Tested in the Fire of Hell

About the Book

Although many young Americans are highly trained to be skilled soldiers, they have little or no training in dealing with the realities of combat. They have not been trained to deal with the consequences of war, namely: psychological injuries, deaths of close friends, and the betrayal of what is morally right. All this has lead to soldiers experiencing a spiritual death and emotional numbness. The church and the government have ignored the soldiers who have been acting out. “Silencing the survivor”, is not working, too many soldiers are suffering and it is time for the church and government to aid these heroic warriors. This is a personal story of my struggle with my conscience and what I was asked to do. It is a story of my battle with the psychological consequences of war and the spiritual battle that took place within my soul as I tried to recover from the horrors of war. I in hope that it will help other young men and women deal with the realities of war.

About the Author

Richard James Vnuk was born August 22, 1943 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the son of Orlean and Marvin Vnuk. His youth was cut short when he was drafted to fight in Viet Nam. While training for war he made an agonizing decision to go AWOL because his conscience was telling him that something was wrong. Rather than dishonoring his parents he returned to the Army and in 1967 became a reluctant warrior. After the war everything about Viet Nam was hidden away in the subconscious. He graduated from college, became a teacher, husband and father. Later in life, received a degree in religious studies. Suddenly, Viet Nam resurfaced; a great desire for the truth about the war was developed. He returned to Viet Nam in 2007and as a volunteer teacher and made peace with Viet Nam. His family sponsored a young Vietnamese student to study in the USA. She currently lives with the author’s family and attends college.