POINT- A Paratrooper's Memoirs of Vietnam

About the Book

POINT-A Paratrooper's Memoirs of Vietnam tells the combat related stories/memoirs of Rick Butler, a paratrooper in Vietnam in 1968. The book is fiction but is based on Rick's combat experience. It starts with his stateside Army training and continues with the 18-year-old's deployment to Vietnam. His combat experience is chronicled with numerous stories representing his transition from a green, inexperienced 18-year-old who is trying to stay alive, to a hardened combat veteran and point man. Rick was fortunate not to be wounded but feels guilty as he saw many of his buddies and best friends get wounded or killed.

The book then describes the aftermath of war for Rick as he struggles with post traumatic stress throughout his career and his life-emphasizing the importance of family and counseling to cope with the recurring nightmares, guilt and "point whispers" that haunt him.

About the Author

Rick Butler was a paratrooper in Vietnam in 1968 with the 173d Airborne Brigade. He was actively involved in combat operations. He often walked point which is the lead soldier in a combat maneuver?a very dangerous position being the first in harms way. As a result, Rick has battled post-traumatic stress throughout his life and now is retired, living with his wife of 38 years, Judy, in the Minneapolis metro area where his adult children (Leslie and Doug) and his grand-daughter, Maya, also reside.