Before the Dawn

The author recounts his experiences as a Navy commando involved in covert combat missions in Vietnam.

Severely wounded in Vietnam, Block underwent a hellish cycle of operations, drug addiction, flashbacks and despair. Ready to end it all, one night he found himself "kneeling before God with an empty soul and a body wracked with pain." A spiritual redemption occurred and he took the first step on the long road back. Written with freelancer Kimball, Block's account of how he got himself into such a mess in the first place is exceptionally well done. Wanting to prove himself as tough as his father, he turned himself into a classic boozing-brawling-whoring sailor and, upon arrival in Vietnam, joined a group of Navy commandos who, according to the vivid description here, were a mob of sociopaths (the mindless machismo of the teenage warrior has never been more accurately described). Many born-again accounts are flawed by unctious sentimentality, but Block's is not. His straightforward "witness" will touch the hearts of readers. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Former Navy commando Block's Vietnam story includes an account of the combat action that cost him a leg and left him physically and emotionally shattered. His life deteriorating in a succession of VA hopsitals, he spirals toward alcohol and drug dependency, but at the point of suicide he decides to dedicate his life to Christianity and his family. Unfortunately, this book suffers in comparison with the scores of memoirs by other Vietnam veterans, particularly Ron Kovic's classic Born on the Fourth of July (1976). Much of it is familiar stuff, awkward and lacking emotional impact. For subject collections. Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.