The November - December 2012 Book of the Month is by former member of the Berlin Brigade Donald M. Cooper: C TRICK.
His entry into the literary world is the book "C Trick" which has be considered as THE Cold War "memoir for the common man."
C TRICK reads sort of as a glimpse into life during a wartime military (Vietnam) and "[b]efore the all-volunteer Army, there was the draft. This meant that most
young American men had to decide how they were going to meet their
military obligation. As the Cold War dragged on and the Vietnam War
heated up, how a person met this obligation assumed critical importance.
The choices were stark. If you were in college, you were safe. If
not, you could wait to be drafted with the understanding that you could
be sent to Vietnam as a combat soldier, or you could volunteer for an
assignment that offered the chance of avoiding infantry combat in a rice
paddy. Volunteering, however, also had a price. You would serve for a
longer time, often in a foreign country far away from friends and
family. "C Trick" tells the story of some of those who volunteered.
The book is a tale that describes how one group of young
citizen-soldiers met their military obligation during the last half of
the Sixties. The book describes what it was like to be a soldier in a
special Army unit stationed in what may have been the most important
Cold War hot spot. Using prose from the era, the book captures all the
humor and frustration experienced by young men coping with the rigors of
military life. The reader will experience the frustration of these men
when they were expected to perform difficult technical work in an
important national security facility while also dealing with military
absurdities. This book captures all the details of how these soldiers
worked, played and tried to avoid military life while serving in the
Army. It is a very refreshing account of how Cold War soldiers spent
their time while their lives were on hold." (Amazon.com Book Description).
You can order your copy of C TRICK by Donald M. Cooper: