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Peter M Bourret, a combat Marine who served in Vietnam during 1967 and 1968, shares with the reader his insights about the war experience. The reader will quickly realize the profound impact of war on a twenty-year-old who discovered the horrors of war. The author's powerful and hard-hitting poetry lets the reader peek behind killing's curtain. It is a glimpse that will enlighten, but it is not for those who enjoy fluff. This fasten-your- seat-belt experience will help the reader begin to discover what General Sherman meant when he referred to war as Hell. A reading of this book of poetry will also help the reader to have a more accurate understanding of PTSD and its insidious nature. Although many of the 63 poems in his second book of war poetry deal with with life and death in the combat zone, the author also addresses the impact of war on the families at home as well as on the arduous healing process. The reader will be touched in a profound way by Bourret's hard-hitting and insightful poetry, which pulls no punches as it enlightens. Land of Loud Noises and Vacant Stares offers clarity to the puzzle that was the Vietnam War. Combat veterans will easily recognize the topics about which Bourret writes, and those who have never known the war experience will possess a better understanding of the phrase "Thank you for your service."


Born in New York City, Peter Bourret, a proud grandfather and father of two sons, has lived in Tucson, Arizona for over sixty years; he attended twelve years of Catholic school, graduating from Salpointe Catholic in 1965. During 1967 and 1968, he served in Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division as an 81mm mortarman and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971, receiving a Masters Degree from the U of A in 1974. He volunteered with a local adult education program for several years and taught social studies for seven years at Apollo Middle School; taught English for eighteen years, seventeen at Sahuaro High School. Currently retired, he is writing his memoir; he has written a soon to be published novel and has authored several hundred poems; additionally, he was the subject of "Strands of Barbed Wire", a documentary about his PTSD and his return trip to Vietnam in 1991. He dabbles in photography and has a large collection of photographs from his 1993 trip to Bosnia to bring humanitarian aid to the refugees during the Bosnian war. He is an avid hiker and has traveled extensively, including two return trips to Vietnam, one in 1991 and a second trip in 1999. He was a candidate for the school board in Tucson and has volunteered in the local public schools, teaching writing to second and tenth graders, and has supported a school in Nicaragua with books. He is a charter member of his local Marine Corps League and is a life member of Vietnam Veterans of America. Currently, he volunteers at the Tucson VA, working with veterans who are experiencing PTSD symptoms. He was award a 1st place medal for “Alone with it on Veterans Day” in the personal experience category at the 2014 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Milwaukee, where he was asked to present his award-winning poem. "War: a memoir" was published online in June of 2014 by The Writers’ Circle, Inc. @ www.riwriterscircle.com . In the Land of Loud Noises and Vacant Stares is scheduled for publication in early 2015.