This book was a quick read but left a mark. It left images of a young man who found himself fighting in the hellish jungles of Vietnam.

The young man, Sean, joined the Marines after high school in Ohio. His father had fought in World War II. He felt he should answer his country's call and serve in his generation's war.

Sean soon found himself in a daily life-or-death struggle against a determined enemy. He didn't know the reasons for the war. He was fighting for his country and the men beside him. He would earn the Silver Star for valor.

When he returned to the states, he was shunned. He couldn't find a job. He went to college. He asked a counselor for help as he struggled with psychological wounds from combat. But the counselor turned him away because, she said, he fought for the "wrong side" in Vietnam. He only finds solace when he meets another Vietnam veteran. They know what they've been through.

The 42-page book is "Across the Pond," by Michael McCormick. He based his novella on his personal experience during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Silver Star medal and the Purple Heart. After the war, he earned his bachelor's in psychology and master's in clinical psychology at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. He lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Gina. A free digital edition was formatted and distributed by obooko at www.obooko.com.