Military Writers Society of America

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Pennies from Vietnam: A Sister at home, a Brother at war by Tracy Smith and Larry Smith (deceased)

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MWSA Review Pending

 

Author's Synopsis

“It didn’t matter that we were in New Jersey in 1967 and 1968. Vietnam invaded us all.”

In this family story, over 70 letters from one homesick soldier tell the truth and trauma of a teenager in combat. When Larry Smith enlisted, he promised to send pennies for his little sister Tracy in his letters, and promised his mother to return home safely. But as Tracy started kindergarten and learned of war from the family television, Larry turned 19, battles intensified and his letters darkened. His promises were harder to keep.

For 12 months as a 1st Cavalry Crew Chief during the height of the war, Larry writes home with tales from his latest mission on his Huey helicopter ("I never had a new car, but I do have a '67 UH-1C"). Larry grows from a naive boy ("War is hell but the girls over here sure are nice") into a hardened man. He is silenced by the end of his tour of duty, and letters stop arriving.

Decades after the war, as her brother lay in a coma, Tracy Smith began to study the old letters, and found a boy she didn’t recognize. After years of research and finding her brother’s Army friends, she is honoring him in this bittersweet story of love in the middle of war. Pennies from Vietnam: A Sister at Home, a Brother at War is a parallel memoir, offering a unique dual perspective. Larry speaks for every soldier, and Tracy speaks for those left behind, waiting for answers.

Pennies from Vietnam makes a case for generational trauma: children don’t belong in combat, nor should they watch it unfold on television.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography

Number of Pages: 229

Word Count: 80,000