No Cats in Vietnam
The Memoir of a Straightleg Engineer
by
Book Details
About the Book
No Cats in Vietnam, the Memoir of a Straightleg Engineer, is a memoir that really was begun as a response to someone’s suggestion. I swear. I have thought from time to time of writing something longer than a newspaper article on subjects ranging from Vietnam to gun control to Conflict Resolution, but this has seemed a necessary first step. Besides, I can get away with writing about my own life when that might be an impossible task on some other subject. It is “good training,” as I was told many, many times in the army. Seriously, folks, this is my autobiography, with as many warts as I can stand. I make no claim to be complete or completely honest. This is simply the way the book turned out. There were things I chose to omit, and I know there will be people who will take offense, but that is the way this book has to be. I have gone back in time as far as I could go without resorting to hypnosis to help me recall things that are only shadows. I have actually contemplated doing this, especially to bring back a few hours of my year in Vietnam, but it has not been recommended to me. I leave it at that. Without recounting the entire tale, I should say only that this book is an account of my entire life up until now, with as much accuracy and humor as I can muster. If anyone’s life is interesting, mine should be; I have been enough places and gone through enough excitement and pain to make it so. Enjoy.
About the Author
Bayard is a Delawarean, living in Wilmington now in a state of retirement. He has led a checkered life, from student to architectural student, to apprentice, to soldier, to photographer, back to architecture, back again to student, to photographer once more, to retired and doing volunteer work, especially in the Peace Movement. This is his first attempt at something both written and longer than a newspaper article.