Customer Reviews

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

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The author skillfully relates his combat experiences, the delayed onset of P.T.S.D., its effect on his family, his treatment, and eventual conquest of his condition. The suspense slowly builds until the ultimate cause of his trauma, "the darkness" is revealed to the reader. Schedule your reading of "Farewell Darkness" when you have a lot of spare time. You may not be able to put this one down.

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.

This book is extremely moving to read. It is a most honest and courageous account of what effects the Vietnam War had and still has on the veterans who fought it. It is as close as one can possibly be to " attempt" to try to understand the effects of combat trauma and how the battle continues long after the war for the veterans who fought it. I feel the author took great care to convey this to the readers. You are "there" with the author throughout the book. You are "there" with the author while he puts himself through the necessary painful process of treating his PTSD. It is extremelyl helpful for the families of combat veterans with P.T.S.D (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). If you did not have any conception of PTSD or what a combat veteran has to endure to survive - you will after you read this book.

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.

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.

Great book. I have given it to my son in the hope that he may better understand his father.