The Long Return

This isn't a book an action hero would want to option for a movie. There are no bigger than life heroics, no glamour, and no clear winners. It's a small personal story about a group of young men, children really, and what they endured.

Living in the highland jungle was a miserable existence-leeches, giant spiders, snakes, tigers, jungle rot, lousy food, eighty pound packs, and folks trying their damnedest to kill us. The shared miseries, the isolation, the constant threat to life, the never ending stress, and the need for protection was very primal, pushing us into a tribal state. And that tribe is the heart of this story.

The book is a tiny peek into that world, and hopefully of some use to the brothers in arms who may not have been able to put their own experiences into words, and to friends and loved ones and the curious, who may have been reluctant to ask.

O'Meara's memoir focuses on the grunts, their personal war stories, and a glimpse into the lives of Vietnam combat soldiers.