A former Nebraska governor and senator traces his experiences as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam, which led to his being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, describing his sheltered childhood, his war-wound disability, and his search for the truth about his uncle's death in World War II. 100,000 first printing. "This is not the story I intended to tell." So writes Medal of Honor winner Bob Kerrey, whose youthful innocence died in the Mekong Delta one midnight in 1969. Kerrey, the former Nebraska senator, touched off controversy when, in 2001, he admitted to having taken part in a Vietnam War incident in which women and children had been killed. That terrible event stands at the center of this book, which, among other things, offers a sharp critique of the conduct of the war; Kerrey writes that it "could not be won because we focused too much on stopping communism and too little on building a free and independent nation." But Kerrey's absorbing memoir, written at a distance of four decades, touches on much more: the lost virtues of 1950s America, small-town life in the heartland, the nature of heroism and patriotism, the camaraderie and sorrow born of combat, and the need to remember the past. Joining the work of Tim O'Brien, Philip Caputo, and other eyewitnesses, Kerrey's account presents grim proof that war is "not what our slogans, propaganda, and childhood fantasies have taught us to believe." --Gregory McNamee A Vietnam War veteran, former senator from Nebraska, and current president of the New School University in New York City, Kerrey has written a deceptively simple yet powerful memoir. Prompted by a desire to discover the fate of an uncle who died mysteriously in World War II, Kerrey finds himself forced to confront his own life. He focuses on his tour of duty as a young navy SEAL in Vietnam and his recuperation from a serious leg wound. In response to recent public charges that he ordered his men to kill civilians, he blames himself explicitly for approving the mission and implicitly for not ordering a cease-fire when he saw that women and children were caught in the crossfire. (He does admit that his memory may well be flawed.) Kerrey concludes with a powerful dream in which he meets his dead uncle, who also made a bad decision, one that led to his death. In the dream, Kerrey confronts his own guilt. While some might find Kerrey's style a bit ordinary, its very straightforwardness and lack of flourish add to the power of the work. Highly recommended for all libraries. A.O. Edmonds, Ball State Univ., Muncie, IN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Kerrey is the former governor of Nebraska, former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, founder of a chain of restaurants, and the only living member of Congress to have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Yet most of his accomplishments are absent from this book, which chronicles his early years. Kerrey grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of a coal- and lumberman. He studied pharmacology, but Vietnam intruded on his career, and he wound up in the navy. Kerrey volunteered for the SEALs and was sent to Vietnam in 1968, where he lost part of his right leg and was discharged. The book ends with him receiving his Medal of Honor. Kerrey recounts his war experiences vividly, but this is really a story of growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, of postwar America and the cold war, of a working-class family and a boy waiting to become a man. Unlike so many politicians' memoirs, this one is refreshingly honest and a genuinely good story. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "I can't think of another book that so eloquently and honestly explores the complicated, bittersweet, and often--perhaps inevitably--anguishing romance between one good man and the myths of what we now call "the American century." Bob Kerrey has taken his own life as a hero, shaken it down and out, and produced a memoir of great grace and understanding." --Jane Kramer, author of Lone Patriot (forthcoming from Pantheon in June 2002) -- Review Bob Kerrey, former Nebraska governor and senator, is now president of New School University. He served with the elite Navy SEAL Team, and is the only living member of Congress to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. A self-made businessman who, upon returning from the war, built a chain of successful restaurants and health clubs, he is the father of three children and lives in New York City. Bob Kerrey, former Nebraska governor and senator, is now president of New School University. He served with the elite Navy SEAL Team, and is the only living member of Congress to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. A self-made businessman who, upon returning from the war, built a chain of successful restaurants and health clubs, he is the father of three children and lives in New York City. 1 ONE SATURDAY AFTERNOON in the spring of 1954 when I was ten years old, I discovered