MILITARY

Images from the Otherland: Memoir of a United States Marine Corps Artillery Officer in Vietnam

Images from the Otherland is a short, fast-paced combat narrative that covers the entire Viet-Nam experience as seen by those who fought the ground war. The author, a former Marine artillery officer, served as a forward observer attached to the infantry and writes with a veteran's eye for detail.

Arriving in Viet-Nam in 1965 during the initial U.S. troop buildup, he tells of the transformation of green troops into hardened campaigners. His stories of ground combat in Viet-Nam encompass every danger and hardship encountered by the troops who fought there. The combat sequences follow all aspects of the fighting, from the endless combat patrols to the larger battalion and regimental size operations. One operation is covered in vivid detail and describes the author's battalion literally fighting for its life.

In this action then-Lieutenant Sympson helps save the day by calling in massive artillery fires that break the enemy's stranglehold. Decorated for valor and credited with helping kill 146 of the enemy, he will have mixed emotions for the rest of his life. The enemy was described in the book as a tough, skilled and dedicated opponent who used conventional and unconventional tactics with equal adeptness. The infamous mines and booby traps long associated with the Viet-Nam war are covered also.

Interwoven throughout the story is the underlying theme of comradeship formed by men in combat units. These bonds of loyalty to both the men and the units he served in remain with the author till this day. The old adage "Once A Marine, Always A Marine" is a suit worn well by Ken Sympson.

As with most combat veterans, the author has had to grapple with myriad thoughts and memories long after the war has ended. He writes candidly of these but makes no complaint against anyone or anything. During the Persian Gulf War, he felt such kinship with the troops overseas that he brought a television to work to follow the war. Later he was instrumental in forming a welcome home committee in the city of Rochester, NY, for the returning troops. Images from the Otherland is a book that puts the image of the Viet-Nam veteran up where it belongs. Thanks Ken, Semper Fidelis.