There have been many books written about the Vietnam War and many were put on the big screen. Many of these films were very inaccurate about the story they told and people were left with untruths about the men and women who were over there in the thick of things. Many thought us as being mentally disturbed, not able to cope with reality, psychotic killers and baby killers. Many of the books written depicted too much gore and bloodshed and all the craziness that comes with it. I also was spit upon and called names by our own people when I returned home. I wanted to write a book about my tour in Vietnam with the Marines but I wanted to do this from the eyes of a medical person who was there strictly to save lives and patch up the wounded. The Vietnam War was a very controversial war that caused this country major turmoil in all of its cities. My book doesn't answer any one question but what it does do is give the public an eye view of what the military man and woman saw when they were there in a combat situation. The amount of emotional and physical stress that the jungles of Nam felt like, was like nothing any of us had ever been through before. No war tested the inner strength and physical endurance as the Vietnam War. War is a terrible thing, something that is not totally understood. Why do we do things that are a little out of the norm? What makes a person become so distraught that they turn to atrocity and lacking of any remorse? I hope you see and feel the horrors of war in this book. I especially hope you see the Vietnam vet in a different light.
About the Author: Stan Gerding was born and raised in Bellevue, Kentucky, which is also known as the Northern Kentucky area, located directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Stan served in the Navy for 23 years as a Chief Hospital Corpsman . During this time, he served one tour with the marines in Vietnam, from 1968 to 1969 . His tours in the U. S. included: Camp Lejeune, NC, Bethesda MD, San Diego, CA, Little Creek, VA, Camp Pendleton, CA, and Great Lakes IL . He was a well-respected Chief throughout his Naval career and he retired under heroic conditions. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Hospital Administration. Following his military career he has worked in Hospital Administration in several hospitals and taught the Sciences at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, Kentucky . His most recent position was with DaVita dialysis as an administrator. He also is an accomplished singer, singing at many engagements, both military and civilian. At age of 59, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, due to Agent Orange exposure during his tour of Vietnam. He was treated successfully, and is now cancer free, retired, and living with his wife Peg in his beloved Kentucky.