text:
THE FOURTEENTH DAY, 30 Days Has September
262 Comments
Tom Medlin on April 16, 2017 at 4:37 am
I finished your book and cannot wait for the next one. It was easy to give your book the highest possible review on Amazon because I consider it the very best book on the war in Vietnam I have ever read, out of at least 75.
When may I have the privilege of buying Vol 2 would you think ?Reply
James Strauss on April 16, 2017 at 11:18 am
I am on segment 14th Day Second Part. When I get to the Twentieth Day I will publish the secondReply
book, which should be sometime in June, but don't hold me to it. I thought book one would be out a full two
months before I could get it to print. By the way, I am renting a table at Book Expo in New York at the end of
May. I have created a company of my own called Geneva Shore Publishing, Inc. and I will have a ton of all my
books there to give away and sign for free. It would be so cool to have a group of the real deal guys and their
gals show up and be the entirely different characters they are, wading through and across a veritable sea of
lesser beings at Javitts Center. My imagination runs wild. We could park a Vietnam Vet Harley in the space!
I'll be thrown out, of course, which would follow perfectly with the rest…
Semper fi,
JT on April 15, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Received book and left review as promised. Keep stomping thru the valley of death and I'll continue to follow tell the bitter end.Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 10:52 pm
JT. With you all the way brother. Thank you very much for buying the book and writing the review.Reply
111 reviews so far. Didn't make 120 but what the hell…the reward was probably a new helmet cover in paisley.
thanks for everything JT and especially for writing on here.
Semper fi,
Al Bags on April 15, 2017 at 10:07 am
Amazon Order Placed. Review Left. To all those that serve and served, and especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice…Thank You. And for my friend, Mark Shiels (1st Cav 2nd & 7th), a man among men, who ultimately lost his battle with Agent Orange, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you. RIP Night Man.Reply
James Strauss on April 15, 2017 at 8:33 pm
Thanks Al. The war that just keeps on killing. Yes, I have lost a few now too.Reply
I was somehow able to have a body that rejected that terrible stuff. I sure had it all over me enough times.
Thanks for buying the book and leaving the review. Really appreciate the hell out of that, not to mention
discussing it on here~
Semper fi,
Al Bags on April 16, 2017 at 8:51 am
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I purchases 2 copies, will give one to a friend mine who works for the DOD. He is not permitted to have FB because of the work he does. Glad he is my friend and on our side. And Thank you again.Reply
James Strauss on April 16, 2017 at 11:13 am
Thanks Al. Yeah, I've heard the government, in some areas, has to stay off the entire Internet. They have an internal internet at the PentagonReply
but without the magic of the huge database and wild whacked stuff available to all of us out here with a keystroke. Thanks for buying the book and I
hope you left a comment, as I am working away at building the three book set (unless I write about after, and that would take it out to five).
The Arch Patton series is, of course, what happened later on with the agency work. Not as fucked up as Vietnam but pretty far up there too…
Semper fi,
Pat Ryan on April 14, 2017 at 9:02 pm
While on duty at the ops building in Chitose Japan backwere entertained by group of recruiters suggesting that we volunteer for temporary duty in Vietnam. They were promised civilian clothes, 5 star hotels, quick promotions and all the spoils of war. Upon arrival in Vietnam they built a tent city next to the air base and began their tour. The Army Security Agency did not go to Vietnam – as they were assigned to Vietnam they were mysteriously assigned to various RRU groups. I believe that one of the first fatalities of the war was one of these soldiers. Sp 4 Davis – may he Rest In Peace. At any rate the book is riveting, I anxiously await the next chapter. ASA lives!!!!!Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 10:55 pm
Glad you made it on through Pat and sorry about your companion.Reply
So many just fell away and the losses in my company were so huge
compared to anything taught about in training.
Just moving the bodies for evacuation sometimes was
something else. Bodies don't move well, even in bags.
Thanks for the comment and the support…
Semper fi,
Timothy E. Johnson on April 14, 2017 at 8:28 pm
Hey got the First 10 Days and read it by lunch today. I have not read a print book in years but will buy the whole series of 30 Days. I gave a 5 star review on Amazon.Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 10:56 pm
Fantastic Tim, especially for the review!Reply
Much appreciated.
Semper fi,
Floyd Kehl on April 14, 2017 at 8:08 pm
I remember pulling the arming plunger forward 'til it clicked, then squeezing the rubber trigger bar down with my fingertips in anticipation of the boom that would ring my ears for at least an hour.Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 11:00 pm
Great description of firing that weapon. I never fired one but watched enough times.Reply
Cool customers who could squeeze that lever time and again because launching that small loud
rocket wasn't comfortable or fun…
Semper fi,
Ron Ward on April 14, 2017 at 10:08 am
Ordered two books and left a review. Dang it, could only give you 5 stars instead of 10 ! I continue to share with my wife and discuss /explain many of the things you talk about as it is a foreign experience to her. Thank you for allowing me to re-examine my own experience and compare it with yours. I feel a great load being lifted ever so slowly and it is most delightful. I wish I could explain that better but perhaps with time I can. Perhaps it is the first rays of light in a new dawn. 11B40 D Co 4/31 196th LIB I Corps 69-70Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 11:05 pm
Thanks a million Ron. Needed that this night and always the comment on Amazon.Reply
I don't know what i'm growing here but I am damn sure working at it and getting some help from
the guys…like you.
Thanks from the depths…
Semper fi,
Daniel Fisher on April 14, 2017 at 8:55 am
I've already commented on the bravery of Captain Casey in taking out the NVA tank, so if you wish it ignore this it's fine.Reply
But I've been thinking about this story every since I read it and I've read it three times, so far.
I'm always interested in battlefield strategy, and I can't make up in my mind why they decided to drive the tank across the river? I mean, if I'm the NVA commander, I'm gonna sit over there and shoot at ya with my tank and its machine guns until my bullets are gone or daylight is looming. Why would they waste a valuable asset like a tank?
Thanks, Daniel
James Strauss on April 14, 2017 at 10:15 am
Thanks for the comment here Dan,Reply
and I speculate about the actions of the enemy all the time to this very day.
I don't know, is a lot of the answer. They would do some of the strangest things.
Later on I found out that they were out of ammunition a whole lot
so had to be extremely sparing in their fire.
They hauled everything everywhere unless you were near one of their underground storage places.
They lacked out level of communications in the field too.
And they had no air. Huge disadvantages.
I was told later that the tank's main fun was one that would not depress enough
to fire at anything close or when the tank was not properly positioned on a knoll or hill.
But I don't know.
Thanks for the comment and your in depth study and analysis.
Semper fi,
Glenn Smith on April 14, 2017 at 4:20 pm
Sorry LT. but I gotta dwell on this one a while. Digest it all I guess. Will get back later perhaps.Reply
Jimh on April 15, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Lt. I started in the middle and went back to the beginning. I was mesmerize by your writing and depictions of your experience. Makes mine seem trivial. I was airforce 68-69 we went through a lot of shit but nothing compared to what you had to endure. Good that you were able to make it home to your family. I'm not sure any of us have really came back whole. Keep writing, you do it so well. I wrote you a review on Amazon 5 star as you can see you are 100% 5 star.Reply
James Strauss on April 15, 2017 at 8:31 pm
Not trivial, just different Jim. There were so many wars fought over there inside the war.Reply
Maybe if I'd stayed longer then things would have settled down, I don't know. But my time
was like a cannon ball launched from the tube. It was going to go until it hit something,,,and did.
Thanks for the comment and the compliment too.
semper fi,
Please leave a comment on Amazon as I am trying to build the success of the book….means a lot…
Jim O'Neill on April 13, 2017 at 5:07 pm
Again, GREAT read LT. Anxiously awaiting the next chapter. Finally bought the book, left a review (JPO). Hurry up!! Out here. JimReply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 11:18 pm
Thank you for the purchase and the review. 93 so far in the first week.Reply
They tell me that that's pretty good, although if you start looking at the statistics
it'll drive you crazy after a while. I am writing and that is what I am supposed to do.
Thanks for appreciation that writing and then taking action on that.
Semper fi,
Better Fred Than Red on April 13, 2017 at 11:46 am
Great piece, I was riveted to it. Would it be fair to say you didn't tell anyone about the 30 second fuse because you expected to take it in yourself? How could you have known Casey would do what he did? Keep it coming!Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 1:01 pm
The Gunny put the explosives package together. I am sorry to admit that I never once considered runningReply
across open ground to toss it under the main body of the tank. I was not that heroic. My mission was to stay alive
and get home to my family. If the unit's mission dovetailed with that then fine. It's one of the things real combat
veteran's have to live with. We know deep inside just how heroic and unheroic we were, both at the same time or
at different times. Combat experience, other than creating its most common and associative result (death) creates
rolling memories of shame, failure, and regret about our own weaknesses…and how those were plumbed and then exposed.
Thanks for the compliment. Please leave a comment on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, depending on where you buy the book.
Semper fi,
Better Fred Than Red on April 15, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Bought the book from Amazon, it arrived yesterday. Why has Fusner become Fessman? I was getting to know these guys. I assume the multiple disclaimers about this being a work of fiction is to keep you from being flogged for violating half of the UCMJ.Reply
James Strauss on April 15, 2017 at 8:28 pm
Fred, half the UCMJ? Only half? Yes, you got it right and changing names that are too closeReply
to the original is part of it too. Hell, they will probably send me to prison for writing on this website.
They, and you know who they are, always believe you if you are saying something bad or illegal about yourself.
Just the way it is.
Thanks for the comment and also the warning about the flogging~
Semper fi,
richard Braun on April 13, 2017 at 11:11 am
bought some books and left a 5 star reviews on 12 Apr, hope it helps. Will mail one to you, for that famous autographReply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Well, Richard, I cannot thank you enough and that autograph is not from the famous authorReply
yet. Maybe later, but I kind of doubt that too. I'm not a movie star or one of those big figures
in politics or even with the families of the people who control the publishing houses. So, you will have to accept
the autograph of something a bit less…or a bit more…depending on perspective…
Semper fi, and thanks a million.
Stephen Hamilton on April 13, 2017 at 7:11 am
LT James, I just received my copy of the book. Thanks for putting into words the reality of Vietnam combat that so many people just don't understand. I will give a thumbs up on Amazon. Even though I was in the ArmyReply
Semper Fi.
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 8:15 am
As you read in the story and as I repeat in the comments. I have nothing but the highest regardReply
for all the Army help I had in the Nam, from the warrant officer chopper pilots without fear,
to the units that let us steal their stuff because we had none. And the artillery batteries that
went out of their way to make sure we got the life-saving fire we did. Thanks so much for buying the book
and also for the much-regarded comment. I still am figuring out how all this Amazon publishing thing works
and really appreciate the help. Work is the key word though. Man oh man…
Semper fi,
JRW on April 14, 2017 at 10:38 am
My neighbor, friend, and HS classmate was a warrant officer chopper pilot. Volunteered to run a small bird to draw fire to mark NVA positions. Was killed when shot down. RIP Thaddeus (Tex) Yonika.Reply
James Strauss on April 14, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Now that's a damned shame JRW. I did some of that and have heard of a lot more.Reply
Moving in the air makes getting hit a lot harder than most people think, or at least it did
before robotics and radar were slaved together like they are today. Nevertheless, when you get hit
in the air the statistics are not good if you don't have an ejection seat…which choppers do not.
Sorry you lost your friend, but thanks for writing about it here.
Semper fi,
Poppa Joe on April 13, 2017 at 6:26 am
I hope I am not missing something. I have written my first review of the first ten days. Am I able to write a review of the serial version on Face right now? If so, want to ask those tight anals at Amazon why they question this chance to add many bucks to their bottom line.Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 1:08 pm
Poppa Joe. There is so much I don't know about this whole Amazon and Barnes and Noble odyssey.Reply
I keep learning more and should write a book about the truth of it when I am finally "there." If I get there.
Nothing people I pay to know about such things seems to really know. They just say they do. And you pay them
and then see no evidence of anything. Most of the systems are set up to be run by robots, analytics, analogs and bots.
No humans and that's why there are no people to call to fix anything. They have so many people as customers that they do not
need to care. If you want to get mad and go away then go…like with United Airlines. Like they give a shit that a hundred thousand
people might hate them? Well, they've got about 60 million customers a year. Do the math. Amazon's bigger.
Thanks for your work on behalf of me and this effort Joe. That alone means a lot….
Semper fi,
Joe on April 13, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Amazon has bitten deeply into your shorts LT. Someday they might feel they've been registered. I would enjoy the news their robots don't work well when somebody pees on a circuit board. Back to the book now. It has really gotten hold of my attention. Poppa JoeReply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 11:03 pm
Thanks for having to go back to the book and dive back in Joe.Reply
Nice to have real readers of the work as I am out here almost five days ahead
writing away.
Semper fi,
Robert on April 12, 2017 at 9:58 pm
Bought the book and left a review.
I bought it for my 40 year old son who has always been fascinated by war movies and war novels.
I told him that he was going to lose his ardor for wars after reading this book. Hopefully, your account will help him realize that war is hell and there is not much you can do to romanticize it.
Just from our conversations about your book he has realized that the drinking binges his grandfather went on about every 3 to 6 months was his attempt to forget what he saw in the Pacific.
You have also made me realize that if I had gone over there I would not be writing this right now, I would have come home in a body bag the first day.Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 11:15 pm
Well Robert, I don't get many comments like that.Reply
To have that effect was never my intention, although I will accept
the effect as a compliment and an honor.
I must say however, there are wars that at times must be fought and there are
men and women who have to fight them.
My books are not an endorsement for war but they are not a denial
that sometimes the awful crap of humanity must be hauled by some.
Thanks so much for this comment.
Took a whole day to respond because I've been thinking about it.
Semper fi,
Robert on April 14, 2017 at 7:42 pm
Thank you for allowing me a glimpse into a situation that I've always wondered about. i was in college in 1970 when I went with 109 other men for our draft physicals. 3 of us wanted to pass to get into advanced ROTC, the rest wanted to fail. I am sure you can Understand what happened. The three of us failed, the rest were passed, sworn in and shipped off to basic. I have always wondered…
Thank you for your service, I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay.Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 11:01 pm
Thanks Robert, for seeing the story as a glimpse into a reality that most will never know and,Reply
if they don't read my books are not likely to hear about. Thanks for thanking me!
Much appreciate the support and hope you bought the book and left a review.
Semper fi,
Ron H on April 12, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Maybe Cowboy can drop some WP to your front to mark you for the fast movers.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:27 pm
You are one amazing investigator, although I will confirm nothing about what is ahead Ron.Reply
Thank you for being so deep into the story that you are coming up with such solutions.
Go on Amazon and leave a comment for the book, if you would. We need the help.
Semper fi,
hu lowery on April 13, 2017 at 1:30 am
Can't comment without buying the book from amazon, or I couldn't even after log-in.
Plan to buy from Amazon, I'll comment after that.
I don't have a clue why I started seeing the chapters as they come up but I'm enjoying the read, a hell of a lot more like what I have heard than the superman crap on tv and in movies. Learned a long time ago there is a big difference between how people think they will act when the poop hits the fan and how they really do.
I was lucky, turned eighteen in late '73, no draft. Just as well, I had been playing boss for six years, I wouldn't have made a good soldier.Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 11:13 pm
Probably would have made a good soldier but then, after reading the story, what is that really?Reply
Thanks for buying the book and the comment. Means a lot to me.
Semper fi,
Ed on April 12, 2017 at 6:36 pm
Jim, I just left a review on Amazon. Thank you for your work on this book and for all the sacrifices you and your family and friends made for our country. I wish none of you would have had to give so much and I am deeply sorry that our nation did not show you the respect and appreciation that you deserved when you came back. I was too young for Vietnam and I never served but I am grateful for those of you that do. Please keep writing your story.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:30 pm
I am glad you missed that shit show Ed and thank you so much for the Amazon comment.Reply
Respect was a little hard to come by over the years, although now,
now that most of us are getting close to being geriatrics, we get some measure of something from the general public.
Thank you for that Ed!
Semper fi,
Andrew D on April 12, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Book purchased. Five stars. Review left.Reply
Great story, hard to comprehend the change in Capt Casey.
My thoughts towards him from dislike to admiration as I've followed the story. Great job of writing once again
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:32 pm
Thank you Andrew. Thanks in particular for the review on Amazon.Reply
Means a lot right now. And thanks for the compliment, as well….
and writing it out on here.
Semper fi,
Glenn Martin on April 12, 2017 at 4:30 am
I found this book online and quit reading it so the book I ordered wouldn't be ruined. I finished it in less than a week and am wondering when the next book will be available. I don't want to read it online for ruining the book but I just might have to.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 3:18 pm
I am working on the 14th Day Second Part right now Glenn.Reply
I figure I'm a month out from putting it all together and getting it up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Be easier this time, or at least I so hope.
thanks for the inquiry and the implied compliment buried inside it…
Semper fi,
Glenn Martin on April 12, 2017 at 3:51 pm
Also James, my father did 1 tour in Korea and 3 in Vietnam. I was raised in Lawton. My father was stationed at Ft. Sill and retired in '75 I think. He passed in '82. I've read many books on Vietnam and have come to understand more about him. Thank you sirReply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:34 pm
Lawton, now that place can get hot in the summer for certain.Reply
I went through Sill in August and that was some bitch of a time to be running
five miles every morning. The thunderstorms were something to behold though and I've
never forgotten the wonder of them, or how much I liked the people I met in your state back then.
Everyone was great to my pregnant wife and I.
Thanks for the neat comment. Please go on Amazon and leave a comment on the book if you can.
Semper fi,
Dave Pierce on April 12, 2017 at 6:32 pm
Mr. Strauss, I am interested in knowing if Captain Casey, received the Medal of Honor for his action. He certainly did as much or more than some, and saved a bunch of Marines. Thank You for sharing your story!Reply
Tex on April 11, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Got my hard copy today !! Left another 5 star review !! Not sure the 1st one made it !! New at this game !! Parade in Arlington & fireworks for the grandkids , neighbors & old folks will prevent me taking the yellow brick road to Kansas w/Dot & Toto !! Keep on keeping on !!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Got it Tex. Family first. I knew the 4th would be problematic anyway butReply
thought what the hell. Pulled it out of nowhere and not sure anything will be made of it anyway.
Got 71 reviews so far and need 122 by Saturday night, or so how things are bizarrely measured.
the person supposed to be the expert went silent when I asked her what about if we got 121.
Strange shit. I don't understand these analytics, bots and more. Shut up and get back to my writing.
thank you for your help no matter what Tex.
Semper fi,
John Nelson on April 11, 2017 at 7:21 pm
Glued to my iPad each day to see if another segment is out. Just ordered book and commented using wife's acct. Haven't been this exited about reading a book other than pottery material since college after Nam. Keep it coming!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 7:59 pm
Hell, John, I love that comparison between what I write and writing about pottery.Reply
I collect old Indian shards so I understand. I particularly like to walk an alluvial
field in the spring when the snow thaws and find pieces that I can put together!
Pottery people know that broken pottery is an awful lot like an aging human.
Thanks for your support, buying the book and then leaving that review using your wife's account.
You sound like a terrific "mad potter" kind of guy…
Semper fi,
Bud on April 11, 2017 at 6:44 pm
OK Brother. Comments lagged on Amazon. I know, you are sending the book, signed of course. I just wish, from the bottom of my heart you would hand deliver it. We don't have any Ba Muoi Ba or rat steak sandwiches We have good cold beer though. And it's cheap.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 6:52 pm
You have not sent me an address to send this book to.Reply
I will get it off just as soon as you do. Thanks for the invitation.
You know I would be there if I could.
Semper fi,
Joe on April 11, 2017 at 4:18 pm
In one response to a comment I believe your words were, "I don't forecast ". I believe that this is the essence of your present day work. You are writing as it was revealed to you, which kind if gives it a surreal telling in real time. Your talent and drive are giving us a ride in that real world you are pouring on these pages. Capt Casey rests with every Marine who made sure someone lived to tell their story. I tried something strange, reading your installments at the same time as I was reading "The Shack". It has conflicted my 76 yr old brain. Your story and that one has had maximin impact on my outlook. Watching the porch tomorrow for the book and will read and review. Poppa JoeReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Thank you Joe for that very well crafted comment. I read the Shack.Reply
I don't get the side by side comparison but then I didn't really get
the story. I thought the writing was brilliant but could never buy
into the plot or the theme. I hope my Mameluke Thrust kind of approach
to a war book is a bit more understandable, at least from plot and
thematically. Thanks for the cerebral comment and the great compliment
inside that comment…
Semper fi,
Joe on April 12, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Received my copy of the first publication just now. I had started a response to your words to your reply finished it, then screwed the monkey by not inputting my email correctly before hitting send. I lost those words just as quickly as a Korean GI deflated my football with his toenail while wearing hospital clothes. But that's another story, he could do,it because he escaped from the TB ward to play in the grass. I am happy to,know you read " The Shack", and agree in some respects that it is hard to figure out. I put it down several times, too many times it forced me to ask "why". Anger and tears mostly: but so far, anger and tears reading your work has not caused me to put it down. It has driven me to read each installment and the responses of the others here neglecting everything else an old retired guy might be doing when they arrive on my iPad. The quality of your effort has surpassed the holding power of any other fiction or biography I have ever read. I like and suspect many others are not happy Casey didn't make it back to his Silver Star. Once you gave us the word picture of what he had become after his near miss, I would have been trying to protect him myself. Strange how things can do a 180.Reply
Your critique of "The Shack" is not unexpected. Complicated in a theological context, and I would not have read it if I had not already been given an idea of its content and context. I got out of that book what I had already fought my last tussle with the Soveriven. I lost the fight and found the peace He intended me to have. Now off to the first pages of "Thirty Days…..". Poppa Joe
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 3:16 pm
Poppa Joe. I did not mean I did not like the Shack. I did like it, I was simply confounded by it time afterReply
time and sometimes confused by my inability to work the grief factor into it, especially at the end.
Interesting work, to say the least. I understand why it sold so well. You push it away but you don't let go of it, kind of a thing.
Probably, there's a good bit of that in my own work, although I remain unaware. My tough parts in the writing may not be the tough parts in the reading.
I was hurt by Casey's loss then and there but I think I was hurt by it more over the years. Thanks for buying the book and I hope you leave a comment on Amazon, as we need
all the help to get 'noticed' that we can in this extremely competitive book environment of today.
Semper fi,
Joe on April 12, 2017 at 9:29 pm
I have read 13 chapters. Dizzy at the speed you were in the shit storm. I have tried and written a review at Amazon but they give no feedback when I hit submit. So, another review will be sent when they ping me for a review by email. I am hooked. poppa JReply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:35 pm
Hang in there Poppa Joe. Amazon is a bitch to work with sometimes.Reply
And I hate that you can't just call anybody…like they don't make enough money!
but we have what we have and I much appreciate your endurance and loyalty.
Thanks Joe,
Semper fi,
RT on April 11, 2017 at 3:27 pm
Are you pulling our leg about the book signing? Lebanon KS?Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 4:14 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September, as it means a whole lot to haveReply
a significant number to be noticed at all…
Nope, it's not a fable. Salinas is roughly where because it has things like hotels, bathrooms, air conditioning and restaurants.
The Vietnam Combat Rendezvous is what it would be. And I don't know what we are really doing. A book signing but
more…because there's really no place for Viet combat vets to get together and maybe they haven't had a valid reason before.
Strange times and I am more ruled by all this than ruling anything…sort of like it was back then without anybody dying!
Semper fi,
Steve Knollenberg on April 15, 2017 at 9:57 pm
Drop further South from Salina, down to Winfield, Kansas, for your signing and reunion. Winfield is home to the Kansas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, honoring the 777 Kansans who died in Viet Nam. Winfield is also home to the Kansas Veterans Home.
Here's a link: http://www.winfieldks.org/index.aspx?NID=526
Much respect, sir.Reply
James Strauss on April 17, 2017 at 8:56 pm
Steve, Thanks for that information.Reply
That may just be a great suggestion.
I talked to Winfield Chamber today.
Will update soon.
Semper fi,
James Sloan on April 11, 2017 at 3:06 pm
You amaze me. How you're able to convey to the reader your experiences in a down in the dirt narrative! I have been to the book store and ordered your books. Looking forward to many evenings of reading excitement and enjoying your storytelling style!!!
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:04 pm
Thanks for making my evening James. I am hoping to get my other books out on Amazon in the next few weeksReply
in hopes of providing 'filler' so those waiting for more episodes of TDHS will be placated and default back to
my other works. That wasn't a clever ploy I thought up. It's just what's come along by accident as this has developed.
Thanks for figuring it out beforehand! And for ordering the books….
Semper fi,
ed evans on April 11, 2017 at 2:47 pm
Book sent today for you to autograph, please. I sent it "media" with a postage paid envelope for your convenience. Just want folks to know that books can ship as "media" for a reduced rate. From SC to Wisconsin and back to SC, two shipping envelopes, $11.38. Of course, IMHO, the book is priceless as it portrays a history of such Nation rending, stressful times that makes many other reports of heroism pale in comparison.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Ed, I shall stand by the mailbox in expectation of receiving the first physical request for an autograph!!!Reply
Now that has meaning! And I am all smiles in my waiting expectation. Thank you does not quite say it.
I'm not at all sure how this all came to be but the adventure created by finally sitting down and drafting this
story has already been something else entirely. I'm just not sure what that something is, although it's pretty neat.
Semper fi, brother,
SteveC86 on April 11, 2017 at 12:58 pm
Didn't see this from anyone but "Cowboy want's a sitrep" should not have apostrophe. Enjoying the hell out of this.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 2:14 pm
Thank Steve, Duly noted and correctedReply
Ed Lyda (Bud) on April 11, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Dai uy did his thing. Dysfunctional or not he knew god dam well he was taking care of his Marines. And you would not be you if you didn't go to get him. I define bravery as: Even though you are so scared they could not drive a toothpick up your ass with a sledge hammer. You do it any way. You keep dissing yourself because of your zest for life.Reply
I think just maybe you are telling us that we were not alone. That being glad it wasn't you was O.K. That means a lot to old vets like me. As always, I am Jonesing for the next read.
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 6:53 pm
I am working on 14 Second as I write this Bud. Thank you for your accurateReply
analysis of the situation and for following the story so closely.
Semper fi, my friend,
Frank Roseberry on April 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Got the first book, left a review and waiting very impatiently for the next segmentReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Thanks Frank. Means a lot, your words here and your words there.Reply
It's not easy to write if you don't do it all the time, like I do.
So, my appreciation is heartfelt. I am working on the second of the 14th day
this afternoon and evening. I am motivated by your wait for it…
Semper fi,
John on April 11, 2017 at 9:38 am
I read it twice to make sure I got every detain. You keep surprising me with every turn of events. Wow, the Captain really reacted as a true worrier, even in his condition. You talk about your fear but I have learned that courage is being able to face the fear and work through it. You have done that very well. I look forward to reading more of the company's exploits.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:10 am
Thank you most sincerely, John. I would hope that you might leave a comment on Amazon for the First Ten Days, which isReply
available in book form there now. We need the reviews to help Amazon promote us.
Appreciate the compliment as I work on the 14th day…
Semper fi,
Walt on April 11, 2017 at 9:12 am
Here you come along, dropping these on-line episodes on us every few days feeding our new insatiable addiction. Lots of us are hooked on your writing.
Thrilled that your book (1st ten days) I bought online arrived in just one day! Rather shocked that it is 336 pages long! Forty six chapters! Did not realize the first 10 days had that many segments.
Just HAD to read your most recent post before I turned in tonight. I could not wait one more day to find out how you guys were going to deal with the tank heading across the river. Now, I can't wait to see what the fly boys will do to the NVA on the west side of the river. I guess it is safe to say the NVA won't be having their normal morning breakfast routine… Hope resupply choppers are right behind the jet air cavalry. Thank you for writing, and God bless…
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:17 am
Thanks Walt for you usual ruminating analysis. Tank. It was something. I thought I was afraid of shit over there before, and then that.Reply
And it's not over by a long shot Walt. Just how many weird events can be compressed into such a short period of time that seemed to go on for
years. Thanks for the compliment and yes, the books are longer than one might expect but then the story has a life of its own. I am just riding
this bucking bronco and trying to stay aboard….
Semper fi,
Richard on April 10, 2017 at 11:08 pm
Whew! Did not see that coming. Casey went down swinging!
A few edits:
But it didn't(') matter much if I could hear of not. Our patrol was dying out…..
The big diesel in the tank started up with a huge stuttering roar. A physical shiver of fear went up and down my back like a confused bolt of lightening. (lightning) I though(t) we were going to be dead before, but now I knew we were about to go through the process of dying for certain in only a few moments.
But there was no incoming fire. It was like the entire battle had been about the tank and once it was done for(,) the battle was over.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:24 am
Please leave a comment on Amazon for the first book of Thirty Days Has September…please!Reply
Thanks Richard, for the help in editing as you guys do so much in that respect. The changes are made to
the PDF right away. Thanks for liking the story…
Semper fi,
Richard on April 11, 2017 at 7:34 pm
Just ordered the book and wrote a review. Good luck!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 7:54 pm
I cannot thank you enough Richard. I've gotten more reviews than most this early onReply
because so many have already read the book in serial form. I've been told that I should not continue
the serial presentation but I'm not going to stop. I like it. It suits and fits my strange mentality. Besides,
I'd now miss the daily corrections, criticism, comparison and unbelievable support. I have to get out of bed and
do my thing too and that takes motivation.
Thanks for some of that in your own comment and in your performance.
Semper fi,
Bob on April 10, 2017 at 10:41 pm
Book bought, review left.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:53 pm
Thank you Bob!Reply
I am humbled by the support. Working on next chapter
Robert Cook on April 11, 2017 at 2:53 am
Please let me know how to order everything printed up to now!!!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:21 am
The Boy, my first book of all, will be reprinted on Amazon in two weeks.Reply
The Warrior, the second book in that series will follow (it is in editing now).
The Shaman will follow that, but not right yet.
Down in the Valley is available on Amazon right now to be followed by 1993 and The Bering Sea.
Right now you are kind of limited to the website for short stories and what not.
Thanks for asking. Hope you left a comment on Amazon as I need them right now…
Semper fi,
Hampton on April 10, 2017 at 10:20 pm
Simply awesome Mr Strauss…For any man to live threw that an tell the tale u have have the biggest brassies balls …It b a god damn shame if they don't make a movie out this…Keep up the good work sir…My hats offfffReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:57 am
When boys go off to war they come home as experienced, determined and hard-working men.Reply
There, that's the mythology for you. If you make a movie, then you need war materials, like
the guns, cannons, airplanes, ships and more. Where do you suppose a movie maker has to go
to get those things? To the military. And so, we in this discussion, return full circle to
the mythology that the military is going to require of the movie maker in order to loan him or her
the war materials needed to make the movie.
Boys go off to war…
Semper fi,
Daniel Fisher on April 10, 2017 at 9:59 pm
What a brave man Captain Casey turned out to be. I didn't care for him in the beginning, but after his personality changes I really liked him. Bless his heart.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:26 am
Please leave a comment on Amazon for the first book of Thirty Days Has September…please!Reply
Thanks for your 'vote' here on Casey. I came to like him too. And thanks for the comment!
Semper fi,
Daniel Fisher on April 12, 2017 at 8:04 am
A nice comment has been left on Amazon for you James. I hope your book(s) do very well.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 8:39 am
Thank you very much Daniel.Reply
I don't know what the significance of getting comments on Amazon really is.
As usual, I am listening to what I'm being told about something I have
little knowledge about but, I much enjoy reading the comments themselves.
Hell, whom would not, as an author? I owe a lot of people on here for being
so open and kind. You don't really do much of anything alone on this planet
and what I am doing is as much of a product of what
the men and women writing in here is, as it is of my own.
Thank you.
Semper fi,
Vern on April 10, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Hope Casey got the Medal of Honor. He earned it.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:21 pm
There were no medals of honor to come out of the company.Reply
There was only brutal combat day in and day out…night in and night out.
There was heroism in loads but there was no recording of any of it to speak of.
And heroism, to those who were out there, is something more of perspective than of reality….
Semper fi,
Please leave a comment on Amazon if you can.
J on April 13, 2017 at 8:18 pm
It would seem that in one of your comments, you indicated that the brass came to visit you in the hospital in Japan, but you refused to talk with them. That being the case, you could have revealed to the brass, all of the heroism that you had personally witnessed in your company.Reply
Chief on April 10, 2017 at 8:57 pm
I am assuming that the fast movers are coming in from offshore in the South China Sea? Often not fast enough, unfortunately. Keep it together, LT!Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:47 pm
Accurate, Chief. There's only one way you probably know that.Reply
About how slow it is in getting fast movers or the oxymoronic nature
of the phrase. An hour and a half can be forever in combat on the ground.
Like with the tank there were only moments and seconds…forget hours.
thanks for the intelligent comment and your support. Please leave a review on amazon if you can figure out how to do it!
Semper fi,
john kimble on April 10, 2017 at 8:05 pm
Keep the days a coming. My eyes light up with anticipation when I see another installment.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:48 pm
Making your eyes shine…well, that's what I live for these days John Kimble. In return, go on amazon and leave a review of the book, ifReply
you would. Thanks for the compliment and the sense of support I get from your words…
Semper fi,
Nicole Plummer on April 10, 2017 at 8:01 pm
Hi James,
Great segment.
Found only one typo this time. 🙂
– 'Your company commander again, sir," Fusner stated. 'Your' should be 'You're'
Looking forward to the next installmentReply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:51 pm
Working away on it Nicole…and thank you for the compliment and also the editing.
Much appreciate you and a few others who write in and help me get it as right as I can before
the next round of the printers.
Semper fi,
PS If you haven't done a review on amazon, well, I'd really appreciate that. They won't promote the book unlessReply
we have a ton of comments on their site…
Tim Rodiek on April 10, 2017 at 6:55 pm
Outstanding job. I feel like I am back in he bush right next to you.
I gave you an excellent comment and stars about 2 days ago. Please
keep em coming!!
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:24 pm
Thanks a ton Tim, the comments on Amazon mean more than we know…or at least that's what the I.T. guys say.Reply
Thanks for the purchase and for the compliment! And then there's the comment.
Semper fi,
Bill Youngren, Maj, USA (ret) on April 10, 2017 at 6:41 pm
Men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for less than Caseys did.Jim, if it were me, I would find another witness and present this to the commandant of the Corps with a recommendation for the MOH.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:26 pm
What witness? You have to be alive to witness.Reply
Thanks for you meaningful and well meant comment.
In the real shit there is no heroism, there is only survival and perspective.
How do you see it? How was it really? How do you know?
Thanks for the comment and the support.
Semper fi,
J on April 13, 2017 at 8:20 pm
You were a witness to Casey's heroism James!Reply
Jim Flannery on April 10, 2017 at 6:19 pm
Jim, I will be needing the address to send my newly arrived paperback version for a signature of a brave man, even when he was terrified….or still may be at times..I know the demons still lurk.Reply
SSGT Jim Flannery
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 7:02 pm
Thank you you .
Best address is
507 Broad Street
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Semper fi,
JRW on April 10, 2017 at 6:18 pm
I have an RV. Just find me a place to park. Without a 50 amp connection means no AC or microwave! No damn C-rats either!Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Now that's cool. I have given this some thought. Lebanon has nothing.Reply
218 people without a town, really. We need something close by with a bigger base
of services but not too far away because the concept is so cool.
Nobody's done this to my knowledge and vets getting together like the bikers do at Sturgis might be so cool,
no matter what the reason we dream up!
Semper fi, brother
And we gotta have air!
Chuck Bartok on April 10, 2017 at 11:01 pm
I am really keen on the possibility of a "Gathering of the Tribe" somewhere in Mid-America. I am amazed at how this Tribe has grown and the sincerity of al involved. I can just imagine the shared experiences around the 'camp fire'Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 12:02 am
I think it would be wonderful to have a bunch of the people on here get together andReply
simply breathe, smile and live for a bit in synchrony and harmony. We are the world. We are the children…
ed evans on April 11, 2017 at 6:15 am
Could you consider Salina, Kansas? It is fairly close and a town of some substance, I believe.
Another fist clenching read. Already got your book and left 5 star rating.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:18 am
Salina it is. I think you are right. I looked on the map. Now I just have to find a place.Reply
Some place that has good quarters for staying there and also a place nearby where we would
meet in the open and have the guys who bring campers or whatever. Maybe only end up with
three of us there, or so.
Semper fi,
Nancy Henderson on April 11, 2017 at 6:11 pm
Thinking, if the word gets out, it will be more like Vietnam Veteran's Woodstock.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 6:56 pm
Well, Nancy, getting the word out has proven to be a monumental task. The book is finally on Barnes and NobleReply
and the print version too. Nook. And all that jazz. It will be grand to go to Kansas and have anybody at all
show up. It's like getting comments on Amazon. We've got 65 but it's hard because it takes time and trouble,
and also membership in Amazon (you have to have spent 50 bucks with them). But, the foundation of foundational
solid vets is certainly living and breathing on this site….and I love that. So, I will be going to Kansas
even if it's to sit under a tent (with a fan, of course) sipping some sort of local root beer (bottle only) and
reflecting on life itself…
Nancy Henderson on April 11, 2017 at 7:28 pm
If I'm smart enough, you may get another review from a guy named Frank but remember the if part, Great news about Barnes and Noble. Nook is great news too.Reply
Amazon what a money game they are playing. A person who buys a book should be able to review it, no matter what they have spent there. I will probably have to tell them that, of course, in my best Nancy "Lou" style.
Keep writing, God has purpose for you, Jim.
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 7:57 pm
I am continuing on, my dear. The money and the games about money go on.Reply
Although American's will never admit it the U.S. is loaded with Nigerian
scams right at home. Most of them are legal. The airlines charge you for
baggage! Oh come on! Banks make you overdraft by the way they handle
deposits and charges, and than soaks you with expenses they never have.
And so on. Amazon is a company. Company's are by their nature not nice.
Check out United Airlines if you want a graphic representation of that
on this very day. But thank you, for keeping me going…
Mike Adair on April 10, 2017 at 4:56 pm
James, another great piece. I bought the book but where do I go to make a comment with Amazon that you are talking about. I'll be glad to do it. We need more work like yours. Semper Fi.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 5:42 pm
Click on the book and then scroll down to the comments. There will be a button there for youReply
to hit and then make a comment. Be aware that Amazon will not let you make a comment until you have
spent at least fifty bucks with them. I do not know why that is but then I don't know how they manage
to collect fees for checked baggage on airlines or sell water when water is basically free. Real life.
Thanks for doing this, by the way. It means more than I would ever have thought…
but I'm learning as we go and then writing about it.
Semper fi,
Roy Jones on April 10, 2017 at 4:40 pm
Damn, James! What you lived thru in just this night was worse than all of my nights in the bush combined. Love the reads. Love the truths. Love ALL of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. I treated at least one of each of all of the branches over there, there is no difference between us, we're all Brothers in Arms.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Roy, it was one hell of a ride, that's for sure. I always thought it wasReply
only operational to me, only to discover that a lot to the combat veterans lived this
rush of emotion, violence and awful terrorizing pain like I did. I always thought it was only me.
Thanks for the comment and for the support.
Semper fi,
Luigi on April 10, 2017 at 4:12 pm
It's about time that division realizes that you and your company are in some deep shit , and you just might need some help.Thank God for Cowboy.semper FiReply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 6:03 pm
Battalion, Regiment and Division were like worlds removed back then.Reply
To live in the rear while in the Nam was a different world. There were
clearly two separate existences over there. Most men and women served in
the rear, and so many didn't even realize they were serving in a rear area!
I just met a retired shrink this morning who said he was sent to Vietnam
after getting this Ph.D and then attending language school in Monterey.
He said he was in combat. I asked him which combat unit he was with.
He was staff at a place called Long Binh, helping vets who were in mental
trouble and his biggest complaint was that he never got to speak the language
he'd taken so much trouble to learn. He really believed that because he was
in a combat zone and dealt with the combatants that he was a combat vet…and
he got his combat action ribbon too.
Just the way it is and was…
Semper fi,
Al on April 10, 2017 at 4:08 pm
A spellbinding segment Jim. I'm trying to figure out how to get the book and leave a positive comment. I will prevail….Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Really appreciate your efforts here. The comments mean and ton and buying the book isn't tooReply
shabby either! Thanks for that. Semper fi,
JT on April 10, 2017 at 4:06 pm
Cap guns and rubber bands. Love the comment. Your still in deep, deep shit LT, I can see it coming.Reply
Ordering the book and will certainly leave a review.
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Thanks a whole lot for the review. I'm not sure what the hell they really mean.Reply
Amazon is going to help us get more popular as a book? Really? I mean, really?
These same kinds of people gave Obama 60 million as a book advance. I spend my
disability money to produce this book. Really? I mean, really?
Thanks for your help though. I love reading the reviews. They keep me going.
And, in truth, I don't give one shit about the book publication business or the
people who run it.
Semper fi,
Tom P on April 10, 2017 at 3:45 pm
I called Casey correctly. Your narrative isn't predictable, people and stimuli are.Reply
My review on Amazon was published, I just need to research the format I want to purchase. Keep up the good work and the catharsis.
Craig on April 10, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Uh-huh! Waiting until I move from Oklahoma to Ohio to meet in a cornfield in Kansas!Reply
Really enjoying reading the Second Ten Days. Left you a nice 5-star review on Amazon.
Casey does amaze me. TBI, and yet goes out to blow the tank away. Became not so much a candy-ass after all. You have some really great comments popping up here, and you still take time to respond to each and every one.
Bless you, James.
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Thanks for the comment Craig and really the one on Amazon too. Those comments are going to meanReply
something too, although nothing can ever compare to the comments I have received on here. The finest most
contemplative and meaningful of my life. No wonder I answer them all. I am compelled by the people making them
to. Thank you for noticing and for the compliments.
Semper fi,
Kathi Desko on April 10, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Just a quick correction: "Roger, Flash, your registered, …It should be "you're".Reply
I check every day for another chapter & am heading to amazon to put a review of the first book on there. I got the kindle version but may have to get the hard copy just so I can get your autograph on it. Thanks for writing this out, despite how hard it must be for you.
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Always appreciate the TEAM out there with your sharp eyes.
Thanks Kathi.
Most of writing is at night and I do typo 'occasionally' ~~smile
Mark on April 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm
Outstanding writing again…and Casey turned out to still be a marine to core even though he was not all there…he still had the foresight to bring illumination and then he took out the tank for you and made the ultimate sacrifice…I wouldn't beat myself up about the fuse. I don't think he was in the state mind that he would have understood anyway…I believe he just reacted to the situation because of all his training. Anyway another great segment…I look forward to the next again…Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:53 pm
Thought about the fuse over the years. Strange things that are so easy to overlook. Back hereReply
something for dinner gets missed. Over there the C.O. gets killed. Thanks for your compliment and make sure to leave an amazon
comment if you haven't already.
Thanks for your help.
Semper fi,
Randy on April 12, 2017 at 6:39 pm
I figure he knew exactly what he was doing. James great read, I try to promote it as much as I can. I will try to post a comment on Amazon.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:28 pm
Thanks for the effort to post a comment on Amazon. It's a big dealReply
and we need your help. I know you know. Thanks for the compliment and for liking the story too…
and for taking the time to write about it here…
Semper fi,
Roger Kemp on April 10, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Silver Star! Hell that was the fabric MOH's are made of! I hope his real name is on that list as his name is on the Wall!Reply
Am pretty certain he was lucid enough to know that was a thirty second fuse he lite off. The same as to his ability to operate illumination grenades and the LAW! That proved to me that even wilth a serve concussion Casey he was more oriented than most thought.
You both had sand LT.
Ck 6 LT. The Gomer's world is about to be rocked as yours maybe too…
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:55 pm
Yes, in spite of the intensity so far, things are indeed about to ramp upReply
a bit. Those were such stunningly vibrant and wildly dangerous days and nights.
Thanks for the comment. The really big decorations are so political that I do not believe
in them anymore.
Semper fi,
P.S. please leave a comment on amazon if you haven't yet. 51 to get to the moon or whoever the
hell this crazy book think is going.
Semper fi,
Rick on April 10, 2017 at 1:21 pm
Love this book. I did the "first ten days" online and then bought the kendle version. The re-read has been really great because I seem to have missed a lot on the first reading. This is one spectacular account of amazing men . . . Like all of your other loyal readers I want you to write faster. The fourteenth day was . . . You and the other warriors around you are and were amazing.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Thanks Rick, If you didn't leave a comment then please do so now. Apparently,Reply
they count the comments you get very heavily early on in order to promote the book.
Just learning all this though. Such a complex and arcane business! Thanks a million and
I am writing away this afternoon and evening to get the next segment up on the website.
Semper fi,
Rick on April 10, 2017 at 2:45 pm
I just posted on Amazon. James, I read a lot of books but this is the first time I've ever posted a review. At this point I'll do anything I can to support you. I don't want you to have any distractions that might slow your writing process.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 2:42 pm
This is motivation not distraction. I've never associated with a finer lot in my life than I've found here.Reply
If we pull off this whacked out meeting of whacked out guys and gals in Salina on the 4th of July, well, it
would be an honor to thank you in person and shake your hand.
Semper fi, and thanks in writing here…
Mel Fuelling, 1LT, Ordnance 66-69 on April 12, 2017 at 9:02 am
You are ahead of me. I have to read each new posting three times to soak it all in, but it does give me the chance to go over the new comments each time.Reply
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 9:36 pm
Mel, go online and access Amazon and leave a review of the book, if you can and will.Reply
Thank you for your comment and thanks for being so steadfast in reading the story.
Semper fi,
Kimball Dhillon on April 10, 2017 at 12:19 pm
Hello Jim, been reading since the beginning. First comment. Incredible story, well written. Missed the draft by a few years, served in the Army later. Had 2 uncles and some friends who were there. Got a few snippets over the years, but not much. I salute your candor. I know that this is probably not easy for you to write, but think it is helping many, as can be gleaned from some of the comments. You've got sand, LT. Book ordered, comment left.
Semper Fi
Kimball DhillonReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Thank you Kimball. Thanks for the loyalty in the following of the segments as they have gone up.Reply
When I started I think I used to get about six or seven comments a segment. Needless to say, that's changed a bit!
Please leave a comment on Amazon for the new book, since it's out and early comments have real meaning in order to get
Amazon itself to support the thing.
Semper fi,
Roger Kem[ on April 12, 2017 at 8:17 am
Yes we can discuss that topic (decorations and awards) over multiple beers. Won't solve the nepotism of favored rising stars controlled by sitting stars being awarded career advancing decorations though.Reply
Ck 6 LT. Heat is coming.
James Strauss on April 12, 2017 at 8:36 am
Roger, I appreciate the warning. When I dug out the old manuscript I'd written back in 1970
I sat with it for awhile. I understand full well the implications in publishing such a story.
It does not fit the mythology and it will rankle many in the establishment of the current
military complex to the point where they will come at me eventually if the books become
a success in reaching a lot of people.
Having primarily established something of a 'following' here
and on Amazon with aging combat veterans the current risk is low.
Nobody really wants to hear very much from the real veterans because it's simply not that kind of world.
It is more fun to watch Arnold or Sylvester play military combat superheroes in
fanciful rolls in outrageously inaccurate movies.
Thank you for caring.
I was my own form of idiot-savant in Vietnam because I had certain talents while at the same time I was totally
unprepared for that reality, way too young in every way, and terrified near to death.
I realize that 'confessing' some of those errors in the books can be problematic.
And I know that I will face substantial criticism unless the books just quietly go nowhere.
I think my friends and family who care about me secretly hope the books will indeed go nowhere.
Thank you for the warning and thank you for really caring. You will note that when Veterans DayReply
falls again that they won't be having you or combat vets like us standing up to speak at local events.
It will be just like here. We will remain the creatures of the night back then
and now through the years of our time back home.
We are not to be brought out into the light of day…
unless we are needed to fight those demons who might come back to frighten again in that night.
I have come to terms with what happened and what I became.
No matter what happens, I have much treasured my association here with so many
whom I did not know really existed and if I end up at that humorous proverbial card table
signing a couple of my books for some of the guys here in Salinas Kansas on the Fourth of July…
what the hell, it will have been worth it.
The only shame is that I can't call in Cowboy and his Sandy for a dustoff.
Semper fi,
Dean Carter on April 10, 2017 at 10:54 am
We never encountered tanks in Ashua We heard them all the time. I probably won't sleep well tonight as theReply
Memories will hit big. But I still enjoy your writings. Semper Fi
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 10:03 pm
Please go to Amazon and leave a comment on the new book, as it is out now on Kindle and in paperback.Reply
Need the help to get Amazon's help. Thanks for the comment. I was as stunned to be confronted by the thing
as I was afraid. Thanks for your take from your own experience down in that viral living hell.
Semper fi,
Glenn Dyer on April 10, 2017 at 10:45 am
Just ordered 4 books! Will make the drive to stand with you and our brothers. We're 4 hours east, or I'd offer our corn field as "the field of honor".
Semper Fi,
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Glenn, I think we've kind of decided on Salina, Kansas. It's got the kind of services old peopleReply
like most of us might find necessary if not comforting. There are also people who might not have
a camper and many who will not stay in a tent! A lot of us left that kind of stuff in the Nam.
Thanks a million for the order and I am presuming you left a comment on Amazon. We've got 62, as of this
morning and are shooting for 122 by Friday. Tall order. It's hard to comment on there. Hell, it's hard to
qualify to comment on that site, but very necessary (they tell me). Thanks so much for your support.
Semper fi,
Albert Barros on April 10, 2017 at 10:39 am
The 4th of July sounds good to me! Never been to Lebanon, Kansas but I am willing to mount the hurricane deck of my Cayuse and come a whippin' and a spurrin' to get my book autographed and to shake your hand.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:11 pm
We've kind of decided on Salina, Kansas because Lebanon has nothing at all and mostReply
of us are, well, a bit past our adolescence. We need a modicum of services and comfort.
So, I will go about finding more about Salina and where we could have a place friendly with
rooms, an open field we can construct some tents on and room for bikes and campers. I don't
think there will be that many guys but what the hell, who knows. It will be grand if there are
just a few! I will bring the .45 I won in the Basic School and some other memorabilia adding
physical stuff to the story. Fun.
Semper fi,
PS I'm going to have Chuck dedicate a part of the website to the get together….
Hal Massey on April 10, 2017 at 10:23 am
I bought the book from Amazon based on the FB sections I read. It is awesome!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:25 pm
Have you left a review of the book Hal? Is't mighty important to me right now.Reply
They rank you on Amazon and then give you exposure based on how much people supposedly like you.
Help me out if you can. And thanks for buying the book and reading it!
Semper fi,
Karl Karl on April 10, 2017 at 9:50 am
Just a minor correction: The little had (hand) was at the bottom and the big hand near there too. Dawn was only half an hour away.Reply
LT, I spent time in the A Shau Valley, with both the 9th Marines and with the 101st on and off for a couple of weeks, As a member of the 3rd Marine Div Ground Surveillance Unit and as the sensor emplacement NCO my team of 4 were sent in to A Shau valley to set up sensors on some of the major trails that where discovered.
Your writing continues to bring back many memories, some buried for almost 50 years and resurrected only since I started reading your memoirs. Great job on telling your story. Semper Fi Lt.
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:19 am
Thank you Karl for the sharp eye and support.Reply
Correction so noted and executed.
Semper fi,
Brad Gallardo on April 10, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Wow what a night. I had big doubts about Casey in the beginning, but it's crazy how his injury tragically changed him, and turned into a tragic blessing so to speak. I suspect this introduction into what life is going to be like for the company in the Ashau may push the unit into a more cohesive unit just to stay alive.
And the real game is just getting started.
RIP Capt CaseyReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:57 pm
I liked to think by the 14th day that the company was already more cohesiveReply
than it was before. Hard to say then though, and not too easy today.
Thanks for your analysis and meaningful comment.
Please leave a comment on Amazon for the book if you can. We need that help.
Semper fi,
Ronald Awood on April 10, 2017 at 9:43 am
Two tours James. Last one not so good. Didn't think I would ever want to read a book like this. You have brought back many memories, good and bad. Semper Fi.Reply
Sgt. Ronald Atwood
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:16 am
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days is out on AmazonReply
and we need comments badly. Would love the help to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps…
Thanks so much for this comment Ronald. Real. And it makes me feel warm to know that I am able to
write this story and truly reach other vets and the people around them who want to understand better
why we came back so different. It's hard to tell the story yourself, if you've been through this kind of think,
and sometimes I have trouble too…especially where I find that I did not measure up to what I thought I should have
done or been. Thanks for the support…
Semper fi,
William Sapp on April 10, 2017 at 7:05 pm
Just received the two copies ordered last week. Great read as always. Teared up when Casey took off just knew it was not going to turn out for the good. Your style of writing makes for an understanding and sense of being onsite. The next ten days got a feeling are going to be just as tuff as the first.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 10:23 pm
There was no break, no breather and only a very occasional makeshift shower.Reply
That was the way it was and there was no changing any of it…only modifying bit parts in order
to enhance survival…or so it seemed from the inside..
Semper fi,
Please leave a comment on Amazon if you can William
Stephen Lucas on April 10, 2017 at 9:06 am
Golden Bell © 2012 w/m by Brady ToopsReply
There's a land beyond the river that we call the sweet forever
And we only reach that shore by faith's decree
One by one we all will get there passing thru the door of despair
When they ring that golden bell for you and me
Don't you hear the bells now ringing, don't you hear the angels singing out their tune
Tis' the glory hallelujah, the light of heaven shining thru ya so very soon
Just beyond that shining river when they ring that golden bell for me and you
We shall know no sin nor sorrow in the harbor of tomorrow
When our ships all sail beyond the earth beneath
We shall only know the blessings, no more doubt and no more guessing
When they ring that golden bell for you and me
And when our days shall know their number, when in death we sweetly slumber
When the King commands our spirits to be free
Nevermore with anguish laden, we shall reach our final haven
When they ring that golden bell for you and me
"High yo Silver, off into the color of night,"
RIP Captain Casey, Semper fi
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:28 am
By God, now that's a great comment Stephen.Reply
The poem sort of fits right up there above the phrase. Thank you for the association,
the deep thought and your traveling along with me on this strange odyssey.
Semper fi, and a big thank you…
Frank Walker on April 10, 2017 at 8:54 am
Early on you have the word burro instead of burrow.Reply
Great read about real shit though.
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:47 am
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days is out on AmazonReply
and we need comments badly. Would love the help to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps…
Thanks for the correction. Change made. What would I do without your guys as editors?
Semper fi,
Tony Beruff on April 10, 2017 at 8:16 am
I'm so sorry about Casey. Sad and exiting at the same time. Audie Murphy would be proud of you two.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:49 am
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days is out on AmazonReply
and we need comments badly. Would love the help to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps…
Thanks for you comment here and the comparison to Audie. Saw an old reel of him in the back of
a transport plane talking to a reporter. He talked like I do about what happened to him. The film
never made it to the public, of course. He was a great guy…and he paid the usual price…
Semper fi,
Fred on April 10, 2017 at 8:03 am
Can't say anything you hit a hard spot for meReply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:50 am
THIRTY DAYS HAS SEPTEMBER, The First Ten Days is out on AmazonReply
and we need comments badly. Would love the help to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps…
Thanks Fred…I think.
It was a hard spot for me too.
The thirty second fuse, the one I failed to tell Casey about, that was so hard through the years.
One little mistake, even though he might not have known
or cared anyway in his condition.
Still…. a hard one for me too.
Semper fi,
SSgt BobG on April 10, 2017 at 11:20 am
I was hesitant to make a comment on this chapter, even for editing, as this seems like such sacred ground with Casey's death. But you can't shoulder the blame, as a Marine, he should know not to activate the detonator and run around like that. Recall the mantra about the five second delay on a hand grenade, it blows in Two. He was in full warrior mode and not knowing the time of the fuse, activated anyway to make sure that it blew even if he was dropped.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 10:02 pm
So much you don't get to know in combat. I try to write what I think was in theReply
minds of the characters back then but there's no way to really tell unless they told me,
and Casey didn't make it to tell. What was in his mind is beyond me. I know the fuse thing wss
not my fault and I don't know why he pulled the igniter early. It also made him visible on his run.
the Fifty was still unmanned on top of the turret but there was plenty of fire still coming in from
across the river. I just don't know and will never get to know. frustrating.
Thanks for your comment. Please leave a comment on amazon for the new book, since it's out, and the early
comments mean a whole lot.
Semper fi,
Hampton on April 10, 2017 at 11:06 pm
Nothing good can come from charging a pissed off tank with a satchel charge..Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:21 am
Well, it worked out that night, except for the 30 second fuse.Reply
Thanks for the comment. I don't think there's much of anything more terrifying
on the battlefield for an infantryman than a battle tank coming at you.
Semper fi,
Please leave a comment on Amazon for the first book of Thirty Days Has September…please!
J on April 13, 2017 at 8:47 pm
No one but Casey could tell you what was running through his mind at the time, but one can surmise a lot by his actions that night, when you all were discussing taking out that tank.
Keep in mind that he wanted the Silver Star badly, but reasoned that it was not really his. He dwelled on that fact quite a bit, prior to the tank making it's presence known. That is an important factor when considering his later actions.
Casey was cognizant at the time you all were discussing how to take the tank out, when he injected the fact that it would be better to use the four laws on just one side of the tank, to take out the track. He later had enough sense to first take out the turret operator before charging the tank with the explosives. In his current state of mind, he had to know that if that tank made it up the bank, he and the rest of the company would be killed. In his mind, this was a sure way of becoming a hero and getting more then a Silver Star even if it was posthumously.Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 10:51 pm
There is little question that Casey was a helluva man in ways that were almost impossible to measure orReply
understand under those conditions. I try like hell to do what you are doing in this comment J, and doing well I might add, and
that is get inside the minds of the men who fought with me over there. That's were fiction comes in. I have to make decisions
about what they were think and also analyze what they were doing based upon my perspective than….and now. Helluva job.
I am struggling with 14th second for that very same reason right this night…
Thanks for the usual high level of intellect expressed…
Semper fi,
Jack Samson on April 10, 2017 at 6:30 am
.. I admire the pace you maintain Jim.Publishing the book, answering all these comments that you take time to respond to as well as writing these new segments. I once said your work was inspiring. This is what I meant. Hope you and the new book are doing well! Semper Fi Jim!Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:57 am
Thanks Jack. I am working it…this redemption thing.Reply
So many years ago, when I was pretty much down for the count on drugs and alcohol
this ridiculous hippy marijuana clown told me that if I went to work for God and did good things
like was in the bible then I'd be fine. I told him I didn't believe in God. He said it didn't matter.
It wasn't about God it was about me. He walked away. The God I did not and cannot fully believe in
had to have sent him. That's about all I Conclude as I pursue trying to perform this strange and compelling
work and love through to whatever end I cannot know about from where I am.
Thanks for your attentive care as I go along. Yes, I read and respond to every comment because that is the contact
for 'real' people I have been gifted. And I have accepted this gift, and therefore cannot but respond.
Semper fi, my friend,
Jack Samson on April 15, 2017 at 9:05 am
I'm humbled by your beautiful response to my comments Jim. Even though I somehow managed to delete the first half. This segment rattled me a bit I admit. I read it 5 or 6 times, beautifully written,terrifying and emotional. Truly great writing! No need to respond Jim!Reply
James Strauss on April 15, 2017 at 8:35 pm
Shit Jack, I enjoy responding to you. You are so well worded in your commentsReply
and so damned straight and true.
Thank you for that and thank you for the affection.
It can get lonely trying to get everything right in the story.
As right as I can make it. A local guy wanted to see my journals from the war but I refused.
I can't go there.
I write the books as fiction so believe what you want…
or not…
I appreciate you, man.
Semper fi, brother
Walt McKinley on April 10, 2017 at 6:29 am
You had really just "met" a hero and best friend when you lost him. The closest I got to combat stories from Uncle Ed was " you just keep shooting." He was on a .50 in S. Korea for the duration. What I see as bravery must just be have to in combat. More education in this few minutes than a lifetime. Thank you, thank them. The book's in the mail and a granddaughter will help me with the recommendation. Yeah, it does mean something now.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:59 am
There was something special about Casey but it was not revealed until he was hit.Reply
His ability to perform and to effect those around him (like me) was somehow increased
by a magnitude of ten. Time was so intense. Time was so short. And now time is so long…
and the intensity remains here, waiting for the color of night…
Semper fi, my friend,
J on April 13, 2017 at 8:53 pm
James if you want the color of night to come to an end, you can write up a recommendation for your Captain Casey to receive his just rewards. There have been many vets who have recently received their just rewards for heroism, that goes back to the Korean war. You were a witness to Casey's bravery and are still alive to tell about it in this story, so why not tell it to the Army Brass?Reply
Jerry Kimball RMC USN-Ret on April 10, 2017 at 4:38 am
I was a Navy Radioman, my LST carried lots of you Marines, your equipment and ordnance into harms way. I thank God that the Corpsman A school I wanted so badly to attend was full when I entered active duty in '63 or I could have been there in the valley with you. Near the end of the 4th paragraph – I believe you were trying to burro(w) under the bracken and brush.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the correction Jerry. And for the kindly comment. Have you gone on amazon and left a comment?Reply
I need all i can get right now in order to be picked up by the big boys. Or so they say. I would appreciate it.
Thanks for everything.
Semper fi,
Jerry Kimball RMC, USN-Ret on April 13, 2017 at 2:30 pm
I just left a 5 star review and bought the Kindle edition of the First Ten Days. I notice that you also wrote a book on The Bering Sea, which I would love to read. My family and I spent 2 years on Adak Island. We experienced earthquakes, tsunamis, wild weather and lived to tell about it!Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 11:05 pm
Yes, you will like the Bering Sea, another of my rather broken and busted CIA missionsReply
that I was able to turn into something of a success, even though I never retrieved my lost reputation.
I've found, however, that having no reputation is like having no credibility.
Quite freeing really, because you don't have to take such responsibility for things….
and also for keeping the secrets behind those things.
Thanks for the review and the purchase. Really~
Semper fi,
Joseph Guilbert on April 10, 2017 at 4:37 am
You know James, when I first started reading your book I was amazed at your situational awareness that came to you by providence or by instinct. Upon reflection you said Casey had become as though a child like savant. I thought about that. The distance he traveled in such a short time from the willingness to take another man's glory to so willingly and knowingly lay his life down for the company. Maybe after surviving the 105 fire for effect he saw the white elephant of death and fear and was somehow released of the baggage of his old self. He actually became the man fear had denied him. Truth be told, like some kind of premonition, he knew what had to be done and embraced the moment like a script. Maybe in some odd way he died so you could write this amazing story. Just my thoughts.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:30 pm
That's one hell of a sentence, that last one from the end. Is Casey gone because he being gone serves to allow me toReply
use him as a character in this work? Now that's some arcane kind of thinking. The answer, which you well know, is I don't know.
Life is so damned weird. I have been kind of shocked by how this whole comment section and the website itself have developed from nothing
at all five months ago. I spend every day answering fifty or sixty comments like your own. Before this started I didn't answer any in a regular day.
Thanks for the depth of your comment and the neat compliment buried inside it.
Semper fi, and please go online and leave a comment on Amazon for the book.
Ron Johnson on April 10, 2017 at 2:28 am
The depth of intrusion is horrific. You have climbed up their bloody asses and bitten them in their weak spot. I know their pissed. Great suspense building here, James. Give 'em a good bonk right on the head with Jacko and bite their morale off for breakfast. Hurrah.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:24 pm
If you haven't gone online and left a comment at amazon about the book then please do so.Reply
I would appreciate it no end Ron. Thank you for trying to understand Casey. I did not although
I came to love the child he became after he was hit. I wish I had the helmet but I do not.
Thanks for everything Ron, and you continued support big among all that.
Semper fi,
William(Bill) M. Monnie on April 10, 2017 at 12:12 am
As an accomplished and published writer, I can only marvel at your ability to weave narrative into a compelling story, something that has been beyond my reach. I bought your first book in the series the second it came out on Kindle not realizing that you were also publishing soft cover also. Guess I am going to have both because I am passing on the soft cover edition to my brother who served in Westmoreland's Intelligence Section in Saigon from the Summer of 1967 through July 1968. He did not see combat but was in Saigon for both Tet offensives. One of my best friends, Marine Captain Joseph Watson flew Huey's all during his deployment and upon returning to the States was assigned to the Unit that flew President Johnson's White House helicopters. What pisses me off is my brother and Watson both are experiencing health problems related to what I suspect are their exposure to Agent Orange. Watson has been bravely fighting bone cancer for the past two years.
When I open Facebook each day I search expectantly for a new chapter in your 30 days. Your writing is my literary adrenaline rush. Oddly or not the following quote about the metaphor of the leeches is one of my favorites.
I brushed the leeches off, almost absently, no longer finding them creatures of horror, so much as nasty little jungle critters, like the nearly ever-present mosquitos. I was in their home and they didn't like me any better than the enemy or most of my own Marines. But they wouldn't kill me. The enemy damn sure would. The Marines were a mixed bag when it came to that.
I did not expect Casey to survive given his seeming incapacity to assume command, but I was totally surprised by his "kamikaze" run at the tank.
My brother and I co-authored a book titled "The Lake Effect" ( https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Effect-Terry-Bill-Monnie/dp/1936615231/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491799661&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Lake+Effect+by+Terry+and+Bill+Monnie) where we chronicled our experiences in the 1960's, his in Vietnam and mine as a civil rights worker in the South. Brother Terry has said that he felt I faced more danger as a civil rights worker than he did in Vietnam. Even though the Klan had taken a "hit" out on me, I think his exposure to danger in
Vietnam was more serious than my own in the South. The story here for the two Monnie brothers is we entered adulthood embracing the values of our childhood which are extremely conservative. I will admit though my brother has proclaimed far and wide that my current political orientation is "to the right of Attila The Hun."
Regardless, Terry and I may have dodged the proverbial bullet in our early years, but you, Jim, dodged a multitude of bullets, grenades, friendly fire bullets, artillery, etc. I am a retired psychotherapist and am amazed you came through the travails of your early adulthood intact. Both Terry and I faced traumatic events, he in Vietnam and me in the South and we each experienced our so-called post traumatic repercussions. But as I read your writings I honestly am unable to fathom how I would have survived the events of your post Vietnam life had I been in your boots.
Keep on writing……
Warmest Regards,
William(Bill) M. MonnieReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:21 pm
Well, William, now that was one hell of a comment! You covered a lot of ground. I thank you for the compliment, coming from a fellowReply
writer of your obvious caliber. I am glad that you guys made it and no, there is no way to know if you'd have made it if you'd been me.
I came out of pretty specialized background (like the memory and fort Sill school) and was lucky as hell so many times. I should not be
here either. I much appreciate the depth of what you wrote about and I am certainly leaving up the link you connected. Thank you so very
much. I would hope that both you and your brother might go Online and leave a comment On amazon for the book.
I'd appreciate it a lot.
Semper fi,
Jerry Baustian on April 9, 2017 at 11:53 pm
"Your company commander again, sir," Fusner stated.
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:16 pm
Leave a comment on Amazon for the book, if you can Jerry.Reply
Thanks for the correction. We are on it this very minute!
Need the help of your editorial types.
Semper fi,
jimmy mac on April 9, 2017 at 11:48 pm
Jim ,its so very hard I think of Vietnam and my friends that didn't make it every day and cry on the inside and I wonder why Did I live and they didn't and the only answer I come up with is god must have a plan for me and I still don't know what it is after 47yrs so I just keep hanging in their waiting and trying to do the best I can without hurting anyone . PS never told this to anyone beforeReply
Semper fi and god bless
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:15 pm
Well, Jimmy, there are others reading this and a lot of them are just like me…and we know. We know it all and in more depth than youReply
might not wanted to write or reveal. We all live there like that. Some of us have gone pro-active and simply chased after doing misc.
good works in order to accommodate both conscious and make up for some things we got wrong…by accident and on purpose, of course.
You are here because you were meant to get this far. And now what? Maybe that is the biggest question we might all spend time on
if we end up in Kansas for the 4th of July. Maybe we don't want to go to something like that as much as we need to go to something like that.
Semper fi, my brother,
Butch on April 9, 2017 at 11:45 pm
Hated losing men, felt glad it wasn't me, guilty for that. Sad to depression that they just ended. No bags, on a hot LZ you just through them in any way they landed. When you talked about two dead on the hill, I would have been so very pissed, angry they got them selfs killed needlessly. Wasted life's, a consumable I could never use because it was just wasted . And all the haunting nightmares listed above.
Watch out fast movers are the natural hunters of Mud Marines!!
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:11 pm
Yes, to all of that Butch. Of course, having read what you've written before, I expect the level of intellect you presented…once again.Reply
I will comment later as we go past certain areas that I cannot entertain a priori. Your support and your warning guess are valid…
and I think you for them..
Semper fi,
Mike S on April 9, 2017 at 11:36 pm
To bad about the Captain, it could have been the best thing for him in his state of mind and with his brain injury. Men do things in combat that don't always make sense, they are just right to them at the time. Keep them coming Jim.Reply
Mike S on April 11, 2017 at 9:33 am
I posted the Amazon link on my face book page and the Que Son Valley Contractors face book page. I can try to get it posted on The Nam page next.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 11:12 am
Mike, you are a class act. This first few weeks of the book being out there apparently mean everythingReply
to the book possibly vaulting out into the mainstream public. I still wonder if non-veterans who haven't had
veterans in their families will have any interest at all…I don't know.
Thanks for your assistance here. It means everything…
Semper fi,
Mike S on April 11, 2017 at 5:17 pm
I posted the Amazon link on The Nam page. I hope they post it on there main site.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 6:58 pm
Thanks Mike. I much appreciate the effort. So many of the big sites will not post.Reply
They will take it under advisement but never post it because they want their own
message heard and not someone else's message. Like so many today, and another reason I answer all these
comments, they have become remote from the body of the membership they started out soliciting. They lost their way
as far as I'm concerned. But thanks for trying…and being my friend.
Semper fi,
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:10 pm
Yes, I fully understand all the analytical arguments about why I should not feel bad about Casey's loss.Reply
I know I should not. In so many ways. But then there's that late at night shit. The demons.
Thank you for agreeing with the intellect. I'm still working on that emotional center, as you probably know…
Semper fi,
Pete Billings on April 9, 2017 at 11:19 pm
Just checked and it is 782 mile from here. Little over 13 hour driving time. Kansas is some kind of hot that time of year as well. Spent 2 1/2 years there on Custer Hill.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:06 pm
Well, there are pluses and minuses for everywhere. Deadwood South Dakota is the exact center of the U.S. if you include Hawaii andReply
Alaska in the calculations. That would be cooler but would as many people be able to make it? I don't know. This is the like the book, in that it
seems to have a life of its own. Thanks for thinking about it and commenting here…
Semper fi,
Larry Goldsmith on April 9, 2017 at 11:11 pm
"Cap guns and rubber bands…."….damn straight….
the book should be here tomorrow….
It's a wonder to me that you ever sleep Jim…so many images and memories dancing around in that brain housing unit of yours…the same ones you used to try and keep locked behind squeaking old doors in the mind…and now you are revisiting them… offering cookies and milk to come out and reveal themselves to the world……."we' are grateful for the chance to see and hear those memories…..take your time Brother….we will be here….Semper FiReply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:41 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September,Reply
as it means a whole lot to have a significant number to be noticed at all…
Larry Wordsmith, it ought to be. Once again, I am impressed with the way you assemble
your meaning in sentences and paragraphs.
I don't compliment that uncommon ability lightly Larry.
Thank you for slicing right in and picking out
comments that have 'sand' as the Gunny said I had.
Cookies and milk. Who cannot love that?
Love you, man!
Semper fi,
Larry Long on April 9, 2017 at 11:04 pm
Wow! Just wow!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September,Reply
as it means a whole lot to have a significant number to be noticed at all…
Thanks Larry. Laconic. A lot of the 'real deal' guys are that way.
Deep and meaningful thought and I accept the compliment in the spirit you gave it…
much bigger than you wrote.
Semper fi,
Jimmie Lee on April 13, 2017 at 7:29 pm
Just ordered one of your books on Amazon.
I've read some of it online. I'll give a review when I finish but I know the review will be velly good.Reply
James Strauss on April 13, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Thank you Jim. Important right now, they tell me, although the world of publishing through AmazonReply
and B&N is still mostly mystery to me. Working a way at getting better at understanding and then doing the things
I have to do to get noticed.
Thanks for your support…
Semper fi,
Walt on April 9, 2017 at 10:56 pm
Here you come along, dropping these on-line episodes on us every few days feeding our new insatiable addiction. Lots of us are hooked on your writing.
Thrilled that your book (1st ten days) I bought online arrived in just one day! Rather shocked that it is 336 pages long! Forty six chapters! Did not realize the first 10 days had that many segments.
Just HAD to read your most recent post before I turned in tonight. I could not wait one more day to find out how you guys were going to deal with the tank heading across the river. Now, I can't wait to see what the fly boys will do to the NVA on the west side of the river. I guess it is safe to say the NVA won't be having their normal morning breakfast routine… Hope resupply choppers are right behind the jet air cavalry. Thank you for writing, and God bless…Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 9:25 am
Well we finally found it Walt,Reply
And thank you for your support.
This one was buried and I was searching name not email.
Semper fi,
Roger Wilson on April 9, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Even with a TBI,Casey had it in him .Once a Marine always a Marine. I hope someday I will know his real name for when I go to the wall.Company commander now sir as Fusner said . You know James ,I can't believe how blessed I was to not have seen the shit you did . Another good segment,thanks . Semper FiReply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:42 pm
Yes, Roger, he's there, although I can't use real names or they will certainly come for me.Reply
Hell, they may come anyway. Sometimes a prison yard with plenty of time and no cell phones
or news doesn't sound all that bad! thanks for the kind words and for the read…
Semper fi,
William Hamilton on April 10, 2017 at 6:16 am
By going to the wall to show respect for one man it shows respect for them all. I have been to the wall on several occasions it is a sobering experience,Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 10:05 pm
Could not agree with you more William. Hard visit to make.Reply
Please leave a comment on amazon if you get a chance, as the new book is out and I need
the early comments pretty badly in order to get their free help.
Appreciate your comment and your liking the story…
Semper fi,
John Marshall on April 9, 2017 at 11:27 pm
I've been reading your installments with great interest on a regular basis since I first came up them sometime last fall. In a long line of enthralling chapters this may have been your best yet.
Thank you sharing, and thank you for your service to our country.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:08 pm
The best yet, I keep getting that comment time after time. I'm highly complimented butReply
a bit scared too. How will my next segment play out? I have no idea. Oh, I know where the next chapter
is going. How could I not? I just don't really know how it will be received. Funny, but there it is.
thanks for the comment and the substantial support.
Semper fi,
DW on April 9, 2017 at 10:22 pm
Lieutenant, I hope you realize after reopening closed memories with this story, if you don't come up with another one, even the REMFs won't be able to save you..you will forever be forced to be a honey dipper…Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:30 pm
Well DW, this story isn't even half over yet, in of itself.Reply
Making one up might prove to be a bit tougher than trying to piece
back together what happened. But I sure love your sentiment and
your typical combat vet sense of humor. oooorahhhh brother
and Semper fi,
Michael Orsinger on April 9, 2017 at 10:20 pm
The little ha(n)d was at the bottom…
Bought a couple of the books one for old Alpha 2 who wrote you about the leeches.
Kickin' ass James!Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:34 pm
Thanks for the help Michael. I am on it. The book is out, as you know, and you bought a couple.Reply
I don't know what to say to guys like you. Thanks, not just for me, but the real guys who are in the book.
Strange that they'd like live again, but in a different way…with me, Junior, trying to reconstruct them like
they really were instead of how I wanted them to be.
Semper fi,
james Wojciechowski on April 10, 2017 at 1:00 pm
Ordering the book.Army medic,don't hold that against me!Got chills down my spine! Keep it up.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 1:14 pm
Medics and corpsmen. A special kind of man that it took and takes to do that job.Reply
More than a job…more like the intensity of intimate life force contact. Thank you
for choosing that and being what you are and have been. Thanks also for buying the book and
hopefully leaving a comment on Amazon. Apparently, they tell me that I have to get to 150 in a month
to be 'noticed' whatever that really means. Working away on the story…
Semper fi,
Jerry Crandall on April 9, 2017 at 10:14 pm
"Your (You're) company commander again, sir," Fusner stated.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September, as it means a whole lot to haveReply
a significant number to be noticed at all…
Thanks Jerry. It's the comments here that are the best edits. You guys catch everything and all we have to do
is make the changes. Thanks for the correction, the comment and following the story so intently and closely.
Semper fi,
Donald Capps on April 9, 2017 at 10:02 pm
I wasn't an officer, just a non-com, but I have watched helplessly as good men died, not able to do anything to stop it. You have the gift Sir, of putting your soul in these pages. I read your book. Hand Salute!Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September, as it means a whole lot to haveReply
a significant number to be noticed at all…
Well, that 'reading the hand' says it all. The top compliment. I cannot thank you enough.
I will retire with the writing of this comment to pursue my work the other's commenting here hold me to.
Semper fi, brother
Chris on April 9, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Wow. Speechless. I look forward to every post. Thank you for your service and willingness to share your experiences. My grandfather and three great uncles all served in the Guadalcanal campaign in different branches. They never spoke about what they went through. I had to learn of their experiences while doing research for my sins history project. Thank you again for sharing. Best wishes.Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:27 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September,Reply
as it means a whole lot to have a significant number to be noticed at all…
Thanks for the history of service your family has provided.
My Dad was Coast Guard for thirty and my brother bought it coming home from the Nam.
See if you might consider driving to Salina Kansas for the now upcoming "Vietnam Combat Rendezvous" on the 4th of July.
Talk about a bunch of wild and wooly whacked out veterans!
Semper fi,
DaveD on April 9, 2017 at 9:49 pm
Great read again!!Reply
Reread first book since up on Amazon
Appreciate it even more when able to read all together
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:23 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September, as it means a whole lot to haveReply
a significant number to be noticed at all…
Thanks Dave. I much appreciate your comment and your liking the work enough to write about it here.
Semper fi
Bob Bengtson on April 9, 2017 at 9:45 pm
Bob Bengtson on April 10, 2017 at 11:42 am
James, no need to publish my comment. The events in this chapter caught me by surprise and I could not help myself! I've been a student of history and have read many accounts of bravery in combat and Casey's actions are both inspiring and sad. Keep writing, you are inspiring all of us readers.Reply
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm
That's okay Bob, I have enough time to respond to comments and also to publish all of them.Reply
Comments, like the one you just made, are appreciated by everyone who comes on here to get the 'back story' of
the story itself. Or maybe that's the 'forward story,' I don't know. I am working on the 14th Second as
I write this and thank you Bob!
Semper fi,
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 3:20 pm
Please go to Amazon and write a review of Thirty Days Has September, as it means a whole lot to haveReply
a significant number to be noticed at all…
Thanks Bob, working my heart out to make it all right, or as right as I can get it.
Appreciate the short but meaningful comment.
And compliment.
Semper fi,
Tex Ezzell on April 9, 2017 at 9:40 pm
That didn't turn out just real good !! Didn't expect the Captain to deliver the C-4 , but not surprising!! R. I. P. Sir !! Keep it comlng !!Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Thanks for the comment here about that Tex. You are a class act. Nobody that night expected that.Reply
The Gunny sent him down with me and I took him down with me. Try to forget that sequence, and then he really didn't
know it was a thirty second fuse…although in his state I'm not sure he would have understood, anyway.
Thanks for the write up and go out and buy the book and leave a comment. One for Captain Casey because he sure
as hell deserved whatever we might be able to give him.
Semper fi, brother,
Pete Billings on April 9, 2017 at 9:30 pm
Dang a lucky shot to stop it midstream. Surprised when it got shut down like that it would be able to fire back up. I bet they didn't have any rounds left for the big gun was why it hadn't come into use. Guess we know now about Casey's fate. Hope the Sandys get them shut down long enough to get back to the company or can collect one of the LAW's to help guide the big boys.
My book should be here Wed. I did a 5 star review. Been sharing with some other vets as well.Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 9:38 pm
Thank you Peter! The review at this point and buying the book, of course, means everything right now.Reply
I think I'll call Lebanon, Kansas tomorrow, the geographic center of the contiguous USA and tell the mayor
of the 218 population town that I am coming on the 4th of July to have a book signing in a cornfield!
You will simply have to come Peter!
Thanks a million for the reading and the great support.
Semper fi,
Bob on April 9, 2017 at 10:20 pm
Did he miss something? Where did zippo end up?Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:32 pm
As is my custom on here, Bob, I don't forecast what's coming upReply
until the story unfolds…and nobody, but nobody is forgotten in this story.
It's just not possible, not then and not now, and not ever. Thanks for asking.
Don't forget to buy the book that's out now and leave a comment. I need the help
with Amazon.
Semper fi, my friend,
Pete Billings on April 9, 2017 at 10:36 pm
You come that close I will make the trip even though I am in Mississippi now.Reply
James Strauss on April 9, 2017 at 10:40 pm
I just got off the phone with Chuck and he's in for the July 4th book signing and get togetherReply
in the corn field outside of Lebanon, Kansas. I mean if some other guys want to show up.
I don't have an RV but I guess I could rent one because the population there is 218 and I got a feeling
that accommodations are a bit limited and sparse. No more of that mosquito and leech shit please!
We'll kick it around if some of the guys want to do it. Might be great fun and, in truth, might
make July 4th a great holiday instead of the rather blue day it usually is for me…
Thank you!!!
Semper fi,
D.M on April 10, 2017 at 12:11 am
James, you are one hell of an LT! I'm glad I missed the "valley." But, it would have been an honor to serve with your marines. Semper Fi and keep it coming. ( I really appreciated the Sandys).Reply
James Strauss on April 11, 2017 at 8:17 pm
D.M., you didn't miss nuthin there my friend. What a pit of vipers, literally!Reply
Thanks you for the comment. Please leave a comment on Amazon if you can figure out how to do it.
Need the help.
Semper fi,
Nancy Henderson on April 10, 2017 at 9:00 pm
You all should really make this happen and if need be I'll send bail money! Lol, just kidding.Reply
Gifted writing Jim, made me cry, that's a hard thing to do but the reality… Thank you for what you are doing for all Vietnam Veterans who are reading, their families who are reading and those who will read in the near future.
Two books arrived here Saturday and one went home with my oldest Grandson, one of four. Only Granddaughter is getting one too. Ordering four more tonight. God Bless and stay strong.
James Strauss on April 10, 2017 at 9:49 pm
You are a marvel Nancy. Some day I'll write an article about what keeps an author going,Reply
and there will be your name, right at the top. I cannot thank you enough for making me smile, laugh and even blush!
W.E. Sapp on April 15, 2017 at 8:06 pm
Jim, not only is the story you have to tell is riveting. The time you take to respond to the comments is a beyond words. I enjoy the comments as they tell so many stories they have been bottled up for 50 years. Had the opportunity to meet General Westmorland handed him his book Soilder Report he ask me if I learned anything? Response was yes. But he the part that struck me was when a vet would give company and year in country he would respond with something specific to that company and time. We had the oldest mess hall in the central highlands at Camp Holloway, he always ate there. He served his own plate then sat down and talked with the men. Did not agree with his philosophy on the deployment of men. But at that time I would not agree anyone. Will pass on the gathering this coming July but I will be there in spirit.Reply
James Strauss on April 15, 2017 at 8:26 pm
Thanks a lot W.E. I will miss meeting you, or at least I think so because I sure as hell amReply
not going to the middle of blown away corn Kansas and sitting there by myself!
Neat story about Westmoreland. Must have been so interesting to listen to him lay
out his war plan to regular guys. He seemed so stiff and unapproachable but I guess, like a lot
of shit that went on there, was not as it seemed.
Thanks for the comment and wishing me well…
Semper fi,
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