The Arctic Jungles of Vietnam

The book, The Arctic Jungles of Vietnam , is the life story of a Black soldier from the Deep South during the Vietnam war era.  The story begins with a description of his family and how they survived with the bare minimum of necessities for a life in the south.   His experiences in grade school and high school including the Superintendent of Autauga County School System’s commencement message are an integral part of the story.

Further, we learn why and how this young man decided to go into the military.  The reader is transported through the detail of his basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and the disappointment of not meeting the requirements for admission into Airborne training.  He leaves the familiarity of home and enters a totally foreign and unfamiliar world.  The reader follows this young man as he experiences the life of an Infantry soldier, before, during and after the Vietnam War.  The book details his life as an Infantry soldier in the Arctic of Alaska, surviving the extreme cold weather and learning the proper way to dress to avoid frostbite and death.  The reader will learn about strange things the soldier witnessed in Alaska, what it is like to travel on a military troop ship from Alaska to Hawaii to Vietnam with 5000 personnel on board, about jungle warfare training in Hawaii and about the adjustment from Alaska to Hawaii.  The soldier describes his life at sea, his arrival at base camp, the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, South Vietnam, life as an infantryman in Vietnam and the prejudice he experienced upon his return home.