From High School to Hell – My Senior Trip: Memories of Vietnam, a Novel By John Reeg

John Reeg, a Vietnam veteran and former U.S. Marine with 3rd Force Reconnaissance, has updated the title of his book that follows a young man who went to war.

DALLAS , TX, UNITED STATES, November 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- My Senior Trip, John Reeg's book takes readers on an unexpected journey, one far from the carefree vacation its title might suggest. The year is 1968, and Howard, a recent high school graduate, is at a crossroads. College doesn’t appeal to him, and despite working a variety of odd jobs, he feels he has no skills to fall back on. Unsure of his next step, Howard enlists in the Marines. Six months later, he finds himself deployed to Vietnam, where his world is turned upside down.

In My Senior Trip: Memories of Vietnam, author John Reeg explores Howard’s intense and emotional journey, focusing not on military strategy but on the raw, visceral experience of war. Reeg explains, "This story isn’t about how battles were won or lost. It’s about the emotions—the fear, the anger, the pain. The grueling and intense training before Vietnam, then the day-to-day reality of a living hell. Seeing team members die while carrying a wounded Marine through gunfire to a med-evac helicopter. Enduring the monsoons, with snakes and leeches and staying so wet that your feet and fingers begin to rot. Howard and his comrades faced a relentless and determined enemy, but what they endured was not just physical. The mental and emotional impact for Veterans of war is what makes this story truly powerful."

John Reeg’s own path after the war took a different direction. He began college in 1972 at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and eventually earned a degree from Oklahoma State University. He then spent over two decades teaching physical education and coaching gymnastics before transitioning to teaching private health and exercise classes in the Dallas area, where he now resides with his wife, Ginny.

Published by Fulton Books, My Senior Trip: Memories of Vietnam is more than a story of war. After returning from Vietnam, Howard fails to find peace; instead, he encounters hostility. He’s spit on and insulted, even physically attacked, for his service in Vietnam. Remember, it is the early 1970s, and returning soldiers were blamed for the war, not the politicians. Reeg’s book offers a gripping narrative that sheds light on a divided America and the complexities of coming home from that war.

You can purchase My Senior Trip: Memories of Vietnam in select bookstores or online through Amazon, Google Play, Apple iTunes, or Barnes & Noble.

Reeg is available for book signings and speaking engagements.

Anne-Marie Pritchett
AMP Creative
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