 |
Introduction |
|
|
|
"Nearly two decades had passed since the author’s 1965 tour of duty in Vietnam. The memories of combat had begun to emerge and now threatened to overcome him. Dealing with these images brought him to a deeper respect for, and devotion to, the men with whom he served and a painful realization of the lingering guilt that can haunt a combat veteran. "Images from the Otherland traces the origins of Sympson’s feelings of guilt from his Catholic upbringing through some of the bloodiest battles of the early Vietnam War. Then, in an emotional effort to cultivate support for the veterans of Desert Storm, he suddenly discovers that he is actually imploring the community to understand him and his fellow veterans of Vietnam. In the end he realizes he will never fully comprehend his feelings about the war, but that he cannot and should not forget those memories—that he must honor them and the brave Marines and Navy Corpsmen with whom he served." From the book jacket of the second edition of Images from the Otherland.
The first edition of Images from the Otherland was printed in 1995. In the years that followed, I learned more about some of the details of my tour in Vietnam. I rediscovered some of my fellow Marines from that time, and learned of some errors in my original text And I came to terms with some of the demons that prompted me to write the book in the first place. In the second edition, I've corrected the errors as best I can, provided the names and some background on some of those Marines with whom I served, and included additional photographs that seem to me to be relevant to the story. It's not a new work, but I think it is improved and closer to complete. This web site provides some introductory sections from the second edition—the foreword by General P.X. Kelley, the 28th Commandant of the Marine Corps; preface; dedication; and a synopsis of my military background. I've also included some of the reviews from the first edition. And there's information on how you may go about obtaining either a paperback or hardback copy of the book. Finally, this web includes a "photo gallery" that parallels the story in the book itself. If you have any comments, feel free to contact me at: ksympson@rochester.rr.com.
To all the Marines and Corpsmen who pass through here:
|
