Synopsis
This is a revised and expanded 2nd edition of Absolution, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry. Absolution is a story of horror and of love, based upon the experiences of the author during the Vietnam War. Between 1960 and 1975, hundreds of thousands of young men, most of them barely teenagers, were thrust into the barbarity of an Asian civil war. They were inadequately trained for jungle warfare, and initially armed with a defective weapon, so they acquired their killer skills by instinct and imagination. Transformed by necessity, these genteel sons quickly became the brutal gladiators that their government expected them to be. For the foot soldier in Vietnam, death by any means was the ultimate objective. What s your body count? Commanders asked their soldiers each evening, as if a scorecard named the winner. From that shortsighted viewpoint emerged a legion of men, struggling with an even greater battle, personal and private. It was a moral conflict that only those who have taken another life can comprehend. Then, undermining their gallant service, a powerful and biased news media created a myth that quickly spread across America. They said that the Vietnam-era soldier was a misfit; a perverse example of a military machine gone awry, wreaking havoc upon innocent civilians. Soon after the fighting was done, someone coined a new phrase: The only war we ever lost, they said. They want you to believe that the soldier lost the war, when, in fact, he lost only his youth, his innocence and many of his friends. These Vietnam Veterans were some of the finest soldiers that ever served America.
About the Author
Charles J. Boyle grew up in rural Pennsylvania, entering the Army as a private in 1958. He rose swiftly through the ranks, earning a commission through Infantry Officers Candidate School in 1966. He received a B.A. in History from the University of Tampa in 1973 and retired from service as a Major in 1978. Assigned to Vietnam during 1967-68, he commanded a platoon in combat. At the outbreak of the 1968 Tet offensive, he was selected to command Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Among his many awards are two Silver Stars for gallantry in action, two Bronze Stars for heroism, the Purple Heart, and numerous other awards for service. After retiring from the Army, Boyle spent the next 25 years teaching high school JROTC. He remains active with Vietnam Veteran groups and is frequently the featured speaker at reunions and other civic functions. Currently, he resides near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
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