www.cherrieswriter.com Vietnam War Website
A Book Review By John Podlaski
Combat and Campus: Writing through War
By Annette Grunseth
A Captivating Read
COMBAT AND CAMPUS: WRITING THROUGH WAR by Annette Grunseth is a compilation of letters from her older brother, Peter, during his year-long tour in the Vietnam War between 1968-1969. The letters are listed chronologically and detail his life as an infantryman with the “Triple Duece” armor group and later as the company clerk in the 25th Infantry Division. They worked out of the Dau Tieng basecamp near the Cambodian border and worked the surrounding areas.
Pete received his draft notice after graduating college and obtaining a degree in journalism. His letters are professionally written and pull no punches as they reference what life was like on a daily basis. He cites battles, mortar barrages, deaths, and maiming as they occurred. There was no safe place, and none of the letters were sanitized for family members. He told it like it was!
The author also shares her letters to Pete as she describes the antiwar sentiment and demonstrations back home while attending the University of Wisconsin and being barred and/or escorted to classes by a member of the National Guard.
The author interspersed short poems throughout the work which tend to reflect upon an earlier letter. I am not a poetry-loving kind of guy, but her poems were easy to read a made sense. I liked them!
Peter died at the age of 59 from Agent Orange-related cancer and never had the chance to see his sister’s work in print. War is hell and this book shows readers why. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing what it was like for some of the infantry soldiers during the war. Thank you, Annette Grunseth for a work well done!