Once A BOy
Paul Gardner, Author and Vietnam Vet
In Once a Boy Paul Gardner reveals in dramatic detail his harrowing accounts as a young, wide-eyed enlistee thrown into the combat zone in Vietnam in 1967. Gardner shares with the reader his fears, insecurities, and his resolve to stay alive. Imbued with raw humanity, his vivid descriptions of intense warzone chaos and survival are bound to leave an indelible mark on readers.
Many readers who might feel politically and morally unsympathetic to those men and women who fought the North Vietnamese will doubtless gain a wider perspective and a newer appreciation for what perils American soldiers had to go through, in particular, young servicemen barely out of high school. Not only did they have to face a fierce and deadly enemy, but they had to do so knowing they had little support from Americans back home.
Gardner, a helicopter gunship gunner, was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism in April 1968. The author also shares his profound insights into the real challenges that so many who suffered PTSD experienced upon their return home in the aftermath of the war.
“Your purchase of Once A Boy helps raise funds for HUGS Foundation, Inc.! When you purchase my book, I donate the entire purchase price to HUGS Foundation, Inc (not just the proceeds but the entire purchase price!) Thank you for support.” - Paul G
When you purchase a book, the author donates the entire purchase price to the HUGS Foundation for children in need.
The volunteers of the HUGS Foundation, Inc. travel to Ecuador, Vietnam, and Guatemala to provide free surgeries for cleft lip, cleft palate, microtia, cleft rhinoplasty, and other congenital facial deformities.
Dr. Vito C. Quatela, MD, FACS, President and Founder of HUGS Foundation, high-fives a happy patient.
“Trips with HUGS have become the highlight of my year. Seeing a team of people come together to help others for all the right reasons is the reason I became a doctor. The patients and their families are so kind, welcoming, and appreciative and it makes me want to do this forever. Missions with HUGS change their lives, and mine, for the better.” - Dr. Sara Neimanis, HUGS Foundation, Rochester, NY
About Paul
Paul Gardner’s account of his Vietnam experience comes courtesy of a detailed memory that lingered for years and then found its way onto paper and is now ready for you to experience. Once a Boy highlights the perils of a young American boy and what our government and military leaders expected of him.
The author wishes he could have reproduced the unforgettable sights, smells and sounds of this foreign country that only another Vietnam veteran could likely recall. Nonetheless, the memoir details the daily, life-threatening hazards of a war zone far away from home while dealing with the tragic toll suffered by young men at the hands of an enemy that our boys knew so little about.
Once a Boy is an experience which all Vietnam veterans can claim to have shared. The characters, time, place and stories will vary, but the haunting reality of a place called Vietnam and its impact on those individuals who fought there and the country they served still lives on.
