Vietnam - The Teenage Wasteland A Hippie in a War Zone by Tom Martiniano What was it like in Vietnam? What was it like for a peace loving late-60's Hippie, drafted, with no desires to go off to war and kill people; to go through the harshest combat that one could ever endure and not only survive but to help lead a decimated company of tattered soldiers to victory against the insurmountable odds? What was that like? And what was that war really all about? People have asked these questions since the Vietnam War started and their quests for the truth have gone on unanswered since then. Not anymore. Finally this book answers ALL of the questions. I realize that is a big statement, but it is true. It is a rearward analytical look at what American Combat Soldiers experienced so that it not only makes sense to the reader, but it puts the reader right in his boots. The book is laid out in an informative way to put the reader there, in the terrain, with the hot humid, stifling weather, the green vipers and chattering monkeys in breathtaking mountainous terrain in which a company of US soldiers traverse in hopes of not being seen and forced to engage in a fire-fight with dedicated enemy combatants. The book is divided into three distinct parts: 1. "What Was it Like" answers all of the questions such as What was the weather like?. What about drugs? What about the people there? What were the weapons like? and so forth. Any question I was ever asked is covered in this section so that the reader totally gets it. 2.The story of the Hippies in combat; my personal story about learning how to survive in this killing machine while keeping my convictions and principles intact. I start with being a "FNG" to the point where I end up running the company and keeping my men alive and safe as possible while kicking the enemy's ass all the way back to North Vietnam. 3. Re-entry into the USA was more brutal than the war itself with more hatred from Americans than the enemy had shown us. Whatever morale we had left was taken from us in the airports and on the street by those who were against the war. I have one year of college, drafted right out of school. I am an insurance adjuster by trade. I worked all over the United States, in California, Nevada and Louisiana in particular after Hurricanes Katrina/Rita. I did start writing back then because I felt that America has to know the real story of Vietnam. Over the years I have written the following books: 1.Vietnam - TheTeen-aged Wasteland 2.The Muscle Car Kings 3.The ABCs of Home Schooling. And I've written the following screenplays: 1.Mothers Day Massacre 2.Missing from Action 3.The Flight 4.Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 5.The Lensmen 6. Head Masters Submitted by Tom Martiniano 10401 N Cave Creek Rd #254 Phoenix, AZ 85020 Office: 480-427-8492 Email: ot7tom@gmail.com