∎ Read Gratis Shadows of Combat Poetry about the Vietnam Era Richard C Geschke Robert A Toto 9781627726955 Books

Shadows of Combat Poetry about the Vietnam Era Richard C Geschke Robert A Toto 9781627726955 Books

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Authors Robert Toto and Richard Geschke have expanded their horizons of their original book In Our Duffel Bags, Surviving the Vietnam Era with a poetic interpretation of life in the army. Tracking their adventures in Germany, Panama and Vietnam the authors wax the poetic version of what they found in their duffel bags looking deeper into the fast changing times of the Vietnam era. With Shadows of Combat the reader will sense the history of what took place in this crucial time in American history.

Shadows of Combat Poetry about the Vietnam Era Richard C Geschke Robert A Toto 9781627726955 Books

This is the second volume of poetry I've read that has been written by American soldiers who were in the Vietnam War. The first volume, published as the war was still being fought, in 1972, is Winning Hearts & Minds: War Poems by Vietnam Veterans. It is an anthology of poems written by 34 Vietnam veterans, while the war was still fresh in the mind. "Shadows of Combat" are poems written by two veterans of the war, Richard C. Geschke and Robert A. Toto. Obviously they kept that all too broken promise said of friends in the military: "we'll stay in touch." It is an amalgam of poems that were written at the time of the events, as well as those "recollections," over 40 years later (each poem is dated). And only about half the poems are set in Vietnam; the others cover the author's time in Germany and the Panama Canal Zone before going to Vietnam, as well as the very muted joys of a homecoming.

Memory is such a tricky thing, and its reliability the subject of many a book (and Court case!). And memory associated with traumatic events is particularly "tricky." I can remember certain events from my own Vietnam tour so vividly, down to details etched forever in the neurons; whereas others are gone forever, for example, sometimes I struggle to recall the reason, and even method that I got from one place to the next, and sometimes the timeframe is "a jumble." That is why poetry is such an excellent vehicle for expressing one's memories, particularly long after the fact. It allows the author to precisely convey the vividness of those "flakes" still authentically retained, and not have to worry about the "connective-tissue" that a novel would demand. The subject quote is taken from Geschke's poem "Beauty and the Buddha." He is traveling on the aptly named "Street Without Joy," Highway 1, in what the Americans called I Corps, and in the midst of the danger always lurking in the background, he is overcome by the sheer beauty of the country, or, as he says: "Oriental mists, darkening clouds, streaming sunlight, offering a pastoral scene..." It all resonated strongly. Vietnam, despite the trauma, the B-52 craters, and the Agent Orange, remains one of the loveliest countries in the world. I can still sharply recall an evening, further south, on that same Highway 1 which Geschke rode on, with the sunlight filtering through the palm trees, and the first kerosene lamps being lit in the neighboring village of thatched huts... and along with the beauty came the increased dangers of the nighttime.

The first half of the poems relate to their tour in Germany, and were more informative, since I did not have the same experiences. Imagine living in a barracks that had once housed Hitler's troops. And field operations that assume you will be retreating, since the "Warsaw bloc" forces, as they were known at the time were so numerically superior. The whole concept of knowing that you are a "trip-wire," and maybe the reinforcement would get there before the Russians got to the Marne. Even a poem about Rudolph Hess, the only occupant in Spandau prison, massively guarded; the prison was demolished when he died in 1987. I was able to go "behind the Iron Curtain" as the expression had it, in 1973, as a civilian, to Hungry and Czechoslovakia, and the physical (and human) contrast was stark, which is another point Geschke underscores.

He closes with poems related to his return to the States, and discharge from the military in 1972. More thoughts that touched home: "They were wrong... the Best and the Brightest... (we were) mere pawns in geo-politics..." And, alas, a sentiment that is still painfully relevant: "...how the people back home treated the Vietnam Veteran when he returned home." 5-stars for the book, 6-stars for the effort to ensure that it doesn't all slip away, unrecorded. It is also available in a well-done audio version.

Product details Paperback 142 pages Publisher America Star Books; 1st Ptg. edition (August 1, 2013) Language English ISBN-10 1627726950

Tags : Shadows of Combat: Poetry about the Vietnam Era [Richard C. Geschke, Robert A. Toto] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Authors Robert Toto and Richard Geschke have expanded their horizons of their original book In Our Duffel Bags,Richard C. Geschke, Robert A. Toto,Shadows of Combat: Poetry about the Vietnam Era,America Star Books,1627726950,American - General,POETRY American General,Poetry,Poetry by individual poets
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Shadows of Combat Poetry about the Vietnam Era Richard C Geschke Robert A Toto 9781627726955 Books Reviews

It is hard to believe that it has been over 40 years since Richard C. Geschke and Robert A. Toto, the authors of this book, served as young infantry officers in Vietnam. Yet it has indeed been that long, even longer since the two of them met, went through training at Fort Benning and Fort Bliss, were stationed in Germany, trained in Panama to then deploy to Viet Nam. Encouraged by Richard's son, Scott, they first wrote and had published their epic book In Our Duffel Bags Surviving The Vietnam Era but felt they needed to go one step further and as Robert Toto stated help themselves uncover suppressed emotions from their time in the military. As Toto further elaborates "Some of it was soul searching, some of it was surreal, some of it was therapy." He admitted he found it indeed enjoyable to "condense" his thoughts into poetry and that "It became my palette for painting my innermost feelings." Indeed this impressive book does just that and in a most heartfelt fashion.

Anyone who reads this book will, of course, have their favorite poems. Having served as a Department of Army social worker in Germany I admit that,like everyone else, I too have my own preference. Born the daughter of Lithuanian refugees whose parents fled their native country while the Communists invaded and sent over a hundred thousand people to their deaths in forced labor camps in Siberia, I am also influenced most profoundly by that experience. My people, for instance, do not look with as much disdain on the German Nazis as they do on the Russian Communists or, as the authors of this book, call "Ivan" who were actually the greater threat and caused much more death and destruction then the Nazis EVER did and yet have not to date been held accountable for their crimes as the Nazi war criminals were at Nuremberg. I particularly liked Geschke's poem "Life at the Kaserne" which he wrote in late winter 1970 "We lived where the Wehrmacht lived, fine solid Gothic-looking buildings. Hitler's army trained here! We were there to save democracy for Europe. Those Germans in the Zone tolerated us, but just barely. They were forgetting their life under Hitler, and were seeking their own German heritage without American interference. We were the intruders, but in reality we were the protectors, which in the end would be victorious against the Russian Ber. Sometimes one must endure swallowing one's pride in order to rid oneself of the threatening Bear."

"In Transition" a poem written by Geschke in Wurzburg, Germany during the summer of 1971 is particularly timeless especially in the second and third stanzas where he writes "Times may be troubled but stay the course. That too will change. Times may be good but stay the course. As that also will change. Take nothing for grantedlive life to the fullest each and every day. Extra effort and due diligence will pay you back manyfold. Self-pity and complaining are tools of a loser. When in transition, think good thoughts. For if one wallows in the bad thoughts of injustice and unfairness, one may transition into failure. When things change, think positive and life will reward you!" What a profound poen about the power of faith!

For the long returned Vietnam combat veteran, survivor of a war whose walking wounded received their recognition and country's gratitude far too late, might I recommend Geschke's poem written just three years ago (November 2010) in Bristol, Connecticut "Tattoo". Herein he addresses the senselessness of war, particularly of a war where those sending servicemembers to fight never themselves wore the uniform of the United States of America or risked their lives in its defense "Most of them never served, but had no problem sending millions to serve in a long and senseless war. A war without a clear mission, and lacking a good purpose. In the end they were wrong, and the consequences are still with us. We as veterans have to bear the load still....Maybe, just maybe they will start to care, start to understand what we did. Maybe, just maybe we will be welcomed home in a different light of true concern and thanked for that service long ago."

As you can see the poems oontained in this book are no ordinarly examples of poetry. They are powerful and intense and awaken feelings of a long ago time when these veterans of an unpopular war risked their lives to serve a country they dearly loved. I am amazed at the extent of their recall, the depth of emotion and the intensity of care with which they wrote then and now. I would truly recommend this book especially to military veterans of any era (even those of us who served during periods of time when this country was not engaged in war--I served 1979 to 1982--can relate). As a clinical social worker I can even suggest the use of such poety during group therapy sessions where combat veterans can discuss their experiences in a deeply healing way. Overall I felt this is a GREAT book and I would highly recommend it to one and all.
This is the second volume of poetry I've read that has been written by American soldiers who were in the Vietnam War. The first volume, published as the war was still being fought, in 1972, is Winning Hearts & Minds War Poems by Vietnam Veterans. It is an anthology of poems written by 34 Vietnam veterans, while the war was still fresh in the mind. "Shadows of Combat" are poems written by two veterans of the war, Richard C. Geschke and Robert A. Toto. Obviously they kept that all too broken promise said of friends in the military "we'll stay in touch." It is an amalgam of poems that were written at the time of the events, as well as those "recollections," over 40 years later (each poem is dated). And only about half the poems are set in Vietnam; the others cover the author's time in Germany and the Panama Canal Zone before going to Vietnam, as well as the very muted joys of a homecoming.

Memory is such a tricky thing, and its reliability the subject of many a book (and Court case!). And memory associated with traumatic events is particularly "tricky." I can remember certain events from my own Vietnam tour so vividly, down to details etched forever in the neurons; whereas others are gone forever, for example, sometimes I struggle to recall the reason, and even method that I got from one place to the next, and sometimes the timeframe is "a jumble." That is why poetry is such an excellent vehicle for expressing one's memories, particularly long after the fact. It allows the author to precisely convey the vividness of those "flakes" still authentically retained, and not have to worry about the "connective-tissue" that a novel would demand. The subject quote is taken from Geschke's poem "Beauty and the Buddha." He is traveling on the aptly named "Street Without Joy," Highway 1, in what the Americans called I Corps, and in the midst of the danger always lurking in the background, he is overcome by the sheer beauty of the country, or, as he says "Oriental mists, darkening clouds, streaming sunlight, offering a pastoral scene..." It all resonated strongly. Vietnam, despite the trauma, the B-52 craters, and the Agent Orange, remains one of the loveliest countries in the world. I can still sharply recall an evening, further south, on that same Highway 1 which Geschke rode on, with the sunlight filtering through the palm trees, and the first kerosene lamps being lit in the neighboring village of thatched huts... and along with the beauty came the increased dangers of the nighttime.

The first half of the poems relate to their tour in Germany, and were more informative, since I did not have the same experiences. Imagine living in a barracks that had once housed Hitler's troops. And field operations that assume you will be retreating, since the "Warsaw bloc" forces, as they were known at the time were so numerically superior. The whole concept of knowing that you are a "trip-wire," and maybe the reinforcement would get there before the Russians got to the Marne. Even a poem about Rudolph Hess, the only occupant in Spandau prison, massively guarded; the prison was demolished when he died in 1987. I was able to go "behind the Iron Curtain" as the expression had it, in 1973, as a civilian, to Hungry and Czechoslovakia, and the physical (and human) contrast was stark, which is another point Geschke underscores.

He closes with poems related to his return to the States, and discharge from the military in 1972. More thoughts that touched home "They were wrong... the Best and the Brightest... (we were) mere pawns in geo-politics..." And, alas, a sentiment that is still painfully relevant "...how the people back home treated the Vietnam Veteran when he returned home." 5-stars for the book, 6-stars for the effort to ensure that it doesn't all slip away, unrecorded. It is also available in a well-done audio version.