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Field of Honor: A Novel (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series)

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In his first novel author Donald Birchfield may have created a new genre - a madcap combination of suspense, Indian history and military farce. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a professor of Native American Studies at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, Birchfield is known by his peers as a man of dry wit and expertise in Choctaw history.

One wishes to have read Birchfield's soon-to-be published history of the Choctaws before reading Field of Honor, for it would surely enrich the cunningly imparted Choctaw history in this book. But it's not just history Birchfield imparts, but a witty lampoon on whites, academia, Christians, the military and even, at times, Choctaws. It's a wild ride, one that only the author of "The Oklahoma Basic Intelligence Test, and Other New and Collected Elementary, Epistolary, Autobiographical, and Oratorical Choctologies" could conceive of.

D. L. Birchfield's witty observations about the United States military sparkle throughout this highly original novel. There are no sacred cows in Field of Honor. Birchfield even satirizes his own Choctaw heritage when he takes the notion. No wonder then, that he does not hesitate to incorporate a loony mixture of modern concepts such as "game theory" with sacred Indian mythology and a healthy skepticism toward the American government. Field of Honor will enchant readers with a pronounced literary taste. It is surely one of the most creative offerings to grace the vast body of distinguished literature highlighting our western heritage.

3 August 2010

The story, Field of Honor, by acclaimed author D. L. Birchfield, begins in 1976, the year following conclusion of the Viet Nam war. Lance Corporal Patrick Pushmataha McDaniel, a half-blood Choctaw, has been AWOL from the Marine Corps for eleven and a half years.

Birchfield diagnoses McDaniel with Stockholm Cowardice Syndrome Dysfunction (a disease first recognized in 1917 by a Swedish Clinic). The disease "...rendered its sufferers capable, briefly, of nearly superhuman feats of athleticism", often resulting in "Involuntary Instantaneous Overriding Psychomotor Overdrive Dysfunction". The U.S. Army updates McDaniel's emotional deficiencies to "...a classic textbook paranoiac schizophrenic suffering severe alternating delusions of grandeur and persecution."

Coincidentally, the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (starring jack Nicholson) was released the same year this story began (1976). Although the film's plot was decidedly different, Field of Honor's erratic, frenzied, and often hysterical action is quite reminiscent of that provoked by Nicholson's character, Randy McMurphy. Field of Honor also reminded me of the comical action and quirky characters in the book (and movie) Catch-22. It has been a long time since I let loose with a good ole' belly laugh while reading a novel - I did a lot of that while reading Field of Honor!

Okla Hannali, the story's setting, is a Choctaw district occupying the southeastern quarter of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, with much of the action taking place underground. Birchfield punctuated the text with the Choctaw language; and his descriptions of places, animals, and events give readers a unique visualization.

Escaping Viet Nam due to misunderstandings, McDaniel spents his AWOL years turning all of McGee Valley into a secure sanctuary and a super strategic complex. He was under the impression that Marines were searching for him, 24/7: "His problem...was that if he were going to kill at least half a battalion he had to lead them from one entrenched position to another. Half a battalion is a lot of men." To that end, McDaniel stole machinery and artillery from military installations, one of his prize acquisitions being a prototype of the 210 mm Naval cannon which he situated atop a mountain overlooking the upper Valley.

By 1976, McDaniel was convinced the military had written him off. Thanks to proliferating misunderstandings, however, the Army and Marines descended on McGee Valley. The hilarity is enhanced by Zeb Calloway, McDaniel's "moonshiner" Uncle. The entire Calloway clan provided a singular example of a wild and rowdy family reunion.

Spelunkers will thoroughly enjoy Field of Honor, as a major part of the action takes place in caverns and underground beltways. It is into this subterranean maze that McDaniel temporarily escapes from the military. The telling of his discoveries is full of mystery, drama, a tad of science fiction, potential romance, and an oft-humorous discussion about Ishtaboli (the native ballgame of the Choctaw Nation, aka Stickball). There were hundreds (thousands?) of Choctaws, Nachez, and other folks living in this maze-like, underground city. But I'll leave finding out about the who, what, where, how, and why up to you.

Be prepared, though. Just when you have everything figured out, the story takes amusing forks in the road. Join Lance Corporal Patrick Pushmataha McDaniel on the ride of his life, at jet speed.

Field of Honor is a must read!

Blessings...

vehoae[...]

Coming soon - "Conscience:Breaching Social Amnesia"