously undiscovered, some with remains of American servicemen. This information was shared with the Dept. of Defense, resulting in the recovery of remains. Several years ago Jerry was invited to the Pentagon to give a training seminar to Dept. of Defense investigators on the recovery of MIA's. In March 2016 he cohosted a conference in Krakow, Poland which resulted in the gathering of some of the best European researchers with Dept. of Defense MIA investigators. Jerry is often called upon as a guest speaker and has spoken to groups in Germany, Italy and Poland, as well as in venues across the United States. He and his wife live in Walnut Creek, California.