The Long Return

""A deeply thoughtful remembrance of a soldier's experience in war."" - Kirkus Reviews An absorbing account of one man's journey through the era of the Vietnam War and his return to life in the States. The book is a revelation into a time many of us may have chosen to forget, yet the sense of connection is immediate and visceral. O'Meara weaves his story in a way that is humorous, insightful, and at times frightening, and heartbreaking. - Garret Stephens Weekly Almaden Gazette O'Meara's memories are razor sharp. He tells his story with humor and fine detail and draws you into the Vietnam experience as if you were another grunt. We forget sometimes how young these soldiers were, but O'Meara reminds us with their rough humor and the clowning around they did to keep each other sane. You may find yourself laughing and crying at the same time. - Shelley Caldwell Hamden Book Club In The Long Return O'Meara tells what the day to day life was like fighting in that horrible war. He had me crying one moment and laughing the next as he negotiates his way through extremely difficult times with intelligence, wonderful relationships, hi-jinks, and grit. - Susan McKay I am a baby boomer who had friends who fought in Vietnam as well as my father, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War ll, in the same unit as O'Meara, the 101st Airborne. I've seen the damages of war on veterans. His book took me deeply into the lives of a group of very young men, fighting in a war, so very far from home. - Phyllis Ritchie