Out-Of-Country

Few American citizens would disagree with the observation that the Vietnam War was probably the most tragic event to befall the American people since the the Imperial Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The Vietnam Wars devastation was not limited to the loss of thousands of lives; the maiming of bodies and minds or the terrible waste of the worlds resources. A major, irrevocable injury was inflicted on the American psyche. We were all personally, politically, spiritually and psychologically effected. The conduct and the outcome of the war irreparably altered the way Americans now view the waging of war in general; the influence our politicians exert over the conduct of wars; the motives and the effectiveness of our military-industrial complex and the competency of our military leaders. Many excellent volumes--both fiction and non-fiction--have been written about the terrible residual effects of the war on its survivors, their families and those Americans killed while stationed In-Country; that is, in Vietnam. The story which follows is an attempt to portray the profound effects which the Vietnam War had on those American military personnel who remained stationed Out-of-Country; that is, not in Vietnam, and thus suffered no physical war injuries or casualties. Yet these men and women also carry permanent, deep scars of this dreadful conflict