AUSTIN , TEXAS , US, February 16, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Soldiers are trained to crush any natural resistance to killing, control their terror, and to fulfill their mission. What’s kind of disturbing, is that the U.S. military uses first-person shooter video games in training soldiers to kill, just like the tens of millions that are sold to primarily young boys to play. With games and films glorifying war and death, it can be difficult to understand the harsh truths and realities of real warfare. We’re conditioning our kids to dehumanize each other.

Especially under the perceived threat of a WWIII looming, fresh insights can be gained from past wars that have been fought, first-hand accounts that can shake an individual to the core and make one rethink their views. While the gut-wrenching facts might be hard to digest by the general public, it is painfully difficult for those who were caught up in the war, to relay their experiences, especially on the front lines in active combat with the stench of death everywhere.

They don’t just tell their story. They relive it. And, that’s hard to do.

In his new memoir , Dr. Alan Levin describes vividly, at times horrifically, being drafted into the Vietnam War, as a newly-minted pediatrician, being trained as U.S. Marine Corps flight surgeon and, in 1967, sent to Dong Ha and assigned to the HMM265 Dragons helicopter squadron. The book provides the public at large a journey through actual combat and the gut wrenching details of the valiant attempts to save the wounded by medevac crews and gun support aircraft.

During his 13 months in Vietnam, Dr. Al was forced to kill a lot of people—combatting young enemy fighters as well as providing compassionate deaths for his mortally wounded comrades.. Compounding that mental toll on him, Dr. Al was confronted with the deaths of pilot buddies, one who burned to death after a crash landing. A fellow flight surgeon and close friend who lost his life, as a result of a direct hit of an enemy rocket to his bunker. He was killed by the concussive forces with not even a scratch to his body.

As Dr. Al sank deeper into a battle-induced psychosis, his desire to strike back grew stronger. He was recruited for the CIA’s Operation Phoenix, a counter-insurgency campaign and assigned to assassination teams. He had developed a death wish.

Unfulfilled, fortunately.

History of The Vietnam War

Hundreds of thousands of Americans protested the war. Vets were vilified and scorned. Suffering from PTSD and abandonment, many of them became addicted, divorced, incarcerated, underemployed, depressed or deceased. As the years passed, more sympathy was engendered for these brave soldiers, who were now seen as mere puppets in an ongoing global struggle for power and wealth.
This rightfully creates a sense of frustration and resentment amongst vets who went through such a traumatic and life-altering experience. All of that pent-up anger, even rage, leads to many of them sharing stories that have never been revealed. Much can be learned when looking at the raw subjective experience of veterans who made it back home, even if the stories can be difficult to listen to. It is more relevant than ever.

Flight Quack- A Memoir Detailing Brutal Reality of War

In previous wars, particularly in WWII, America’s brave soldiers fought for a clear purpose–to save their country, protect their families and preserve their way of life. Those lost were reverently honored. Those who came home were greeted with huge parades and boisterous accolades. As a generation, they had survived the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and won a world war against tyranny.

Then, America got involved in proxy wars, the purpose of which was muddled, causing great anguish and disillusionment. Why were we there? Was it purely for profit?

“War is a racket,” stated USMC Major General Smedley D. Butler in his 1935 treatise. In his 1959 farewell speech, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of a profit-focused military industrial complex, declaring: “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

In Flight Quack, Dr. Al echoes the same warning. In the wake of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, he grew angry. As he sees it, nothing has changed. In war, no one wins. Everyone loses except for those who profit from it.

The book sheds light on many horrific events and experiences, but it can be used as a relevant lesson that teaches people about the reality of war, its impact on mental health, and need to support vets in their healing process.

In Summary

This book is a gut-wrenching wake-up call, more relevant today than ever. It may be difficult to read at times. It is raw. It is real, not like a movie or video game. As painful as Dr. Al’s war experiences were to relive and relay, his hope is to save young lives and create positive change. Find his story at flightquack.com.

J.B. Gentry
Flight Quack
+1 512-791-1449
contact@flightquack.com

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