Michael Clark was an inquisitive, active boy-difficult for his mother,
although he wasn't a bad child. In this memoir, Clark begins by
detailing his childhood growing up in the fifties and sixties in rural
Michigan, where he built forts, became an Eagle Scout, and met his
future wife. As the Vietnam War raged, when he turned eighteen, he
eventually registered for the draft. In 1969, after his number was
called, Clark details how life changed exponentially as he left his new
bride behind and reported for duty amid violent protests and draft card
burnings. As he narrates his experiences from basic training to his
assignment to the army's medical training center and finally his service
in Vietnam, Clark provides a compelling glimpse into the emotional
influences of war. In this engaging memoir, a Vietnam veteran chronicles
his path before, during, and after war as he accepted his fate and
learned to embrace the precious gift of life.