JOHN MUSGRAVE served in Vietnam for eleven months and seventeen days in both the First and Third Marine Divisions before being permanently disabled by his third wound. He was medically retired as a corporal in 1969. He is the recipient of two Purple Hearts and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. In addition to speaking publicly about his war experiences, and working with younger veterans to help them reintegrate and heal, Musgrave is the author of the collection Notes to the Man Who Shot Me: Vietnam War Poems (Coal City Review).
"Outstanding memoir of service as a Marine rifleman and subsequent
radicalization... There’s not a false note in this book, full
of both pride and sorrow. It’s just the retort to those who wonder
why Vietnam vets can’t just forget about the past and move on...
Smart and self-aware, Musgrave delivers one of the best recent
books on America’s experience in Vietnam."
—Kirkus, starred
"Sobering... [Musgrave] poignantly captures the rigors of jungle
warfare... Heartfelt."
—Publishers Weekly
"Riveting, gritty, piercing – this work by John Musgrave
illuminates the journey of many a veteran, from generation to
generation. John guides the reader on the well-trodden path that
begins with the early enthusiasm of seeking the life of a warrior,
to the fulfilling of that which was sought after, and then to the
aftermath of having found it. John describes in high magnification
what every step on the path looks like, and feels like. Thankfully,
for any reader, but especially for combat veterans, John shows us
how to retreat from the oft-viewed abyss of guilt and despair to
confront the visible and the invisible wounds, and to experience
post-traumatic growth.A must-read for veterans, and for anyone who
loves one or is trying to love one."
—Vincent K. Brooks, a fellow combat veteran, General (US Army,
Retired), and Vice Chairman of the Gary Sinise Foundation
“The Education of Corporal John Musgrave is a passionate,
fascinating, and deeply humane memoir of both war and of the hard
work of citizenship and healing in war’s aftermath. A superb
addition to our understanding of the Vietnam War, and of its
lessons for the present.”
—Phil Klay, author of Redeployment
"This memoir will do for an entire generation of Vietnam veterans.
I was reminded of every emotion I experienced before I went to the
war, while I was there, and when I came home to a hostile America.
I was moved and glad for being reminded. Veterans of later wars
will find echoes of their own wars, albeit experienced with
different technology, but with the same humanity. All readers of
this fine piece of writing will benefit from its insights and
heart.”
—Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn
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