Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line (Paperback)

~ Carey Spearman (Author), James D. Criswell (Author) "Man needs something to be proud of..." (more)
Key Phrases: Number One

Editorial Reviews

Review

"His poems, short stories and sketches of life during the Vietnam War bring the danger and sacrifice of that war into vivd focus." -- Letter from General Henery H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Carey Spearman's writing reminds me of Buddhist sayings, words that usually flow from a monastery. -- Ron Steinman, Author/Producer, ABC Productions, New York

It helps veterans look deep inside of themselves to explore their feelings and the ramifications of the war... -- Thomas Wilborn, Disabled American Veterans, New York

Penetrating "The work you; have done in observing your own process of recovery and identifying feelings and obstacles to recovery is of immense value to other veterans and their families as well as to the general public. Some of these meditations powerfully evoke the pain veterans feel, which would make this a valuable tool in the recovery process. I was brought to tears several times." -- Patience H. C. Mason

Powerful "In a selfish and cynical age where responsible people yearn for examples of meaningful "role models" for the young, Spearman's voice testifies loud and clear to the eternal capacity of the human spirit to live heroically and to triumph over hell itself." -Robert R. Tomes, Ph.D. -- From forward in book

Profound "many of us could not, others forced their feelings way down into the depths of their minds, and others worked through many years of various kinds of therapy to deal with their inner demons. There was not then, nor is there now, a lot of support in the process even a quarter century after we, or most of us, came home." -- Frederic R. Ryder

What came through to me was the clear perspective of a vet who has known, suffered, and wrestled with the indelible aftermath of war. -- Joan Fiset, MA, Seattle Vet Center, Seattle Washington

Product Description

Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line is a thoughful and moving account of the impact that the Vietnam War had on one veteran's life. Medic Carey Spearman's emotional message will resonate in the hearts and souls of each and every veteran that picks up this book, and enlighten anyone that did not live through the war.

Carey Spearman has come home, and his journey will quickly become the journey of those who read his book. In a sequence of profound meditations, rich in poetry and deep in spirituality, Spearman draws insights from his experiences as a medic in Vietnam, and as a veteran returning home. Insights which emphasize not so much the uniqueness of his own encounters and feelings but the mighty common bonds which unite the courageous men and women who served this country during its longest war.

Crossing the Line, without pretense or political agenda, reveals page after page that those who fought in Vietnam had to be heroes twice; first in war, and then again as veterans returning home to a society that all too often failed to appreciate or understand the enormity of their sacrifices on so many different levels.

Crossing the Line is not just the story of one man, it sets down in meaningful terms the experience of an entire generation. It is a powerful testimony to the far-reaching effects of the Vietnam War on virtually all aspects of American life.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 111 pages
• Publisher: Truman Publishing Company; 1st edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966339355
• ISBN-13: 978-0966339352
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,007,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Veteran Reaches for the Heart, March 2, 2000

By	Mary Martin (Boston) - See all my reviews

Carey Spearman reaches right for the heart with his poignant vignettes on life in Vietnam and at home. The very cover of his book reveals much about his message: Vietnam's wounds are not just carried by Americans, but by many more; nor are all jungles lush and tropical. The soldier depicted on the cover wears a mix of western and oriental gear. The soldier's shadow is simply a man's--without the trappings of war. The palms trees of Vietnam on the skyline give way to the concrete skyscrapers of urban America. Spearman's year in Vietnam amounted to a lifetime of tending the wounded and maimed of every sort of humanity: man, woman or child carried into the medic's ward. There he began to realize how war wounds not only the soldier, but the family back home, the villager in the jungle, the lover awaiting the letter that never arrives. Like good wine, Spearman's words come from years of reflection and hard work. They reveal a man who has come to terms with his own post traumatic stress and has accepted healing. He sees the world as filled with individuals. War takes it toll one by one. Families of those lost or wounded in Vietam or other conflicts, and anyone who has suffered a significant loss in his or her life will benefit from Spearman's vignettes. If you want to read something charged with deep emotion, yet minus the gore of "war stories," and one that helps to heal inner wounds, Spearman's book: Vietnam Veterans'Homecoming: Crossing the Line will be a wonderful read. For anyone teaching American history, or history buffs, Spearman's book casts a piercing light on the reality of war--its horror and far reaching effects. In language anyone can understand, this book is one I recommend for people who look for wisdom and a sense of peace. They will find both in Carey Spearman's reflections on life as a veteran of a war American wants to forget.

5.0 out of 5 stars Journey Home crossing many lines and lifes, December 15, 2005

By	Kerry Pardue "Doc" (Chandler, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Carey's first book about Vietnam is profoundly written in such a way that the reader is joined along side the writer on the journey to finding home. The journey has been long and teadous. As well as being full of self-discovery about my own seeking of healing from the War in Vietnam. Like Carey, I too, was a medic. It took a long time for many of those who were caregivers to find the courage to take that first step to coming home. This book will gently ask you questions and you have to go deeper to find the significance for you. Carey's style of writing is unique in that he didn't tell us war stories or even shared the blood and the guts of being a medic. He wrote about loss of innocence, the helplessiness of being alone, to loss, to find ourselves again, to regaining hope, to finding the way home. This book should be read by all Vietnam Vets and their families who suffer from PTSD. Carey, through his writing and his encouragement began my journey home and taught me how to love myself again. I, too, have finally written my story of being a medic in Vietnam. "Poems In The Keys Of Life: Reflections of a combat medic". I can't wait for his second book. Thanks Carey for your friendship to me.
Kerry "Doc" Pardue

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be in every Vet Center and VA Hospital, January 28, 2004

By	Noonie Fortin (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

I met author Carey Spearman when I attended the Tet '68 Reunion in Hampton, VA in 2003. Carey was trained as a combat medic and X-ray technician. He served in Vietnam March 1967 to May 1968. He wrote his book Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line as "a straightforward but diverse account of one man's post-war journey toward homecoming and healing." AND it is just that!

This amazing book has not only helped Carey heal himself from the war but I believe it has helped other Vets who read it already. AND I think it will continue to help others in the future. I'd like to share some of Carey's passages with you so you can get a feel for what his book is like.

One that grabbed me actually made me think about all the people affected by one individuals life and death. "No one in Nam ever died alone. Someone always hurt for them....You don't know how many people loved him on his way home, or how many people mourned for him before you even knew he was dead. There are a lot more people in that coffin than you know."

For those Vets who have not yet been able to find a way to make it back to their families in one way or another Carey wrote "we have made ourselves prisoners of Vietnam here and are locked in by an open door." That's a profound statement.

He had memories of his family while he was in Vietnam and they came into his head at one point. He wrote "when I was small, my grandmother and mother would hold me when I was hurting and scared. It seemed to take the pain away....My grandmother and mother had put me in touch with my female side." Carey tried to do the same thing for his patients in Vietnam but he realized that "my grandmother and mother did not make the pain go away. They absorbed it. By them holding or touching me...I was not alone." While with his patients they "knew they were not alone. We took in so much pain. We hurt so much inside....There wasn't a patient that I touched who was not touched by the both of you [his grandmother and mother]."

Carey has found a way to express himself and help others as well as him on the road to recovery from the war. He wrote that "vets say, they live for their families....I haven't heard too many vets say they live with their families." So in writing this profound book of statements and thoughts he is hopefully helping other Vets with their own emotions and feelings.

He knows all too well about PTSD. He wrote, "I just want to live life. So I will stay just a little bit outside of your normal life, so I can have some control."

He realizes how families too are affected by the war and their loved ones serving. He commented "I want to tell you how much I am hurting but when I start to look into your eyes and see the fear, I don't want to hurt you, but I do want you to know that part of my life. I watch you shy away from me....I feel like I am in a glass bubble....I don't want to remain in here but the only way out for me is to talk about what I went through and let some of the pain out....Stay close to my bubble. As long as I can see you out there, I know there is a way out for me." He knows he can reach out to someone for help as long as he can see them and this works for others as well.

One of the more important statements Carey made is "We are Missing in America (MIA). Maybe the next time we hug as vets, along with saying, `Welcome home,' we should add, `thanks for what you did then, and what you are trying to do now.' If we don't recognize what we have done over all of these years, no one else will." Isn't it sad that the general public doesn't welcome home Vets the way we welcome home each other?

In the Prologue was written that Carey' book "delivers an honest treatment of the personal side of a controversial war. It provides people who have no military experience or knowledge with glimpses of military life during wartime, and inside views of the emotional struggles soldiers endure during their post-war lives." That it does and more! AND I too look forward to Volume II.

This is a book for all to read. Perhaps then everyone can understand what at least one Vet has gone through in his life dealing with his wartime service to our country. This is a must read book and should be in Vet Centers, libraries and bookstores around the country.