Peter M Bourret, a combat Marine who served in Vietnam during 1967 and 1968, shares with the reader his insights about the war experience. The reader will quickly realize the profound impact of war on a twenty-year-old who discovered the horrors of war. The author's powerful and hard-hitting poetry lets the reader peek behind killing's curtain. It is a glimpse that will enlighten, but it is not for those who enjoy fluff. This fasten-your- seat-belt experience will help the reader begin to discover what General Sherman meant when he referred to war as Hell. A reading of this book of poetry will also help the reader to have a more accurate understanding of PTSD and its insidious nature. Although many of the 63 poems in his second book of war poetry deal with with life and death in the combat zone, the author also addresses the impact of war on the families at home as well as on the arduous healing process. The reader will be touched in a profound way by Bourret's hard-hitting and insightful poetry, which pulls no punches as it enlightens. Land of Loud Noises and Vacant Stares offers clarity to the puzzle that was the Vietnam War. Combat veterans will easily recognize the topics about which Bourret writes, and those who have never known the war experience will possess a better understanding of the phrase "Thank you for your service."
About the Author: Born in New York City, the proud father of two sons, has lived in Tucson for over 60 years; he attended twelve years of Catholic school, graduating from Salpointe Catholic in 1965. He served with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division as an 81mm mortarman in Vietnam during 1967 and 1968. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971 and received his Masters Degree at the U of A in 1974; he taught English for 18 years, 17 of them at Sahuaro High School. Currently retired, he is in the process of writing his memoir, has written a soon-to-be published novel and has written a 3rd book of poetry, which will be available later in 2015. He has traveled extensively, including 2 return trips to Vietnam in 1991 and 1999. During the Bosnian War in 1993, he brought humanitarian aid to Bosnian refugees. He is a charter member of Detachment 1344 of the Marine Corps League and is a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America. Currently, he volunteers at the VA, working with veterans who are experiencing PTSD symptoms; also, as a volunteer with Agape Hospice in Tucson, he focuses on the veteran population. He has been a crisis counselor with Divorce Recovery of Tucson. He was the subject of Strands of Barbed Wire, a documentary about his 1st return trip to Vietnam in 1991 and also was involved in the making of Vietnam Across America, a documentary about PTSD, produced by his son Jeremy Bourret. Peter Bourret has been a guest speaker for the past 25 years in libraries and in high school English and American History classes. He won 1st place for "Alone with it on Veterans Day" in the personal experience category, which he presented at the 2014 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. "War: a memoir" was published online during the summer of 2014 by The Writers' Circle, Inc. @ www.riwriterscircle.com . The Physics of War: Poems of War and Healing, his 1st book of poetry, was published on January 2015; Snowflakes from the Other Side of the Universe, his 3rd book of poetry, will be published later in the spring of 2015. Denham Clement, an accomplished artist and fellow Marine who served as an officer in Vietnam during 1968 and 1969, lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His "Vietnam Elegy", which graces the covers of Land of Loud Noises and Vacant Stares, won best of show at the 2014 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Milwaukee. Some of his works hang in permanent collections in museum in Albuquerque, Tucson, and San Francisco.