Strength & Honor: America's Best in Vietnam

Author: Terry L. Garlock

ISBN 978-1-60264-739-8 (eBook)

462 pages

Decades ago, political struggles buried the truth about the Vietnam War in a tangle of myths, half-truths and lies, and the truth is still hard to find today. No matter which side of the argument you favor, the truth is not all that pretty, but the one constant was the faithful and capable service of the troops America sent to fight that war. They never received the nation's gratitude they had earned, and many kept their story and even their service to themselves since the American public believed the worst about them. By refusing to see how well these troops had served their country, America lost a generation of heroes. The public still knows for sure things about the Vietnam War, and its vets, that have never been true. In this book, Terry L. Garlock helps a number of Vietnam veterans tell a piece of their own story and lets the reader decide what to believe. Some of these stories have never before been told. When we send soldiers to war, we owe them our fidelity and our gratitude, and we owe them a truthful history of what they endured for us. This book helps a number of vets tell their truth, the good and the bad.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Terry L. Garlock lives with his wife, Julie, and daughters, Melanie and Kristen, in Peachtree City, Georgia. In the Vietnam War, Terry was a Cobra helicopter gunship pilot. On December 17, 1969, he and Ron Hefner were shot down in a firefight. Ron was severely injured, Terry was disabled, trapped in the wreckage with a broken back, paralyzed legs and the enemy nearby. Two fellow pilots, John Synowsky and Graham Stevens, risked their neck by landing to help Ron and Terry, and received the Soldier's Medal for saving lives that day. Among the awards Terry received in Vietnam were the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1971 Terry left the Army and put Vietnam behind him. When he had children late in life and considered the twisted version of that war they would read in their schoolbooks, he decided it was time he did his part to make sure the truth is told. This book is the result of his efforts.