Expiation: War and Its Discontents

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"The poems in this book are forged from experiences and observations of warfare and military life. The poems set in Vietnam are most often MAT II-19, a U.S. Army mobile advisory team whose mission was to assist, support, and train South Vietnamese units. The typical team had two officers, two weapon specialists, and a medic. A Vietnamese interpreter was attached to the team as a de facto sixth member. MAT II-19 was located primarily in the Dien Khanh District of Khanh Hoa Province during my year in Vietnam, which began in April 1969. As an assistant team leader and subsequent team leader, I had no command experience and was very green. The lotus, national flower of Vietnam, symbolizes purity, enlightenment, sanity, and rebirth." --Author's note