The Fortunate Son

The Fortunate Son recounts the parallel lives of an  army brat and a group of Vietnam veterans who intersect decades after the war.  The veterans open up to me, the army brat, perhaps in a way they never have  with their own families. Why? Through my father, Top, their First Sergeant, we  have a common link. Over the years, we've gotten to know each other. They begin  to understand the sacrifices of an army family. But, more importantly, they  want me to understand how our family's sacrifice and my father's tour of duty  in Vietnam with them, in the jungles, gave them confidence to believe they  would make it home alive.

The Fortunate Son is not about a single battle or a  single soldier's tour of duty. You will meet us, learn something about us, and  get a glimpse of our lives during the war years. You'll find out why half a  century after that tour of duty ended, we remain bound together. If you've ever  been in the military or part of a military family, you'll know that we all are  bound together. For those who find the military to be foreign and unknown, our  story may help you to understand why it binds so many together.

Fourteen of these soldiers have shared their stories. Their  stories describe two life transitions—first from civilian teenagers or young  men to combat grunts trying to stay alive in the jungle—and then back to  stateside life. What happens between these transitions, as they slog through the  jungle day by day paints their portrait of Top, my father. Now, I appreciate  why they remain bound together half a century after their tour ended. Their  stories are an unexpected gift that bestows new insight to me on my father. So,  as you read and "listen" to these soldiers' stories, both what they say and how  they describe Top, you understand why I've learned that I am The Fortunate Son.

Author Timothy Trainer is an army brat, born into the Army  in Japan and was a high school junior when his father retired from the Army. He did not arrive in the United States until he was past his  fifth birthday. After arriving in the United States, the Army life meant living  in various parts of the United States, on and off post, depending upon his  father's duty station.

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