What do you think?
Rate this book
The Funny Thing About War
Meet Chris Columbo. Twenty-two years old, intelligent, well spoken—once a promising U.S. naval officer candidate. But at college, his plans and dreams are shattered by the woman he deeply loves. Disillusioned about life in general, he falls into an abyss of self-pity, resigns his ROTC scholarship, abandons his studies, drops out and embarks on a downward spiral, eventually hitting rock bottom.
But all is not lost as he receives orders to report for active duty with the U.S. Navy, an organization to which he is contractually bound. In spite of his recent opposition to the war, desperation forces him to honor the terms of his contract and he soon finds himself aboard the the USS Lawrence, a guided missile destroyer, deployed as an active participant in the Lam Son and Linebacker operations off the coasts of South and North Vietnam.
THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR, an historical fiction, provides a sailor’s perspective of the Vietnam War through the exploits of Chris and his shipmates. Sometimes challenging, often humorous, Chris’s experiences will change him forever, leading him to embrace his life and future. Now, if he can just survive his final mission.
But all is not lost as he receives orders to report for active duty with the U.S. Navy, an organization to which he is contractually bound. In spite of his recent opposition to the war, desperation forces him to honor the terms of his contract and he soon finds himself aboard the the USS Lawrence, a guided missile destroyer, deployed as an active participant in the Lam Son and Linebacker operations off the coasts of South and North Vietnam.
THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR, an historical fiction, provides a sailor’s perspective of the Vietnam War through the exploits of Chris and his shipmates. Sometimes challenging, often humorous, Chris’s experiences will change him forever, leading him to embrace his life and future. Now, if he can just survive his final mission.
420 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2014
2 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Al Campo
3 books3 followersAl Campo is a retired mortgage-banking executive of 30 years and Vietnam War Veteran having served aboard the USS Lawrence from 1972 to 1974 as a boatswain mate and operations specialist. Before entering the Navy and starting his career in business he attended the Universities of Missouri and Hofstra. Nowadays when he isn’t tending to his gardens or riding his Harley, he is plying his acquired boatswain mate’s skills tying fishing knots on his boat the Moody Blues along the southern shores of Long Island. THE FUNNY THING ABOUT WAR is his first novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 5, 2015
The funny thing about war is that war is anything but. Al Campo brings us into the life of Christopher Columbo, once a promising Navy officer candidate who, through fate, depression, and bad choices winds up as a low-ranking enlisted pressed into service to repay tuition assistance for a school he didn't even finish.
The author presents a stark view from the inside, during a part of the Vietnam War few have explored - the day to day life of a seaman, while his ship provides offshore artillery support for a land war he doesn't believe in. The life of a sailor is tedious and filled with drudgery - an experience that the text conveys quite well. Brief moments of panic, drunken debauchery, lustful shore leave, and moments of levity with the crew interrupt his soul-crushing routine every so often. Chris confronts issues of inept and arrogant officers, filthy/unsanitary living conditions, racism, violence and sex amid the backdrop of a conflict he feels the US has no business being in.
The message Al Campo conveys is a poignant one, highlighting the pointlessness and pain of war, and the effect it has on otherwise normal men and the civilians they come into contact with. Having the grim reaper at their heels, the men seek release any way they can get it - fighting, fornicating, shooting sacks of rice set adrift in the ocean, and just hoping to stay alive to do it all again tomorrow.
Chris is presented as a compelling and tragi-comic man whose circumstances have gone completely out of his control. He smiles even while careening face-first down the stairs of life, cheek hitting every step along the way. The bleakness, as well as rough language and some erotica-grade scenes are not for the faint of heart. It is the way things were, and Al Campo does not sugar coat it. This book is not for the faint of heart or the impatient. I found myself caring about Chris and his shipmates.
This story is one that will stay with you for a long time. Al Campo offers the kind of perspective on war that only someone who has lived through it can.
The author presents a stark view from the inside, during a part of the Vietnam War few have explored - the day to day life of a seaman, while his ship provides offshore artillery support for a land war he doesn't believe in. The life of a sailor is tedious and filled with drudgery - an experience that the text conveys quite well. Brief moments of panic, drunken debauchery, lustful shore leave, and moments of levity with the crew interrupt his soul-crushing routine every so often. Chris confronts issues of inept and arrogant officers, filthy/unsanitary living conditions, racism, violence and sex amid the backdrop of a conflict he feels the US has no business being in.
The message Al Campo conveys is a poignant one, highlighting the pointlessness and pain of war, and the effect it has on otherwise normal men and the civilians they come into contact with. Having the grim reaper at their heels, the men seek release any way they can get it - fighting, fornicating, shooting sacks of rice set adrift in the ocean, and just hoping to stay alive to do it all again tomorrow.
Chris is presented as a compelling and tragi-comic man whose circumstances have gone completely out of his control. He smiles even while careening face-first down the stairs of life, cheek hitting every step along the way. The bleakness, as well as rough language and some erotica-grade scenes are not for the faint of heart. It is the way things were, and Al Campo does not sugar coat it. This book is not for the faint of heart or the impatient. I found myself caring about Chris and his shipmates.
This story is one that will stay with you for a long time. Al Campo offers the kind of perspective on war that only someone who has lived through it can.
March 25, 2015
This is one of the few books that actually covers the experiences of Blue Water sailors during the Vietnam War this is a refreshing book. There are some minor grammar and editing errors scattered around in the book but I did not find them distracting.
Without including spoilers let me say that this is a fictionalized account of the authors experience as a destroyer crewman off the coast of North and South Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War. It is a pretty good story too. It is not gripping drama or engaging comedy but it does carry you along and make you want to know how the story ends.
All in all this is an engaging story about an aspect of the war in Vietnam that has been largely ignored in both historiography and fiction. It is a tale worth telling and a tale worth reading. I did not find the story to be extremely compelling or a page turner but I did want to find out what happened to the main character, which kept me reading. This a good but not great book that I have no problem recommending to those interested in the Vietnam War and the naval aspects of the fighting.
Without including spoilers let me say that this is a fictionalized account of the authors experience as a destroyer crewman off the coast of North and South Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War. It is a pretty good story too. It is not gripping drama or engaging comedy but it does carry you along and make you want to know how the story ends.
All in all this is an engaging story about an aspect of the war in Vietnam that has been largely ignored in both historiography and fiction. It is a tale worth telling and a tale worth reading. I did not find the story to be extremely compelling or a page turner but I did want to find out what happened to the main character, which kept me reading. This a good but not great book that I have no problem recommending to those interested in the Vietnam War and the naval aspects of the fighting.
February 26, 2015
Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.
This was a well written book. I usually don't read books like this, but this one got my attention for some reason. Chris was a very interesting person to read about in this book. i really did enjoy it. A good read.
This was a well written book. I usually don't read books like this, but this one got my attention for some reason. Chris was a very interesting person to read about in this book. i really did enjoy it. A good read.
April 2, 2015
I really enjoyed this wonderful story. This could have easily been a 4 0r 5 star book with some serious editing. I hope Al has more books coming our way.
October 17, 2021
Day to day life of a sailor at sea.
I enjoyed this story of a young man at sea. How he made the best of the circumstances he happened to find himself in. A few technical errors in the book, but the most maddening was how the author had naval officers (including the captain) constantly referring to enlisted men as "Mister". It was surprising this error was made especially since the author had served in the navy.
I enjoyed this story of a young man at sea. How he made the best of the circumstances he happened to find himself in. A few technical errors in the book, but the most maddening was how the author had naval officers (including the captain) constantly referring to enlisted men as "Mister". It was surprising this error was made especially since the author had served in the navy.
Read
March 25, 2018MWSA Review
From boredom to shore leave to gun runs, this Vietnam era novel gives a day to day look at a critical period in a young seaman’s life.
In The Funny Thing About War, Al Campo describes the life of a seaman on a destroyer during the Vietnam conflict through fiction by combining his own experiences and other eye witness accounts and a bit of creativity. Young men had to adapt not only to the Navy’s restrictions but also cramped space, regular duty plus additional service when the ship was being refueled or receiving supplies, ship mates from various areas of the country with different cultures, and likeable comrades who sometimes shirked the harder work. During gun runs, sleep was a rare commodity yet lives depended on attention to assigned responsibilities. Shore leaves included a travelogue of Hong Kong.
This period of young adulthood changes people; thus the title of the novel.
MWSA Reviewer: Nancy Kauffman
From boredom to shore leave to gun runs, this Vietnam era novel gives a day to day look at a critical period in a young seaman’s life.
In The Funny Thing About War, Al Campo describes the life of a seaman on a destroyer during the Vietnam conflict through fiction by combining his own experiences and other eye witness accounts and a bit of creativity. Young men had to adapt not only to the Navy’s restrictions but also cramped space, regular duty plus additional service when the ship was being refueled or receiving supplies, ship mates from various areas of the country with different cultures, and likeable comrades who sometimes shirked the harder work. During gun runs, sleep was a rare commodity yet lives depended on attention to assigned responsibilities. Shore leaves included a travelogue of Hong Kong.
This period of young adulthood changes people; thus the title of the novel.
MWSA Reviewer: Nancy Kauffman
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews