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Squad D
"Squad D" by Stephen King, was originally written in the 1970s for a famous anthology that was never published, and the story itself has been locked away in Stephen King's office ever since. Now, for the first time ever, the world can read King's chilling take on the ghostly, lingering horror of the Vietnam War.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
12 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
About the author
Stephen King
2,138 books902k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 11, 2020
A very sad story about a father describing how he was informed on the death of his son in Vietnam. One member of the unit survived. After her boy's death his wife drinks himself to death. The picture he received showing the military unit has one more member all of a sudden. What is going on here? Why is there an additional soldier in the scene? A very moving story about loss and camaraderie in the army. Really enjoyed this old uncharted King story. Highly recommended!
August 15, 2015
I have to give a shout out to Andrew, who sent me this story. I had, in fact, never even heard of it until I saw his review. Thank you!!!
This was undeniably a King idea. There must be some instance of "Survivor's Guilt" in his past because it's a theme he re-visits over and over.
The idea was worth five stars, but the execution was not. This should have been a much longer tale. You aren't certain until the very end what's happening, but if you've read a lot of King you can certainly make an educated guess. If King were to take this and add about 5000 words it would feel right at home in one of his short story collections. As it stands, it's barely a sketch.
This was undeniably a King idea. There must be some instance of "Survivor's Guilt" in his past because it's a theme he re-visits over and over.
The idea was worth five stars, but the execution was not. This should have been a much longer tale. You aren't certain until the very end what's happening, but if you've read a lot of King you can certainly make an educated guess. If King were to take this and add about 5000 words it would feel right at home in one of his short story collections. As it stands, it's barely a sketch.
January 12, 2022
En fem sidors tidig historia av King om sorg och skuld. Jag skulle gärna sett att den var längre men en hittills (för mig) okänd King-historia är bättre än ingen alls.
August 14, 2015
This was rather creepy and you don't realise what's going on until nearly the very end. It's full of emotion and I recommend it to Stephen King fans.
May 29, 2022
I realize many readers may not agree with my 5 star rating. This isn't a classic short story by any means. However, it did make me quite emotional, placing an unsettling pit in my stomach. Stephen King has a way, for me at least, of bringing characters alive. Making me feel their thoughts, their actions, their reactions, their regrets. I read the short story collection this story appeared in but was not a fan of the stories other than this story and the story included by Richard Christian Matheson called "Transfiguration". This story effected me more than most short stories and so decided to review it separately. May Stephen King live forever.
February 9, 2022
An early King that is rather shorter than his typical short stories. We get the strong characters, the deft emotional feel, and the uncanny atmospherics. Decent enough, but entirely too brief to get overly excited about. One for King Completists, like me, but I wouldn't say it is worth buying 'Shivers VIII' for 12 pages. Check the interweb, I say!
March 20, 2021
A sad short story about a Vietnam vet dealing with survival guilt - his 9 buddies were killed in a bridge bombing. Of course, the survivor is from Castle Rock, Maine, so the supernatural is involved. Sad stuff.
November 13, 2020
Me gustó bastante esta historia. Además me recordó a aquel capítulo de IT en el que Richie y Bill veían una foto que se movía.
En general esto de que una foto cambie me parece bastante tétrico. Buen relato.
En general esto de que una foto cambie me parece bastante tétrico. Buen relato.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2018
Interesante relato....
Ojalá algún día lo publiquen
Ojalá algún día lo publiquen
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews