Prowl

by R.W. Holmen

Bold, dark, and intense short stories of the Vietnam war. The LRRPs of Vietnam (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) were the cavalry scouts of their war, traveling by helicopter rather than mustangs into remote and unfriendly territory. The mountainous jungles of the central highlands were especially inhospitable, filled with snakes and wild animals, and criss crossed with the tributaries of the Ho Chi Minh trail that lay hidden beneath the thick, triple-canopy jungle foliage. It was the job of small teams of LRRPs to penetrate the ridges and valleys of the rainforest to track and identify enemy activity. These short stories are less about patriotism and heroism than about the gut-wrenching reality for the Vietnam combat soldier. If you're looking for action-adventure, this series is not for you. Combat soldiers are celebrated for simply doing their best to get by, not as superheroes, but as young men who often acted heroically but sometimes foolishly in circumstances not of their own choosing. One reviewer commented "the bond and the folly of immortal combat ring loud and clear from the page, and the story's told with all the realism, language and pathos of experience." The mood of the stories is dark and somber rather than a hauntingly honest and brutally true retelling rather than a glorification of the Vietnam experience. The opening installment is entitled "Eleven Bravo" and tells the story of a newbie grunt infantryman on a torturous twenty-three day hump through the jungle. "Here Comes Charlie" is the second installment of the series and begins with a helicopter insertion into remote territory and ends with a LRRP team encounter with NVA. "Cat Quiet" is the third installment. With striped face paint and tiger fatigues, four LRRPs creep through the jungle. Cat quiet stealth is their only ally, but with a pair of surprises. The fourth installment is "Chasing After Wind" and explores twists of fate in the context of a barracks poker game, a wind that blows where it will, and a malevolent joker in the deck. "Elijah Fire" refers to the LRRPs as forward observers who called down fire from artillery, fighter jets, or helicopter gunships. The author refers to the series as "autobiographical fiction". They are based on true incidents, but the stories are told with literary embellishment. The author served with K Company, 75th Infantry (Rangers) in the central highlands of Vietnam in 1969-70, and he was twice awarded a bronze star for valor in combat.

74 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

I’m a descendant of Scandinavian immigrants who eventually found their way to a farming community in Central Minnesota near the end of the 19th century. My paternal great-grandparents settled a few miles north of the town of Upsala, and my maternal great-grandparents settled a few miles south of town. Members of both families remained until my parents married and moved off the farm and into town where Dad became a successful small-town businessman. I was baptized and confirmed in the same Swedish-Lutheran church that nurtured my grandmother and mother.

I experienced a glorious childhood in Upsala in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Bike riding, ball playing, pony riding, and especially fishing and water-skiing on nearby Cedar Lake where G-pa and G-ma Holmen lived in the lakeside retirement home they built. When high school rolled around, I was active in sports, and when I was honored as valedictorian of my forty-two-person graduating class, I was merely following family tradition after three of Dad’s sisters, Mom’s sister, and Mom herself had been valedictorians before me.

In the fall of ’66, I was off to Dartmouth, but within two years, I arrived in Vietnam as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. On Christmas eve 1970, I was discharged in time to return to Dartmouth for the start of winter term. Following Dartmouth, I endured the paper chase of law school at the University of Minnesota before becoming a trial attorney in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

In the early ‘90s while continuing my law practice, I studied with the Benedictine monks at the nearby St. John’s School of Theology where I discovered a keen interest in the history behind the formation of the Biblical canon. Who were the authors? What were the circumstances that influenced them? For whom were their writings intended?

Years later, my interest in Paul, the principal author of the Christian New Testament, resulted in publication of A Wretched Man, a novel of Paul the Apostle. Readers sang the novel’s praises. “Regardless of your personal religious background, this book is absolutely breathtaking.” “The novel was difficult to put down and brought to life a distant time and place with such humanity and liveliness.” Academic reviewers praised the historical authenticity of the novel’s treatment of the lives and times of the first generation of the Christian church.

My experiences as an army Ranger scouting the jungles of the Central Highlands of Vietnam serve as inspiration for my bold, dark, and intense novella entitled Gonna Stick My Sword in the Golden Sand. One reviewer suggested the book was “not merely a war story but a story of life and choices.”

For years, I followed the struggle of LGBTQ Christians to be fully accepted by their churches, and when my own Lutheran denomination changed their policies during their national convention in Minneapolis in 2009, I was there as a “graceful engagement” volunteer. Queer Clergy, A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism, remembers the queer prophets and celebrates the journey toward full inclusion. This non-fiction book was a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award.

More recently, I have returned to early church history and the tumultuous 1st century that saw a Jewish revolt against Roman imperialism.Wormwood and Gall: The Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Gospel remembers the context but fictionalizes the characters behind the “Gospel According to Mark.”

Reviews

[Krizia Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. Got this book back in 2011 or 2012, but as they say better late than never. Suprised to see just one review, the collection of short stories are actually pretty good. I like a good war book and this is one of them.

[Mike Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Viet Nam veterans, this is a 5-star collection of five short stories. The author states that they are autobiographical based fiction and it's obvious that he has been in the jungles of which he writes. My main complaint is that the collection is too short and left me wanting to read more. On the other hand, having shared similar experiences in that time and place, I don't often pick up a Viet Nam war book on purpose. Holmen writes with an author's pen and it's difficult not to find yourself there with him. Four stars overall if you're not into this genre.

This was received as an eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.