War Is Society's Dirty Work,

War Is Society's Dirty Work, Usually Done By Kids Cleaning Up Failures Perpetrated By Adults.

When I First Got Back From The War, I Said, 'i'm Gonna Write The Great American Novel About The Vietnam War.' So I Sat Down And Wrote 1,700 Pages Of Sheer Psychotherapy Drivel. It Was First Person, And There Would Be Pages About Wet Socks And Cold Feet.

I Knew Many Marines Had Done Brave Deeds That No One Saw And For Which They Got No Medals At All. I Was Having A Very Hard Time Carrying Those Medals And Didnt Have The Insight Or Maturity To Know What To Do With My Combination Of Guilt And Pride.

I Began Writing 'matterhorn' In 1975 And For More Than 30 Years I Kept Working On My Novel In My Spare Time, Unable To Get An Agent Or Publisher To Even Read The Manuscript.

The Time For Debilitating Fear Is Before And After The Mission.