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In Lieu of Memoirs

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Everyone living in life's phase spanning three quarters of a century onward to, say, 100 years of age has an obligation to give their descendants some primary source material to ponder -- to say nothing of posterity. Many didn't have a chance, as they never lived that long. Among those who did, some have succeed in penning memoires that read like tolerable, sometimes lengthy, works of fiction. But, author Nance devotes only five incredibly concise pages to "Events" that had an impact on him, claiming that this work is no "Memoire". Even so, it is filled with some uniquely presented snapshot "facts", for starters.

Instead ("In Lieu") of concentrating on such, he devotes two thirds of his carefully rationed writing space to memorable "Factors" that influence his thinking. In ten smooth, flawlessly crafted pages he evokes 75 years of experience as vividly and usefully as any "real" memoire.

Born in 1926, Edwin "T." Nance grew up in a small unnamed town in Tennessee, where only four kinds of religion were heard of; Methodist, Christian, Presbyterian and Baptist; "the latter three not being even worth considering". He recalls how he never heard of "Protestant" until he enlisted in the Army in World War II. He gives us enchanting vignettes of the things he has seen, done, and mostly of the people he has known; including during some preciously savored hours in combat in Korea and Vietnam, to say nothing of his unending travels around the globe.

This is must reading for anyone contemplating writing something of their times; anyplace; in any context. Simply, this is the perfect model for how to do it. Beyond that, it is an easy, must read for all Americans who can gain clear exposure to Nance's telling of his childhood, on the edge of being poor, yet filled with the power of love from his Negro companions in a forgotten, but not well understood, racist society, never fathomable by those who did not live those times.

Having hit the nail on the head with a grand total of 15 pages described as "Events" and "Factors", Nance provides a comforting bonus in his sharing of 178 brief "Thoughts" in as many pages that follow. Anyone who acquires this book has the use of this paper; as he has left each page three quarters blank, offering plenty of space for readers to add their own ideas and memorable sayings. One is immediately inclined to do just that, upon encountering the pearls of wisdom Nance has carefully remembered, and recorded from exposure to his mother, father, cousins, children, daughters in law, companions, the likes of Harry Potter, Shakespeare, a dozen "unknowns", Arab quatrains, and sprung from the author's own head, as: "The way I figure you are not going to pass through this great big, wide, beautiful, wonderful world but once, so you had better see as much of it as you can".

He does travel, indeed; and what he has not savored from personal adventure, he has garnered through his voracious appetite for reading; as he says, "at least 8000 books". We know he is an eternal optimist, but does reveal some deep concerns, in the end, about overpopulation of the globe he loves so much, and the impact of religions. And he also reminds us in a quote from Leon Uris: "Don't take God lightly, just to be on the safe side."

Nance provides other important cautions, as Nelson DeMille's "Whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make horny"; and Bob Culling's "A man should never get involved with a woman who has more problems than he does". Nance tried marriage twice, and reveals a great deal about sharing life's good moments with ladies of all ages and persuasions.

However, highly decorated soldier Nance's real focus is always first on loyalty to the troops, and to the true mission of the US Military Academy, where he graduated in 1951. Lest there be doubt about this, he captures Mac Arthur's reminder to the West Point cadets, "Your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable -- it is to win our wars". Some other admonitions, such as Nance's father's "Money is made two ways -- round and flat -- you can roll it or stack it", require buying the book to fully grasp.

Everyone will recognize much of their own experience in the author's writings. One supposes that therein lies the message of a tightly structured "In Lieu of Memoirs". All of us could offer some stuff like this, if only we were disciplined enough to recall it as easily and brightly as Edwin T. Nance; ever the Eagle Scout, with unlimited interests. As Nance's Cousin Tommy (husband of a first cousin) tells it: "If you always do what you have done, you will always get what you have gotten".