EHRENBERG, Ariz., June 4, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- It was January 1968. As the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies launch the Lunar Tet Offensive across the face of South Vietnam, a young Marine finds himself in a helicopter headed toward the demilitarized zone. He has no idea what's in store for him. All he knows is he wants to serve his country with pride and earn the right to be called a United States Marine.
In Arc Light (now available through 1stBooks) by G.V. Short, the author tells his own story, relating his experiences in Vietnam in unflinching detail. Initially assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at a place called Con Thien, Short experienced firsthand the horrors of modern warfare and what it took to survive them. For two months, his battalion was cut off from the outside world and forced to live underground as the enemy ambushed their patrols and bombarded their outpost. That was only the beginning.
"It is my intention to remind my generation and hopefully warn future generations of the futility of trying to solve our overseas political problems such as international terrorism, guerrilla resistance, or regional conflicts through force of arms alone. If Vietnam taught us anything, it's that civil and religious conflicts cannot be overcome by military means," Short says.
Short served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1967 to 1970. He received a degree in history from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his teaching credentials in 1976. After teaching history, political science and economics in public schools from 1976 to 1988, he eventually moved to the West Coast, where he is a teacher at the Department of Corrections near Blythe, Calif. His has a son, Jake, who lives with his mother in Denton, Texas.
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