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Tom Puetz

Goodreads Author

Born

in Lafayette, Indiana, The United States

Website

http://dragontalebooks.com

Twitter

TomPuetzAuthor

Genre

Fiction, Psychology, Self Help

Influences

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ...more

Member Since

August 2014

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I am the youngest of four. My brother, two sisters, and I grew up on a farm in Indiana. I made my first major life choice in the middle of my sophomore year of college. I decided to drop out, knowing I would loose my student deferment and be drafted.
I left Purdue University in the winter of 1967, was drafted into the U. S. Army, and trained as an infantry rifleman. After more special training, I was promoted to sergeant, and sent to Vietnam. I arrived in country December 15, 1968. My tour of duty, as a squad leader in an infantry company, changed me in ways I would not understand for three decades. I arrived back in the world on December 15, 1969. My release from active duty took place the next morning in Oakland, California. I made it back I am the youngest of four. My brother, two sisters, and I grew up on a farm in Indiana. I made my first major life choice in the middle of my sophomore year of college. I decided to drop out, knowing I would loose my student deferment and be drafted.
I left Purdue University in the winter of 1967, was drafted into the U. S. Army, and trained as an infantry rifleman. After more special training, I was promoted to sergeant, and sent to Vietnam. I arrived in country December 15, 1968. My tour of duty, as a squad leader in an infantry company, changed me in ways I would not understand for three decades. I arrived back in the world on December 15, 1969. My release from active duty took place the next morning in Oakland, California. I made it back home for Christmas.
The next fifteen years I drank a lot. I didn't think I had a drinking problem because I only got drunk on weekends. The twenty jobs I had during that period ranged from installing steam boilers, to night manager of a clothing store. In 1985, I moved to Massachusetts.
I suppose I might have been running away, but I told myself I made the move so I could get my life back together. I found steady work, and fell in love. Falling in love would have worked out, if it weren't for my worsening symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. PTSD Was the new name for battle fatigue (WW II), or shell shock (WW I), or soldier's heart (American Civil War). A soldier's heart is what I had, and I did not open it to the love of my life. In 1990, she moved on. I moved to Arizona.
I suppose I might have been running away, but I told myself I made the move so I could get my life back together. I decided to pick up where I had left off twenty-five years earlier when I dropped out of Purdue University.
In 1995, I graduated from Northern Arizona University with a B.S. in Engineering. I learned a lot in those four years. The most important thing I learned was, I didn't want a career in mechanical engineering. However, the technical expertise was invaluable, and I was able to start my own electronics assembly business.
That was a start but living with PTSD was a miserable existence. I had no friends. There was no joy in my life. My struggle to find a better existence led me to writing. After writing one hundred thousand cathartic words, I started writing fiction. I also discovered the stage. I performed in The Abandoned Minds, an improv comedy group. I wrote for, and performed in, The Mending Dialogues, a theater troupe, that examined how violence impacts our lives. I dabbled with standup comedy, and acting in independent films. It felt good to be back among the living. Love and laughter were back in my life, and so were the memories of war.
In the fall of 2010, I volunteered to be a driver for the Disabled American Veterans. We transported disabled veterans to the VA hospital in Prescott, Arizona. The irony of this was, I had never signed up with the Veterans Administration for any kind of help. I had so many good experiences at the VA hospital in Prescott; I gave up the mistrust so common to Vietnam veterans. In the spring of 2011, I registered with the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System. The treatment for PTSD I received there has given me more than hope. The staff gave me the tools I desperately needed to take control of my life. My wonderful friends and family offered their love and encouragement. I accepted that gift and I have finally and truly come home. ...more

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Average rating: 4.5 · 4 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work

Secret Choices

4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions

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Tom Puetz's Blog: War to Peace

Self-Help is Vital for Recovery

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Published on January 30, 2024 10:15

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Tom is Currently Reading

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The Emerald Tablet of Hermes & The Kybalion: Two Classic Books on Hermetic Philosophy

by Hermes Trismegistus

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Sep 25, 2025 10:30PM

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Guidance from Silver Birch: Teachings from Silver Birch (Silver Birch Series)

by Anne Dooley

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Sep 12, 2020 10:51PM

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Tom Puetz rated a book it was amazing Shamanism: Personal Quests of Communion with Nature and Creation (Common Sentience Book 7) by Oscar Miro-Quesada	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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