...and a hard rain fell: A GI's True Story of the War in Vietnam

I didn't set out to write a book. It was 1982, fourteen years after I had last set foot in Vietnam, and thirteen years after I returned to The World. I had a family and a career. I'd never written more than an occasional letter to the editor in my life. My twisted insides had spawned ulcers. The nightmares were more frequent. I needed to get Vietnam out into the open, but I couldn't talk about it. Not after all those years.Thus begins John Ketwig's powerful memoir of the Vietnam War. Now, over 15 years after its initial publication, Sourcebooks is proud to bring ...and a hard rain fell back into print in a newly updated edition, with a new introduction by the author and eight pages of never-before-published photographs. From the country roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam, and finally to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., ...and a hard rain fell is a gripping and visceral account of one young man's struggle to make sense of his place in a world gone mad. I didn't set out to write a book. It was 1982, fourteen years after I had last set foot in Vietnam, and thirteen years after I returned to The World. I had a family and a career. Id never written more than an occasional letter to the editor in my life. My twisted insides had spawned ulcers. The nightmares were more frequent. I needed to get Vietnam out into the open, but I couldnt talk about it. Not after all those years. Thus begins John Ketwigs powerful memoir of the Vietnam War. Now, over 15 years after its initial publication, Sourcebooks is proud to bring and a hard rain fell back into print in a newly updated edition, with a new introduction by the author and eight pages of never-before-published photographs. From the country roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam, and finally to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and a hard rain fell is a gripping and visceral account of one young mans struggle to make sense of his place in a world gone mad. The classic Vietnam war memoir, ...and a hard rain fell is the unforgettable story of a veteran’s rage and the unflinching portrait of a young soldier’s odyssey from the roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam. Updated for its 20th anniversary with a new afterword on the Iraq War and its parallels to Vietnam, John Ketwig’s message is as relevant today as it was twenty years ago. Praise for ...and a hard rain fell 2 Title Page 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Illustrations 12 Introduction 14 The Draft, the Decisions, and The Nam 22 Thailand and The World 228 The Aftermath 358 Photographs 390 Afterword 402 Acknowledgments 428 About the Author 430 Back Cover 432 The author chronicles his tour of duty in Vietnam, the remainder of his military obligation, which he served in Thailand, and his first several years back in the U.S., discussing his feelings about the war and the ways his war experiences changed his personality and perspective