They Were There, They Remember

The best part of having written this book is hearing from those people for whom the book has made an impact. Some have helped to give me closure. I didn't realize what an impact it would be on me to meet (through social media or telephone) two veterans who fought in the same firefight that killed Eddy. I'm not sure why, but it helps to know they were there. I also heard from a man whose brother was wounded in the same firefight. It always had felt like Eddy fell into a black hole and just disappeared. To know that there were people there who may not have known him, but fought nearby, makes it less like he just vanished with no one around to remember. They remember, and they will never forget the battle at Hoc Mon, just as Eddy's own platoon members remember and meet every year at their reunion. I had the honor of attending one of their reunions, something I never dreamed would happen because I thought, though misguidedly, for nearly 40 years, that his whole platoon had died.