"The Making and Un-making of a Marine"

by Lawrence Winters

The Ballad of Father Judge remembering the heros of 9/11/2001 by "Ballad Ear" George D.H. Hertzberg

"It turns out that this book is not only for men, or veterans; I have gotten great feedback from women readers:" The Making and Unmaking of a Marine is a very powerful story about growing up male and going off to Vietnam, a world I could know nothing about. The introduction was gripping and drew me immediately into the story. Every chapter deals with something dramatic or startling, propelling the reader on and on, sometimes against his will, sometimes squinting, so as not to take in the full impact of the disturbing events. Winter's treatment of his experience is quite compelling, and I thoroughly appreciated the writing style. The descriptions are beautiful and awful, at once bringing me right into scenes I could not possibly imagine. The author makes no judgment of his actions; there is no flowery pretense, no rationalizations, nor excuses. It simply lays out the story of one of thousands of young men, barely more than kids, who went off to war with no real idea of what they were getting themselves into. We see their ideals get forever changed when subjected to the horrors of war. I came to partially understand, and feel, on a visceral level, the inner conflict of these men who have one vision before signing up, and then find themselves dealing with things so drastically different…the slaughter of innocent people, the senseless destruction…things they can't possibly understand, let alone process and absorb. The real tragedy is that they, themselves, think they know what they are signing on for and it seems noble. The most powerful line in the story for me was, "I was proud to be a marine, I was ashamed to be a marine." This inner conflict has taken a lifetime to resolve and I am left wondering if one can ever really come to terms with it. I want to thank Mr. Winters for having the courage to delve into his soul and dredge this up, putting a personal face on the Vietnam War. It is such an important story which needs to be told. Claudia Battaglia,  11/16/2010  (This review is also on Amazon.com) See what more women are saying about Larry's book.

About Larry Winters: Photo: Lauren Thomas Born and raised in New Paltz, NY, Larry Winters entered the United States Marine Corps after high school and served in Vietnam 1969-1970. Twenty-five years later, by then a licensed mental health counselor at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, NY, the veteran returned to Vietnam with other heath care professionals to study Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the Vietnamese people and to make peace with his past. Larry is a widely published poet, men's group leader and group psychotherapist. He has  published his book titled "The Making and Un-making of a Marine". Email: larry@makingandunmaking.com Larry is a member of the Millrock Writers Collective Larry Winters is LinkedIn

March 7th: At the Intersections - Spirituality in the Age of the Machine

Medal of Honor recipients Speak Out to save lives by encouraging America's military to seek help when adjusting to life after combat, particularly for post-traumatic stress (PTS).

The Veteran - Civilian Dialogue is a comprehensive and replicable program that works to empower veterans to fully re-integrate into civilian society and educate civilians about the unique needs and strengths of returning military personnel. The first virtual Veteran-Civilian Dialogue was held on September 17, 2010 in the virtual world of Second Life.

Veteran Civilian Dialog The dam opened last night [February 4, 2011] at Intersections with the Veteran Civilian Dialog, there were no seats left, in fact I'm sad to say we had to turn people away. The New York Times reporter Karen Zraicle spent the evening with us. I encourage you to keep your eyes open for the times Metro section for her article on the Veteran Civilian Dialog. We also had the honor of David Gerson filming the entire event. One of David’s films has been an official selection at this year’s 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In a brief conversation with David afterwards it was my pleasure to hear his excitement about the healing power of the Veteran Civilian Dialog. Another a long-awaited creation the first time showing of Startled Cat a Canadian and US based company who Intersections International has been working with to create a second life presentation of the Veteran Civilian Dialog. Some time ago a Veteran Civilian Dialog was filmed on Second Life. With the creative talents of Jenna Morane, Marty Keltz, Grace Buford and many others the first Veteran Civilian Dialog trailer was created and shown last night.  Please watch the YouTube [above and] rate and make comments this helps to get it higher on the viewing list. The Veteran Civilian Dialog has been an exciting journey and I would like to thank all of you for your support in helping us deliver what I believe to be the most underreported and misunderstood issue of our time, a separation of those who have fought and protected those who lavish in the freedoms we hold today. Please forward this note and the YouTube address to those who may hold interest in the Veteran Civilian Dialog and more importantly to those who do not. Our next Veterans Civilian Dialog will be on April 1, 2011 please make a note of it and call early for a reservation.   Go well, Larry Winters

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