Book

Did you ever try writing a book?  I did!  It's really hard work.
I started writing a book on a specific battle in Vietnam.  But, before I go into that, let me give you a little background.
My husband is a Vietnam Veteran.  He was in the Army, Americal Division.  He was in Vietnam November 1968 to June 1969 when he was wounded.  He didn't talk a lot about the war to many people, but he shared some things we me.  He also had a couple of Army buddies who lived close enough that we got together occasionally.
So, around 2001 or 2002 he got a call from one of his buddies he had been in Vietnam with.  They had started a Charlie Company reunion, and they wanted him to go.  I encouraged him, and he went.  The next year I went with him. We still go every year.  I believe we have only missed one year since then.  Most men bring their wives along.
Well, this reunion changed both of our lives. I have never met such a wonderful group of people. It took only a couple of years before I realized how ignorant I had been about the war. The things they talked about were amazing. I wanted to know more.  No, I needed to know more.
A few years into the reunion I decided to start taping some accounts from these guys.  Their stories were incredible.  I was hooked.  I could only manage a couple per year.
I became especially interested in a battle that took place on Hill 283, know as Chop Vum Mountain.  Charlie Company was involved in that from March 3 - 10, 1969.  Alpha Company and Bravo Company were involved sooner.
This story came up frequently, and as they men began talking about it, I became obsessed with learning about it.
So, that brings me back to the book. For many years, I wanted to write a book about the battle at Chop Vum.  But, I was a nurse, not a writer.  How do you start?
So, after I retired I took a class at the Senior Center on writing.  There I met my mentor, Holly Martin.
She motivated me and helped me get started.  Without her, I could not have done it.
I am going to talk about my journey in writing on this blog.
Please follow my journey.
Peggy