Customer Reviews

A Corpsman's Legacy: He Continues to Heal Others Through the Daughter He Never Knew

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I have never struggled so hard to write a book review as much as I did with this book "A Corpsman's Legacy". It wasn't anything negative about the book (just the opposite) but because of my own reactions to it. I simply was moved beyond words. I could not find the right way to tell others that this is more than just a book but a story of undying love.

Author Stephanie Hanson writes a heartfelt memoir of her search for her birth parents. This spiritual quest leads to several amazing discoveries and many great new people in her life. It also leads her to discover that she is also helping others to heal as well as just herself.

Stephanie was happily adopted and she had no great desire to look for her birth parents. However, promoted by her need to have medical information; she searched and found her birth mother. In an emotional reunion, her mother gave her an old tattered newspaper clipping of an obituary for her father Gary Young, who was killed in Vietnam in 1969. It was from that small piece of information that sprang an emotional journey for her, her family and so many others. This is why the story is so deeply appealing because it is not just about some self-serving personal discovery but more like a group march for truth and fellowship. She really connected emotionally and spiritually with those who were somehow involved with her father, or with his unit in Nam, or who were just supportive of her quest.

One of the more endearing and beautiful events in the book (And there are many!) is when she is given her father's old watch that he had been wearing in Vietnam when he was killed. Gary's brother still had it after all those years; but it never worked and he was never able to get around to getting it fixed. So the watch had stopped and was fixed on a time long ago when her dad died. When she was given the watch it again begins to run and work like it was never broken; it was almost like a signal from the beyond--which I firmly believe it was since I do not accept mere accidents of fate. I believe that everything happens for a reason and her whole story emulates that same kind spiritual energy.

She chronicles her contacts with veteran Marines on the internet where she posts messages which eventually lead to connections and those connections lead to even more. This search begins to take on a life of its own and a powerful spiritual healing takes place for those involved in the search as they each find a part of their missing soul. Stephanie allows those other voices to be heard by including their email messages in the book. So the reader can fully follow how this quest unfolded and evolved.

The old tape recordings from her father that he sent from Vietnam were another gift to Stephanie from her father's step-father; but it was Gary's dog-tag that meant the most to her--a tag that no one realized that they still had. Her story has so many emotional twists and turns that I do not wish to spoil the reading experience for others. This book will impact you as it did me. You will enjoy the ending which is perfect and almost storybook and unreal. But it gives you an emotionally satisfying finish to her book but certainly not an end to her story because one can assume that this will still continue to unfold and that others who read this book will also be touch by it.

The MWSA gives this book its highest rating of FIVE STARS. I also give it my personal recommendation and endorsement! A must read book if there ever was one!

When the premise of this book was described to me, a daughter of a Vietnam veteran who was given up for adoption when her father was killed in action before she was born, I was turned off. I expected a story of a bitter woman. Instead I found a story of a young lady who was curious about the identity of her birth father, made some tentative inquiries to veterans, and continued her search as she was energized and motivated by the warm reception from marines she contacted.

The book describes in fine detail the incident that took her father's life, including the men who removed his body from the wreckage under heavy enemy fire. With that, the author created realism and and feel for the day to day life of a corpsman in Vietnam that I had not experienced before. She also introduces us to several veterans both as they were then and as they are now, over 30 years later. This also explains the bond that exists among Vietnam Veterans, especially those in the Marine Corps.

What a wonderful story of the search of her birth father that she never knew. He was a Navy Corpsman who was KIA in Vietnam. The book is well written and accurately researched. All Corpsmen and Marines (especially those who served in Vietnam) will enjoy this book. I also recommend it to all active duty military personnel and their families.

This is simply a great heroic story. I have known since 2000 that this was a story that needed to be told because it would affect many people. I should start with the admission that I have known the author personally since 1999. It was my pleasure to get to introduce her to my Vietnam combat brothers at the Pop-a-Smoke reunion in San Diego during 2000.

From the earliest moment, it was plain to see that this was a compelling story that would somehow find a way to get published.

It took many weeks to prepare myself for this read because I knew it would be emotionally heart wrenching and at the same time a delightful story of dedication and heart felt purpose. For a story that is now 37 years old, it is still a beautiful account of one good guy doing the dirty work of fighting in combat.

As expected, the early part of this story made the tears flow and I thought that I already knew most of the details. What the book now tells me is that this was a gig-saw puzzle that had more pieces than I ever imagined. Only Stephanie could be dedicated enough to put this puzzle together. When the final piece was put in place, she knew that she was special because she was the daughter of a special corpsman.

This story (page 265) really is about discovering a legacy of a father that she never knew. By the end of this story every reader can see that she got to know her father quite well and boy was she proud.

This whole Vietnam experience is a lot about healing and Stephanie was my reminder that the healing would take more than one generation. Further the experience was about affirming that the sacrifices made were worthwhile. The author found the answer to these fundamental questions.

This is a great read for all regardless of the fact that some had a Vietnam connection and many did not.

Daryl Riersgard

"A Corpsman's Legacy" is a well-written story of a brave young woman's quest to learn about the father she never knew. Her determination pays off over a two-year period where she not only learns a great deal about her hero Dad, Gary Young, who was a Navy Corpsman during the heart breaking Vietnam War, but also about many brave soldiers who also served.

Ms. Hanson's love for people is exemplified throughout the book. She becomes a powerful spiritual instrument used to unify many men who had not openly spoken about their frightful experiences of Vietnam since their return to the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nor had many of them seen each other for more than 30 years. Stephanie became a safe haven for many of these men. They began to trust her, and with great care and compassion she listened to story after story. Through her perseverance the healing had begun. She soon fell in love with these war veterans, and they fell in love with her.

Stephanie may have lost her Dad in 1969, but his compassion and gentle spirit lives on in the heart and soul of his little girl. Moreover, Stephanie has a newfound relationship with her birth mother, and her family. And, she has acquired an even larger family with more brothers than any sister could ever ask for!

"A Corpsman's Legacy" is certainly deserving of the attention of Mr. Steven Spielberg and Mr. Tom Hanks. I'm certain that when they read this heart warming book, they would discover a great deal of love, compassion, strength, determination, fortitude and respect. The quality of their movies is found in this book. More movies need to be made where love and selflessness bring forth such strength and healing.

On a personal note, my brother was also a Corpsman in Vietnam. I never knew what a Corpsman was, or their position during the war. Stephanie's book taught me not only about the Vietnam War and Purple Foxes, but also about the compassion and bravery of Corpsmen. I have, therefore, developed a deep respect for all Corpsmen, and especially for my brother. They are only concerned about the welfare of others by their sheer determination to save lives, and to "leave no man behind." Perhaps the sentiment of Albert Einstein resides in the heart and soul of many Corpsmen, "Only a life lived for others is worth living. "

I echo the recommendation of "Boomer" that this book should be read by all active duty and retired military personnel as well as their families. This book is pure love, and deserves five stars!

As a pilot with the Purple Foxes at the time of the ill-fated medevac mission, I can vouch for the accuracy of the years of research spent on this book. The tenacity of the author in gathering the facts, solving the mystery of her heritage, and obtaining recognition for her father is a compelling read that will hold your attention to the conclusion of her quest.

Ms. Hanson started her search for family information due to a medical problem which ultimately turned out to be incorrect. As she was adopted, this was information that would have been critical if it had been needed. Yet that mistaken diagnosis took her down the road to find out about her birth parents and I am sure that this was a story she had in no way anticipated.

The story of how she met her birth mother and later the other members of her mothers family - including her mom's husband is all quite moving.

But it is the story of her quest for her father that is the key to the book. Her father was a navy hospitalcorpsman serving in Vietnam. He served initally with ground Marines but his real goal was to fly as a corpsman with the Marines. He got his wish and died on his first flight to recover wounded Marines. Ms. Hanson's story of her search for anyone who had known him and thier memories of him is outstanding. I have done some research on my own families naval careers and have found this to be a frustrating at times, but very rewarding process. Ms. Hanson could have quite but still slogged on towards her goal. She was introduced to then Senator Cleland's office which was able to get her father's medals for her. I commend the senator's office for that effort. However it is the story of her quest for her father's air crew wings that is the capstone of the story. Through her efforts and those of her father's former squadron commander and others, HN Young was awarded his wings, not the wings of an aircrewman but the air crew combat wings which were highly regarded and prized by those who saw them and those who wore them.

Ironically I recieved this book in the mail on the day that my navy medicine clinic was celebrating the birthday of the Navy Hospital Corps. I gave Ms. Hanson's tribute to her father to my shipmates for inclusion in the professional reading library of the clinic. Somehow that seems quite a fitting place for this story of an enthusiastic and dedicated corpsman and his equally dedicated and tenacious daughter.

I commend Ms. Hanson for taking this difficult journey and then sharing her thoughts with us. I also commend the many men and women who helped her on this labor which later became a labor of love - well done shipmates.

I was deeply moved by this incredible story. The author, who was adopted at birth, does a wonderful job in bringing herself and her biological father to life. By the end of the first chapter I felt as if I knew her and her father personally. After that I could hardly put the book down. Her story begins at age 26, when she needs to locate her biological parents to obtain her medical history. In her quest for that information she learns for the first time that her father was Gary Norman Young - a Navy Corpsman who was killed in action in Vietnam on February 7, 1969. He died before learning that he was going to be a father. The author tells her story from the heart with unwavering honesty, so be prepared to share viscerally in her excitements and disappointments as she embarks upon a remarkable journey to get to know her father. What transpires is often unexpected and at times truly amazing. What started out as her personal conquest evolves into something much more. And how she handled the life changing events that followed made it clear to me that she inherited more from her Corpsman father than his smile. I found the book to be well researched and accurate. It is well worth reading.

What an emotional roller coaster. I followed Ms Hanson's ups and downs throughtout the book as if they were my own. This story was well thought out, researched, and presented in such a way that it cut right through my inner soul with surgical precision. It was difficult, at times, for me to digest the vivid scenes she artfully reconstructed. I was overwhelmed by the support she recieved from so many folks. It really drives home the credo, that Marines really do look after their corpsman. Well done Ms Hanson. Semper Fi. Danny Deneff (Corpsman, Vietnam 1970-1971)

This book is an excellent portrayal of a young woman's quest to learn about her father and the circumstances surrounding his death in Vietnam. It vividly displays her quest through relatives, active duty, retired Marines and Corpsmen to achieve her four year mission. It shows how the power of communication and camaraderie can overcome heartache and bureaucracy to bring solace to so many. I highly recommend that this book be read by anyone who has any affiliation with the Vietnam war and by our active duty Marines and Sailors of today.