by Paul Drew

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Summary

Vietnam Veteran and author Paul Drew's memoir on that war, After the Storm, earned this accolade from Col. David Hackworth (USA, Retired): “A powerful and important book. A must read to understand what went wrong during a very bad war.” Drew now turns to fiction to explore what motivates soldiers-on both sides-to act the way they do.

Jenny 4, Drew's debut novel, is told from the point of view of draftee Nick Calloway who discovers basic human goodness amid the horrors, the atrocities, the obscenity of war. During a rescue mission, Nick and his patrol encounter an enigmatic old man and his grandson who Nick suspects to be Viet Cong sympathizers. The one man who can discern the truth is the patrol's Vietnamese interpreter, a pacifist who knew Ho Chi Minh, ran a one-room school house, and has deep personal reasons for participating in the war.

Drew has called upon his experience as a combat infantry squad leader during major operations such as Attleboro and Junction City, as well as countless day patrols and night ambushes, to provide vivid descriptions of the sights and sounds of battle. More important, however, is the insight he offers the reader of the relationships that evolve among soldiers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and religions. Ultimately, through the love his characters show for each other but cannot express, he has sounded a clarion call for peace.

About the Author

Paul Drew served as a combat infantry squad leader in Vietnam. His professional background includes teaching at the high school and college levels, technical writing in the public and private sectors, and dabbling in industries as diverse as consulting and trucking.

Drew is a former Chaplain of the American Legion, Dept. of New Jersey. Having published numerous newspaper and journal articles, his memoir of the Vietnam era, After the Storm, appeared in 1999 (available through Hellgate Press at 1(800)228-2275).

The author (right) is shown with his close friend and former company commander Mike Ruane at a 196th Light Infantry Brigade Association reunion.

Reviews

“Excellent! A perfect book for... reading Vietnam War personal accounts.... And somehow, almost miraculously, you did so with such 'clean' speech. This makes an excellent book for the young adult reader, as well as adults, including Vietnam veterans... It sounded as if I was actually hearing this story being told first-hand to me.... I enjoyed visiting with this band of brothers.”

Sibley J. Smith, Jr., Director of Education
Vietnam Era Educational Center
New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

"... emotionally charged ..."

Anne Skalitza, Author Lost and Found Love