Odon L. Bacque Jr. figures his poor eyesight rules him out for the draft, not to mention the fact that he's studying law in college, so the young man doesn't worry too much about the war raging in Vietnam. But when his law school requests he doesn't return, Bacque learns just how wrong he was.
Still convinced his eyesight-or rather the lack of it-disqualifies him from a combat position, he learns once again he's mistaken. Sent through Officer Candidate School, he winds up assigned to the 5th Special Forces...the Green Berets.
Once in Vietnam, Bacque prepares for the worst-only to have fate finally cut him some slack. Reassigned from an A team back to a B team, he finds himself removed from the front lines and ordered to perform a task better suited to an accounting major, a course he barely passed in college. Still, it beat trying to survive jungle warfare with a serious vision impairment...
A Walk in the Park: A Vietnam Comedy charts Bacque's experiences in Vietnam along with his growing disillusionment with the war's management. Funny without being disrespectful, his story offers a surprisingly comedic look at wartime service.
About the Author: Odon L. Bacque Jr. graduated from Louisiana State University in 1968 with a degree in history. Upon graduation, he enlisted and attended the Infantry Officer Candidate School, completing airborne and special forces officer courses. He then served in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group, or the Green Berets.
Bacque returned to his home in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1970 to begin a career in life insurance. There he organized a Vietnam Veterans group and served as state cochairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee, which built a memorial in New Orleans to the 881 Louisiana Vietnam veterans who never returned home.
He served as a state representative for District 43 from 1987 through 1991, and considers himself to be a "recovering" politician. A life member of the Million Dollar Round Table, Bacque specializes in executive benefit plans for banks and family business succession.
