Laughter¹Near the Edge of Insanity

by Rod Smith

The beginning idea for this collection of stories came in the 1980's. I served in Vietnam from February of 1968 to February 1969. I was with the First Air Cavalry Division in II Corps, I Corps, and III Corps, in that order. I have since returning to 'The World' read several books and seen many movies dealing with the trauma of war in Vietnam. I could relate to many of these in part only, as my experiences were different than every other service person in the country between 1952 and 1975. I did sense in all these efforts that camaraderie and humor had been overlooked to a large degree. In meetings with other veterans I participated with the US concerning with our fears, and how we effectively supported each other in coping with our losses. I saw there were good times spent together, and how talking about these times helped some vets to better heal. The stories in this book were told to me over four years of informal meetings with other veterans. Some couldn't recall names of people or places. Some stories were sketchy and incomplete. As much detail is included as we were able to find. There were good times in Vietnam for many. I hope these stories help show a different aspect of our involvement. The Contributors and myself wanted to show that humor can exist in the worst of places, and that laughter may keep one from falling off the edge of insanity. If these stories do help veterans to recall their own good times, or assist them in 'coming home', then our greatest wish was answered

Paperback

Published June 1, 2005