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Reconciliation Road: A Family Odyssey

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This is a book written by the grandson of the famous military historian, General S.L.A. "SLAM" Marshall. It conerns allegations made about his grandfather, that appear to be true. Allegations that make his grandfather out to be a person who does NOT lie about catching the fish, but each time the story is told, the fish gets bigger and bigger. At least, that was my impression. But, it's also about how John Douglas Marshall, the grandson and First Lietenant in the US Army, disappoints and hurts his grandfather by filing for and receiving a Concientious Objector status in 1969, instead of being sent to the Vietnam War. Initially, I was slightly irked, because I was drafted in 1969, and have psychiatric problems from my two tours in Vietnam. It often seems that people with connections, or better education, often get the best of what America has to offer. Yet on another level, I was very pleased with Mr. Marshall's honesty, and the book shows how, no matter what family you came from, the Vietnam War affected everyone in this country, one way or another. One of the remarks Mr. Marshall made, which I will always remember, is a feeling he shared, many years later, with a fellow concientious objector. It was that their decision to seek C.O. status was the most important decision of their lives. And in this sense, I must agree with him and his friend. Because I think my decision to go to Vietnam for two tours, at the end of the war, was the most important decision or event to occur in my life, and I think that must be true of almost any male of our generation. No matter what course of action you took in regards to the war, it was a defining moment in your life. At this point, I look for forgiveness and healing, and I would suggest that this book is truly about some kind of Reconciliation Road for all of us.

This is a book written by the grandson of the famous military historian, General S.L.A. "SLAM" Marshall. It conerns allegations made about his grandfather, that appear to be true. Allegations that make his grandfather out to be a person who does NOT lie about catching the fish, but each time the story is told, the fish gets bigger and bigger. At least, that was my impression. But, it's also about how John Douglas Marshall, the grandson and First Lietenant in the US Army, disappoints and hurts his grandfather by filing for and receiving a Concientious Objector status in 1969, instead of being sent to the Vietnam War. Initially, I was slightly irked, because I was drafted in 1969, and have psychiatric problems from my two tours in Vietnam. It often seems that people with connections, or better education, often get the best of what America has to offer. Yet on another level, I was very pleased with Mr. Marshall's honesty, and the book shows how, no matter what family you came from, the Vietnam War affected everyone in this country, one way or another. One of the remarks Mr. Marshall made, which I will always remember, is a feeling he shared, many years later, with a fellow concientious objector. It was that their decision to seek C.O. status was the most important decision of their lives. And in this sense, I must agree with him and his friend. Because I think my decision to go to Vietnam for two tours, at the end of the war, was the most important decision or event to occur in my life, and I think that must be true of almost any male of our generation. No matter what course of action you took in regards to the war, it was a defining moment in your life. At this point, I look for forgiveness and healing, and I would suggest that this book is truly about some kind of Reconciliation Road for all of us.