Farewell, Darkness: A Veteran's Triumph over Combat Trauma

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: As the wife of a Khe Sanh Viet Nam veteran, I have watched my husband of 25 years deal with his own personal war - struggling through his memories of Viet Nam. In "Farewell Darkness", Ron Zaczek helped me to understand more clearly the phases my husband has gone through and the emotional hell he lives with every day. This book is a must-read for anyone whose loved one suffers from PTSD as a result of Viet Nam.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Great book. I have given it to my son in the hope that he may better understand his father.

Rating:
Summary: Farewell Darkness
Review: Of the numerous books written on the War in Vietnam, I believe this is the defining work of the life and times of a Marine Helicopter Crew Chief and his battles fought during and after the war.
It is a story of undying friendship, terror, laughter and the sadness of loss. But most of all it is a story about the heart of a man and his sense of duty to friends and family. It is a journey none should wish to take, but it raises the spirit to follow Ron and his battle to overcome his personal war.

It is the essence of "Semper Fidelis" (always faithful). It is the story of one VMO-3 Marine Crew Chief, a title not given nor easily earned, and the men with whom he served.
Outstanding, well written and a clarity next to none.

Rating:
Summary: A moving, intense story of war, trauma and recovery
Review: When I first came across "Farewell Darkness," I was looking for an account that would give me a solid insight into the effects of combat trauma. As a novelist, I needed to get more deeply inside the head of one of my characters, and though my subject's time was different, war is still war, only the technology changes. Not only did I find what I was looking for in this book, but I also found a tremendously moving, intense story of war, trauma and recovery that should be read by anyone who lived in the Vietnam era, veteran and civilian. Ron Zaczek writes with eloquence, crisp detail and a straightforward honesty rarely found in personal accounts of serving In Country. With profound insight and courage, he sorts through the fear, guilt and anger that he suffered. And even without having been in war personally, I have learned quite a bit about how fear, guilt and anger are irrevocably interconnected and how we face similar degrees of them in everyday life. Highly recommended.