from the back of the book....................It seems, at least, every generation the US has sent young men to war. Although each one has its unique character they all take many young and less experienced men, and now women, and ask them to perform acts of violence only dimly hinted in movies and the media. One thing all wars have in common is the government never prepares itself or their armed forces for the toll it takes on human beings and returning veterans, nor does it consider the impact of homecoming and transition these soldiers are expected to make. Token parades or superficial and transient expressions of appreciation can in no way make up for the price we pay. Many returning veterans have found release in writing, art, family and public service. Many have never found their way home and some never will. These are just some of one man's thoughts and feelings about his experience. Although war is always big business, for those of us that fight it, it is personal.
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Ken Stewart is a Vietnam Veteran and a physician
By Charlotte Jusinski on January 5th, 2010, Santa Fe Reporter
Having grown up in a military family, it was a given that Ken Stewart would continue in the family business. He enlisted in the armed forces and was sent to Vietnam, but his experience of combat was far different from the righteous, honorable life that was sold to him by generations past. He, like thousands of other American soldiers, returned irrevocably changed. For years he kept silent about his experiences in Vietnam. But when Stewart—a father who now works as an emergency physician on an Indian reservation—realized that in addition to his country once again being at war, his children were of an age to fight that war, he knew he had to speak out against what he perceives as a crime against humanity. The Smell of Blood is a memoir in poetry form of Stewart’s experiences overseas—he discusses in honest, visceral language the immediate experience of watching friends die, as well as his later reactions to the political and social ramifications of sending an entire generation of men off to fight a needless battle. Stewart, who is donating all proceeds from the book to Veterans for Peace, reads and signs books at Collected Works this week. In addition, check out SFR’s extended interview with the author at SFReeper.com. (Charlotte Jusinski)
