Customer Reviews

My Tour in Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma (Reflections of History)

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This book is a must read for armchair strategists and glib military analysts. War is not about strategic brilliance or courage. War is about feces and blood, mud and inhumane cruelty, as the first pages of this chilling memoir make clear. Battle strips the thin veneer of civilization that sets us apart from other species. It is about naked survival and triumphant aggression. War is about killing the other guy with your bare hands if need be and, above all, it is about staying alive, doing what it takes to make it through.


Every trauma specialist should read this tome. You can take the soldier out of the war zone but you can't take the war out of the soldier. The unmitigated, sadistic, self-satisfied violence of combat lurks in the tortured minds of millions of veterans the world over as do the shame and the crippling fear. This book offers one of the best, most intimate description of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that I have ever read precisely because the author is a fellow sufferer, not a smug psychiatrist or theoretician. His style of prose - direct, matter-of-fact, and unflinchingly honest - also helps.

But, above all, this book is about hope. There are glimpses of humanity amidst the worst atrocities and there are effective therapies to coax the victims of war back into peace and life. It worked for the author who has endured decades of trauma-induced ruination and instability in everything from marriage to business. If he was salvaged, so can we all. Amen. Sam Vaknin, author of 'Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited'

Author David W. Powell was a U.S. Marine enlisted man who saw his share of combat in Vietnam around the same time period that I did in late 1966 - 67. He writes a moving chronicle of his experiences there and his subsequent return back to civilian life in his book "My Tour In Hell - A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma."

The story of his life is at times, hard hitting, sad, remorseful, angry and lonely. But always hidden in the fabric of his tale, you will find hope. He may have been traumatized by battles and war and much worse - but he continues to move forward looking for his life's purpose. He doesn't give up when others may have thrown in the towel. His story is about a man who had his compassion and faith almost destroyed by events beyond his control. His reactions lead to self-destructive behaviors as he tried to self-medicate his feelings, fears and depression with booze and activity.

There is an inner spiritual hunger that Powell had, and still has, that keeps him pushing onward with his life in spite of how he was feeling, or being treated by the world around him. You can feel his heart reaching out to be "hugged" and appreciated. He seems to find rejection, lack of compassion in others and very little understanding of what he went through and was feeling. That is why his struggles for loving acceptance and for inner peace strike the reader so powerfully.

I could feel his pain and know how he felt with the homecoming reception he got when he returned. I think almost every Vietnam veteran can identify with the massive social rejection we received. That was the worse part for us young men coming home. I think we could have lived without parades but most of us did not even get loving hugs from our own families. No one wanted to listen to our stories about what happened to us. And no one ever asked how we really felt emotionally. I think Powell's book speaks not only for his own personal life experiences, but they also speak out for a generation of warriors like him. His voice needs to be heard and responded to before we lose another generation of veterans coming home from wars in the Middle East.

This book should be required reading by all those who were around in the 1960's and 1970's that they may fully understand the sacrifices that these American heroes gave so bravely of themselves. Those peace marching heroes of the "hippie generation" will never be able to walk in their shadow. These men were America's best! So on behalf of all veterans, I say to the author and the others who served, "Welcome Home!"

This book is highly recommended for those who are personally dealing with any combat trauma (PTSD) and for their families and friends so they can achieve some level of real understanding and compassion for what it means. This book is well written. The author writes in a style that makes it both easy to read and understand. He tells his story in a brutally honest manner - even when it does not shine a good light on his own actions or thoughts. His book will change lives and will bring some veterans in for help.

This book is highly recommended and is given The Military Writer's Society of America's Highest Book Rating of FIVE STARS!

This book also receives my personal endorsement. Buy it. Read it. Then share it with those who need assistance in finding their way home!

David Powell recounts in "My Tour in Hell" his thirteen month assignment in Viet Nam from 1966 - 1967 and the impact it had on his life over the next twenty years. Broken marriages, inability to hold jobs, and alcohol abuse became a way of life for David.

Memories like these embedded deep in Powell's consciousness screamed for release in ensuing years: "It was grimmer than anything I had ever seen... blood weeping from my comrades' wounds, moaning and crying...my adrenalin flooded my veins and arteries....the smell of gun smoke was stifling. The sound of guns firing was deafening."

"Bullets continued to fire overhead. All I could do was lie as flat on the ground as possible and pray that I would not get hit again. I was scared out of my mind and disgusted that for the second time in three months, I had been abandoned under fire."

Years after his two year enlistment David, was still guardedly watching his back, distrustful, angry, afraid of making friends, and experiencing regular nightmares.

Desperate to find a solution, David joined a veteran's sponsored support group. A year of participation with this group failed to meet his need. However, a fellow member of the group later introduced him to a Traumatic Incident Reduction (TRI) counselor. These sessions were extremely successful and soon returned David to self acceptance and relief from the night mares and guilt of his Viet Nam experience.
The book is masterfully articulated and offers hope to a generation of battle scarred veterans. This book should be in the hands of every Veteran's Administration Counselor, Chaplain, and politician.

I salute you, David W. Powell, as a fellow veteran, a Patriot, and for your heroism in finding personal victory.

My Tour in Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma
David W. Powell
Modern History Press (2006)
ISBN: 9781932690221

Although a history buff, the Vietnam War is one area I have avoided studying simply because I felt it could only be depressing. I was surprised and re-educated about that simple belief by David Powell's autobiography of his tour in Vietnam and how Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affected his life after he returned home. "My Tour in Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma" retells one marine's experiences on a personal and honest level that makes the reader understand the decisions made by American soldiers, often against their better wishes, and how their time serving their country was both unappreciated and misunderstood.

Most of "My Tour in Hell" is Powell detailing his tour of duty in Vietnam. I was instantly surprised that he only spent thirteen months in Vietnam--the typical length for a marine's tour of duty. I had expected the average Vietnam Veteran had spent several years as a soldier. Nevertheless, the time Powell spent and the experiences he had were enough to make anyone have PTSD. Powell faithfully and truthfully exposes his personality flaws and strengths as he recounts his experiences. The book opens with his first day in the field and the fear he felt. He then discusses various patrols and operations in which he was involved. His memory of events is excellent, and I was fascinated by his experiences several times of seeing events in slow-motion when something traumatic happened such as his watching an atrocity or realizing he was being shot. I had not known that slow-motion, so often depicted in films, was an actual human experience. I realize better now how the constant stress of potentially being attacked can cause disorientation, fear and even the sense of time nearly stopping.

Powell's experiences are all the stronger because he questioned his Christian faith during his tour. He asks himself how he can kill people, especially those not directly attacking him, and he comes to reconcile himself to shooting the enemy because they would kill him or his comrades if given the chance. At the same time, he is disgusted by his fellow soldiers' behavior, such as sharing a Viet Cong nurse whom they take turns raping before killing her. Powell discusses how difficult he found it to befriend his comrades because he feared being distracted by worrying about them, thereby putting himself at greater risk. When he breaks his own rule, he hurts all the more when his friend is killed. Powell discusses all these events without being overly emotional in his descriptions, but the pain he felt comes through perhaps stronger because of the scarcity of words.

PTSD became part of Powell's life almost from his first day in Vietnam. When he was on leave, he could not function normally in an airport from fear of the people around him. When he returns home, he finds himself unable to confront people from fear and distrust, resulting in failed marriages and frequent career changes.

The purpose of Powell's book is not only to detail his war experiences but also to explain how he was diagnosed with PTSD and how the use of Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) helped him deal with his emotions and reactions to other people. While he gives us details about his treatment, I felt the book ended a bit too quickly, and I would have liked to hear his overall conclusions about his experiences and why he decided to write his story, but I don't think any reader will doubt the importance of Powell's story and how it adds to our knowledge of what it is to suffer from PTSD.

"My Tour in Hell" also provides several useful appendices, beginning with a study guide of questions for each chapter of the book to help people reflect on Powell's experiences. In addition, the appendices include Frequently Asked Questions about PTSD (including definitions and statistics relevant not only to veterans but civilians who have undergone traumas such as natural disasters or being raped) and a glossary of Vietnam War terminology.

"My Tour in Hell" is an extremely readable and informative memoir about a Vietnam soldier's experience. I appreciate that Powell was honest and straightforward without sensationalizing the Vietnam War. Squeamish readers will not find it gory or difficult to read, and they will come away with greater understanding and appreciation of the military men and women who serve this country. When Powell returned from his tour of duty, he told his wife, "I want to have someone, anyone, hug me and say `welcome: all is forgiven.'" With "My Tour in Hell" Powell has found that forgiveness and been able to tell a story the American public has waited too long to understand.

- Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., author of The Marquette Trilogy

David Powell's book "My Tour In Hell" broke my heart. This well written account of a, may I say, sensitive young man having to find a way to deal with being thrown into a hell-ish situation. The amazing thing is that it did not break him. May this book, and David's story, be a testament for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as any other traumatic stituation, that it is worth it to travel the path towards healing.

Quynn Elizabeth, author of "Accepting the Ashes- A Daughter's Look at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder"

Echoing Mr. Vaknin's five stars, I would also assert that the images of war and PTSD, while poignant and moving, are secondary in this volume to the "way out." Far more than a mere glimpse of hope, Powell's overriding point seems to be that Traumatic Incident Reduction, in fact, does "take the war out of the soldier." That's life-saving information for those who continue to suffer the past (i.e. most of us!), military and civilian "warriors" alike.

My Tour In Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma is the memoir of David W. Powell, a devout Christian who answered his draft notice to serve with the Marines during the Vietnam War. The horrors he experienced - cruelties, cold-blooded killing, and cowardice under fire among his allies, left a seemingly indelible imprint upon his life. Post-traumatic stress syndrome plagued him, contributing to broken relationships, alcohol abuse, fear of his own emotions and reactions, and a desperate effort to hide the service he willingly gave his country. In 1989, with aid from a technique known as Traumatic Incident Reduction, he was able to reclaim his life; My Tour In Hell spares no detail in recounting the horrors of war and the devastation left in its wake. A gripping, powerful, and intensely personal true story.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (5/06)

"My Tour in Hell" is the first book in "The Reflections of History Series." It is a very powerfully written autobiography by David W. Powell about his horrific experiences while serving in Vietnam and how his life drastically changed upon his return to the states. The horrors that Powell had to endure while in Vietnam caused him to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a result of this disorder, he is unable to maintain steady employment, healthy relationships, and he has difficulties with his emotions. The disorder also affects his ability to sleep, and keeps him stuck in a hyper vigilant state.

Powell goes into great depth about what he experienced in Vietnam. He makes himself vulnerable to his readers by writing about his reactions to situations that he encountered. He has to deal with his own reactions when he kills. He also has to deal being abandoned by his comrades while under enemy attack. He sees people shot, raped, or killed for no reason. He learns to keep his mouth shut about while he watches supposedly honorable soldiers commit these crimes. He watches while soldiers intentionally injure themselves as a way to get out of the military. These same men receive Purple Hearts because they were injured in war. There are pictures included, that make the people that he was involved with more real. There are also some horrible pictures of victims of the war. These are hard to stomach, but show the reader that these people really did exist.

When Powell returns home, his life is a mess. His marriage ends. He is unable to maintain relationships with his children. He goes from job to job. He finds that he has become obsolete because his computer programming experience is two years out of date. His self esteem suffers and due to his experiences he has difficulties taking orders from superiors. Along the way, Powell learns about a technique called "Traumatic Incident Reduction" (TIR) and is able to use the techniques to free himself from the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I highly recommend this book for people who are either experiencing PTSD or are close to someone that has it. I think that Rehabilitation Counselors who work with military veterans would also benefit from reading this because it will give them a greater understanding of what these veterans have gone through. War Veterans would also gain something from reading this book because they will find that they are not alone in dealing with the trauma created by their experiences.

I asked a disabled Marine Vet if I should share this book with my nephew while he is in Iraq. I wasn't sure if it would be too much for him to read while he is involved in combat. The Marine felt that it would be good for him because it talks about the problems and symptoms that he might experience and most importantly how to deal with them. "My Tour in Hell" shows that there is hope for people that are experiencing PTSD.

"My Tour in Hell" has been nominated for the 2007 Charles E. Shelton Award for unique literary achievement. This award honors our nation's most famous and bravest Prisoner of War, shot down in Vietnam and never returned.

Received book free of charge.