Honor & Indignity

by Gregory D. Doering

Honor and Indignity is a nonfiction memoir that provides insight into the journey of one Marine. The narrator finishes twelve months and twenty-five days in Vietnam, seven of those months in combat. Arriving stateside, he finds the adjustment extremely difficult and reaches out for help after arriving at El Toro Air Station. At the mercy of the naval medical system he entrusts with his care, he finds himself incarcerated and sexually assaulted by care providers in a psychiatric ward at Camp Pendleton, California. The journey continues from the end of military service to civilian life, and cover forty-plus year after-effects experienced by the veteran.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2021

About the author

Greg Doering served as a Marine in Vietnam in Fox Company Ninth Marines in 1968. Greg is retired and lives a Northwest Island lifestyle in Washington.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Vietnam veteran who has read many books about the Vietnam war, I found Honor & Indignity to be one of the best. It is excellently written, impressively detailed, deeply evocative, and courageously self-revealing. As a counselor for veterans with PTSD I know the guts it takes for anyone to recount traumas and reveal internal struggles with as much candor as Doering does. And he writes about much more than his struggles. He also paints a vivid picture of day to day life with a combat unit in the Vietnam war, including its colorful characters, courageous soldiers, humor, boredom, and terror. I highly recommend Honor & Indignity.

Jeff Rogers

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always wondered about my Father's experience in the Vietnam War. This gave me a window into that time for him. I was intrigued with what life was like as a Marine and even more so, a Marine in a war zone. It is incomprehensible demoralization of the soul shared in this book. I cant believe that my Dad survived, but not only survived-THRIVED!!! Married to my mom at a young age, early 20's, they divorced when I was 4. My dad received full custody of my brother and I and we visited our Mom every other weekend. As a divorced and single father of two he started us skiing when I was 4, my brother was 7. I have vivid memories of the mountains w/my Dad and brother. My Dad remained a single father of me and my brother until I was 10. He ended up raising 5 kids with his wife (my step-mom). There is so much LIFE after this experience. By the GRACE of God he lived to write this memoir. Jennifer Doering-Jones, Shoreline, WA

[John Podlaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregory Doering's book Honor & Indignity intrigued me. I served in the Army a year later and found many of the author's experiences in the Marines to be like mine in the Army. Especially the 'hurry up and wait' syndrome. The author's telling about unyielding marches through the jungles like pack-mules, eye tricks at night, lack of food and water, and lack of sleep were right on as I remembered them! Mr. Doering does not go into the raw details after the firefights, but his descriptions certainly leave readers with macabre visions afterward. Marines and soldiers had to continuously remind one another not to dwell on those sights and sounds they experienced - both in the jungle and in the firebases which were targets for the deadly rocket attacks. Block them out and forget about them. Don't mean nuthin, they said. But once soldiers experienced war, those images and sounds remained in your deep memories forever; surfacing periodically to wreak havoc.

Gregory went to Vietnam as a mechanic but was forced to the infantry because of a manpower shortage. He returned to the motor pool as a mechanic after humping for several months. This is where he spends the rest of his tour.

Life in the rear areas was enhanced with booze and drugs. Doering and his mates partake in whatever helped to eliminate their fears, hurts, and evil dreams. Many were satisfied with just smoking weed, others turned to the hard stuff like opium and heroin. Then again, beer and whiskey did the trick for most of the others.

The second half of the memoir covers the next forty years of the author's life. The military and VA were not aware of PTSD yet and how to treat it. Gregory spent months institutionalized because of his trauma. It takes many years of failed relationships and suffering paranoia before getting help to finally a live a normal life.

I have to commend the author on his ability and courage to share those 'raw' details of his life with all of us. I am also glad he was able to get the help he needed to move forward. Thank you for a great memoir, Gregory, and welcome home, brother!

[Karen Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the man who lived the story, HONOR AND INDIGNITY, by Gregory D. Doering, is a hard-hitting look at the sacrifices of the soldiers in Vietnam and the resulting horrors that stay forever. At nineteen years old, Greg Doering enlisted in the Marines, where he was thrust into a tour in Vietnam. Humping through a thick bamboo jungle in 120-degree weather, wondering what was around the corner “…deadly viper pits, gook booby traps, or getting in the middle of the bamboo forest and being ambushed with no room to maneuver,” Doering and his fellow soldiers found comfort in the bonds they formed with each other. Seeing things that couldn’t be unseen, things that no one should ever see, takes a toll on the human spirit. Memories that would be better forgotten find a way to sprint to the forefront, where they dwell forever.

When Doering’s Vietnam tour ended, he thought he had left hell behind. But a new hell was waiting. Misdiagnosed, mistreated and misunderstood, Doering finds himself incarcerated in a military psychiatric ward and once again must fight for his life.

This memoir is precise and frightening, but it is also inspirational. It reads like a suspense novel, one that you can’t put down until you find out how it ends. Well done, Mr. Doering! Thank you for your service.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

This memoir is the author's attempt at reflecting on his thoughts, memories, and experiences as a Vietnam vet and unfortunate victim at the hands of the VA. The content of the book was interesting. My gripe lies with the Kindle version which contained an enormous amount of typos, punctuation issues, continuity errors, and run-on sentences which distracted from the ability to concentrate on the story itself. With some better editing, this memoir could really shine.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an eye opener!

It was a little slow going at some points but I feel like at this point that's gonna happen with any book of any genre.
This all-in-all was a great eye opening read. Another one of my Goodreads Giveaways that ended up turning out really good.
I guess maybe my being older and more mature I find memoirs and non-fiction books more entertaining and readable. Whereas when I was younger in my teens/early-twenties I probably wouldn't have ever thought to pick this up.
So back to the review, this book gives an eye opening look into the Vietnam War in a boots on the ground point of view. Flash forward to being stateside and we see what it was like for Lance Corporal Doering going through treatment for PTSD before they really knew how to treat it. It is a shocking exposure to what it was like for those men thrown into a mental ward and drugged/abused because the US just didn't know how to deal with PTSD cases at the time. I bawled my eyes out during a couple points in this book just because of the sheer frustration over the things this man had to endure.
I already knew that they did not have the understanding of the Invisible wounds that war causes to men and women in combat but this guy didn't hold back on the details.
10/10 would recommend. I am 9 for 9 on books so far this year hopefully it keeps this way.