June 1967 As Vincent Torelli stepped off the plane at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, he was almost overwhelmed by the stench in the hot, humid air. He still had a hard time realizing he was in Vietnam. Drafted into the armed forces five months earlier, he ended up becoming a Military Policeman, assigned to the 557th MP Co. at Long Binh Post just outside Bien Hoa City. His year tour of duty in Vietnam changes him from a somewhat naïve young man to a battle hardened veteran. Through unlucky chance, Vince becomes involved in the ferocious '68 Tet offensive, barely surviving the night. He sees and experiences things he could never have imagined before Vietnam. This is Vince's story, of how he survived that year in Vietnam, how he coped with the hell he faced, of the friendships he formed, and of the sorrow of lives lost.
John Schembra was born in Corning, New York in 1948 but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drafted into the Army in 1969, John spent a year in Vietnam as a Military Policeman with the 557th MP Co., 18th MP Brigade. After completeing his military service, he joined the Pleasant Hill Police Department, retiring in 2001 as a Sergeant after 30 years of service. John's experiences in Vietnam as a Military policeman provided the basis for his first book, M.P., A Novel of Vietnam. It is a work of fiction based in part on his personal experiences during his tour of duty with the 557th MP Co., 18th MP Brigade. His time in law enforcement provided the basis for his second novel, Retribution, the story of a vigilante killer at loose in SanFrancisco. The SFPD inspector pursuing the killer, Vincent Torelli,is the M.P. from John's first book, 25 years later. Retribution was awarded the Silver Medal for writing excellence by the Military Writer's Society. John's third book, Diplomatic Immunity, is due to be released by mid 2011, and he is hard at work on his fourth.
Currently the lead Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) instructor for the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office, John is also recognized by the State of California as a subject matter expert in Emergency Vehicle Operations. John has been married for 39 years and has two grown children living in Sacramento. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, golfing, fishing and traveling with his family.
