My Father, My Son

by Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., Elmo R. Zumwalt III, John Pekkanen

Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr. was Chief of Naval Operations during the Vietnam War. As such, his purview included the "brown water navy," an elite force of volunteers who roamed the waterways in fast attack boats. Among boat commanders was his son and namesake, Elmo Zumwalt, III.

Young Zumwalt may have thought his major hazard was enemy fire, but in fact it was not. Like many other Americans who worked the defoliated jungles, he developed cancer. His enemy was Agent Orange.

The irony is that his father ordered its use, and MY FATHER, MY SON is the story of how one family has dealt with tragedy.

Genres: Biography, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

Reviews

[HR-ML · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paperback edition.

This book had 3 authors as listed above. Admiral Elmo
Zumwalt Jr, & Lt Elmo Zumwalt the 3rd (hereafter "the
Admiral" & "Elmo") both served the US Navy in Vietnam.
The Admiral's other Navy son, Jim, served in Vietnam
and transferred to the Marines. Elmo Zumwalt the 4th,
was Elmo's son who all called Russell for his middle name.
(Elmo Zumwalt #1 : Grandpa: earlier served as an MD
in the Army).

The Admiral commanded "the brown water Navy" ships
and swift-boats that patrolled the inland rivers and coast
of Vietnam. Son Elmo served as as swift-boat commander
in said waters. The Viet Cong and North Vietnam troops
hid behind existing greenery to plan sneak attacks on the
Navy. The Admiral ordered Agent Orange (AO) sprayed to
defoliate these areas, as he was assured AO was safe for
humans. Elmo his son subsequently developed 2 forms of
cancer & his son Russell a learning disability (sensory
integrated dysfunction) as a consequence of AO. Other
Navy men who served this area of Vietnam became ill too.

The Admiral became the youngest man in Navy history to be
named Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. He retired
after serving the Navy 35 yrs.

Elmo underwent chemo treatments. And then a bone marrow
transplant. Latter experimental at the time. This bk depicted
Zumwalt family closeness, the sacrifices they made in Navy
svc.,+ the brotherhood of Elmo's swift-boat crew. Neither
the Admiral nor Elmo assigned blame RE the decision to use
Agent Orange. Whose purpose was to reduce US Navy
casualties. You decide- was AO justified? Vietnam veterans
won $180 M in a class-action lawsuit against makers of
Agent Orange. Elmo, an attorney after the Navy, didn't elect
to join this lawsuit as a plaintiff.

Elmo died in 1988, 5 yrs after his 1st cancer diagnosis, and
the Admiral in 2000.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book that I have ever read that I thoroughly enjoyed while hating to read. It was hard to put down because it gave me anxiety thinking about picking it up again. The most frightening part of this book, for me, was discovering how many parallels existed between the Zumwalt family and my own.

The range of emotions went from laughing uncontrollably to crying
irrepressibly. The book is frank and honest and should be read by family members who are coping with medical disasters.

It is a literary capsule of war and peace, love and family, pain with emotional relief that can only be told from the point of view of every family member of the Zumwalt family. It was written in a time line fashion as described from different points of view who were directly involved in this family calamity.

I recommend this book to anybody with a family or wants one. Life is cruel and insensitive with the only haven of relief being the support systems you have built that you can depend on.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to me by Adm. Zumwalt and is a special keeper.

[Dana Clinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely need a break from all the non-fiction I have been reading recently, but I was happy to read this little book published in 1986 (only one copy in all the libraries of Maine!!); I put in on my to-read list after it was lauded by Christopher Hitchens in one of the essays in his collection "Arguably". This is a story mostly of a father and son, both in the Navy and in Vietnam at the same time, and the effects that Agent Orange (claimed by the manufacturers as non harmful to humans or animal life, so the father ordered the defoliation to prevent more loss of life from formerly hidden Vietcong along riverbanks, where Elmo the son was actually patrolling) had on those serving in Vietnam (and of course the Vietnamese). "...when evidence was later published suggesting there were potentially serious health hazards with this chemical, the companies denied it....I find the attitude of these chemical in this regard to be the height of capitalistic arrogance." Of course the effects have been amply proven since. But the book is captivating mostly because of the clear love among the members of the Zumwalt family, and also because of the structure, which is allowing different people to write down their experiences (each section introduced by the person composing)... Admiral Zumwalt the father became the youngest chief of Naval Operations in US history and was quite a revolutionaly groundbreaker in that he spearheaded and championed the role and importance of blacks in the Navy, creating enemies along the way. I found each of these men and all the families and friends surrounding them remarkable human beings. I also learned a lot about the Vietnam war that was new to me who lived through that era.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

He still thinks vietnam was a good idea even though it had no point and killed his son ?

[Laura Carper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read about first hand knowledge of the fighting in Vietnam.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate someone sharing their personal story.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Father, My Son by Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr. (MacMillan Publishing 1986)(Biography). This book represents irony squared, or “the sins of the fathers” - you decide. Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr. was the Chief of Naval Operations during the Vietnam War. His son, Elmo Zumwalt III, was a “fast boat captain” in the America's “brown water navy.” He (Elmo III) served in the defoliated jungles of Vietnam, and he later developed cancer from exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange which was widely used by the Americans. The irony is that the person who ordered the use of Agent Orange was Admiral Elmo – his own father. The story is about how the family has come to terms with this and how they have coped with the tragedy. This is a true cautionary tale. My rating: 7/10, finished 2004.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific true story of one man's family and their battle with cancer. Having survived the hell of war in Vietnam, Elmo Zumwalt develops a rare combination of Hodgkins disease and another form of lymphatic cancer. You can feel the pain, love, joy, and sadness as Elmo battles his way thru treatment far worse than anything imaginable.

This is definitely the best book I've read in quite a long time.

[Paula Matuskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling true story of how a father's strategic military decision ultimately cost his own son his health, resulting in terminal illnesses.