Looking Both Ways

Summary

The listener is invited to enter the lives of two young men with completely opposite views of the Vietnam War. One was a helicopter pilot, flying gunship in Hueys; the other enlisted in the navy to keep from being drafted by the US Army. From start to finish, the combined stories make a unique contribution to the field of literature. Slightly fictionalized to provide a coherent narrative and to protect their identities and the identities of a number of the supporting characters, the story line is amazing in revealing details that are true, almost beyond belief.  Interestingly, both men chose to be called Jim - not Jimmy, Junior, or Jimbo but Jim, with great determination! They met at historic Hay Street United Methodist Church in downtown Fayetteville. They both matriculated as students at Methodist College, now university, yet they never passed each other in the halls of that institution of higher learning. They both thought of adopting the children of their previously married wives, being genuine in their parental love for these three young stepsons. The earlier marriage of one of the spouses raised a lot of questions about her past. Both wives played significant roles in the telling of their husbands' stories.

©2012 Wil I. Jackson (P)2020 Wil I. Jackson