# What was it really like to serve in Vietnam?



## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

M.J. Rose  10.09.01 

Along with the likes of best-selling authors Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough -- whose works were nominated for Wednesday's Frankfurt eBook Awards -- is an author who's only sold eight copies. 

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, a non-fiction work by Paul Clayton, was rejected by traditional publishers before being picked up last year by Electric eBook Publishing.

Clayton's publisher, Shannon Mobley -- half of a husband-and-wife team that works out of their house -- entered the book in the Frankfurt competition. To the shock of many, including those involved in the selection process, the book was nominated for a prize.

Peter Mollman, director of judging for the awards, said he was surprised to discover the background behind Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam.

"This really does illustrate how carefully and fairly each title was evaluated," he said. "And that’s part of the beauty of judging e-books -- you are just looking at the screen and on that screen is the quality of the writing and nothing else." 

'Nuff said,' Paul Clayton


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

I liked this one a lot.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A Sparrow,  thanks for your public endorsement.  I do appreciate you helping me get the word out.  Best!
Paul Clayton, the author


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

I apologize for the brevity of my review. I just wanted to second the motion.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Just a quick word to ask everyone to remember our vets and soldiers on Veteran's Day.  The recent attack in Fort Hood is just another reminder that this war is here, no longer over there.  I send my love and best wishes to all our defenders and may we get our house in order here so they can relax when they're home and not have to watch their backs.  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I just got my print rights for Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam back from the publisher. This is one of those sweet and sour moments. So I'm just gonna concentrate on the sweet part. I'll be looking for a publisher that does reprints in paperback (anybody have any suggestions?) and if I can't find a good deal that way I'll go back to POD.

Meanwhile, this fantastic book is available in Kindle for just $2.39. Read Red Adept's review if you'd like to know what to expect.

Best!

Guess Who. (The link below is to the hardcover. But on that page is a link to the Kindle version)

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Just a little bump to let people know about a fine little book.  Check out the review on Red Adept's review blog.  BTW, now that I have the print rights back, anybody know any good 'reprint' publishing houses?

Best!
Paul Clayton, author


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

Just got a sample.  Thanks.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Mlewis, thank you for taking a look.  A flutist, eh?  My daughter is a flutist and I take her to her lessons on wednesday.  I'm always trying to turn her on to James Galway and also the album, Aqualung (can't recall the Brit band's name).  I hope you like Carl Melcher.  Google, "Eight Copies Sold is Enough" by M.J. Rose to get a little background on a little book that could and did.  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Just a little bump to let people know about my book, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam. Check out the review on Red Adept's review blog. I hope you'll give it a try.

Best!

Paul Clayton

http://www.amazon.com/Carl-Melcher-Goes-Vietnam-ebook/dp/B002KE5U/ref=pd_rhf_p_img_3


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Paul Clayton is no newbie to the ranks of Indie writers. In 2001, _Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam _ was named a finalist in the Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough. Read the original news release by another early Indy writer who broke out of the pack, M.J. Rose.

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/10/47391

Vietnam, 1968, Carl's first patrol&#8230;

Ron walked point as we descended the hill on the main trail. The guys talked softly and joked till we passed the OP and then we grew as quiet as the jungle. Tall, thick trees cut us off from the sun's light. On the valley floor the vegetation grew thick and the trail thinned. Our rucks caught on the vines and bushes which crowded together, fighting for the available light. Ron's course took us off the trail and we had to almost tunnel through a tangled mass of vines and elephant grass. It was rough going and both Beobee and Glock wondered aloud a couple of times if maybe we had gotten off course. Ron said nothing, ignoring their questions, as did Papa, not wanting to take sides. Mike was second in the file and angrily threw himself against the tall grass, mashing it down with all his strength as if sacrificing himself for any mistakes Ron might have made.

It was very hot. Every now and then someone would knock into a tree, and the bullhead ants nesting high inside it would drop onto our faces and down the backs of our shirts and bite stingingly like bees. The going got rougher and slower. I thought we were making too much noise, but nobody else seemed to care, so I relaxed a little. After an hour or so of fighting the brush, just getting out of it seemed more important than how much noise we were making. I relieved Mike as the 'masher-downer' and after twenty minutes I was so exhausted I could hardly stand. Finally we burst out onto a trail.

Ron knelt to consult his map. Mike and I flopped on the ground to rest, quickly breaking out our canteens. I was carrying five of them, and I drank half of one in a long swallow. Beobee came over behind Ron and peered over his shoulder at the map. Beobee pointed at some wavy lines of elevation. "You see, Ron, these here ridges all have trails. We could've taken this one to here, picked this one up, and been here nearly half an hour ago."

Ron turned his sweat-beaded face to him. "We're here, ain't we?" he said in a voice more exhausted than angry.

Beobee pulled out his handkerchief and ran it quickly over his face. "Yeah. Well, suit yourself. I was just tryin' to help, that's all." He moved away and sat down.

We moved out again. Glock took my place behind Ron and I went back to the middle of the file with Papa. They were keeping him in the middle to provide him a little extra protection. We humped along the trail without incident for another hour and then Ron's course again took us off the trail and into some more thick brush. We were bulling our way through that when Glock grabbed Ron from behind. Ron turned to him angrily. "What the heck's with you?" he hissed in a loud whisper.

Glock spoke softly. "Don't move, Ron. See that vine around your ankle? Booby trap! Don't move."

Ron froze. He looked like a statue carved from ebony wood. Papa, Mike and I backed away from him a little as Glock and Beobee inspected the bushes. Ron said nothing. He turned slowly round to look at us, his face sweaty and pained.

Glock and Beobee squatted down to look at something. I tried to see it but couldn't. I continued to stare and then it was just there, the way those optical illusions they have in the Academy of Science are suddenly 'just there,' after you've stared at them for several seconds. It was a big, ugly crossbow with a barbed arrow about five feet long, aimed right at Ron's gut. It looked like it could've skewered all six of us at once.

"Ron?" Glock said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Move to the side real slow. The trip wire's already engaged so there's no telling when it'll fire."

"What? When what'll fire? Dag!"

Papa, Mike and I watched, holding our breath, as Ron slowly leaned sideways&#8230;


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

In the year 2001, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the Frankfurt eBook awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough.  Sample it and find out why.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Time for a bump to tell the folks about the big little book that could and did.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful read.  Honest!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It's that time again to tell folks about a wonderful book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It's that time again to tell folks about a wonderful book!

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It's been a week.  Now it's time to tell folks about a wonderful little book, that went toe to toe with the likes of works by Oates, McCullough, Furst, Ghosh and other fine writers.  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Time to bump this and tell folks about a great little book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, it's time to again tell folks about a damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It's that time!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, it's been a week.  Time to tell the people.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A wonderful read for only $2.99.  Life is good!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it really like to be drafted and sent to Vietnam as a naive young man?  What were their odds of returning?  How many of them died over there every week?  What was it like?  Find out.  Go with Carl and the squad.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A fine book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, it's Saturday, and it's been a week, plus or minus a few hours, time to tell all the good Kindle folks about a great little book.


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## vminniti (Aug 26, 2010)

Looks great, best of luck!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

vminniti said:


> Looks great, best of luck!


Thank you!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I believe that, on average, about 250 guys were killed in Vietnam, per week, at the height of the war.  Here is a quote from the book, Carl reads this in the newspaper while he's..  Anyway, here it is: "With only 173 Americans soldiers killed and 818 wounded, the last week in August had been the lowest casualty week for any week in 1968." There were, I believe, about 1.5 to 2 million troops involved overall, most in RVN and in neighboring countries, carriers, support units in Japan and Thailand, etc.  It was a very big deal.  Carl Melcher was a part of that, a small part, but a part.  He was one of those faceless guys now hidden in the dusty old accounts, government records, and newspaper accounts written by people who had an agenda, rightly or wrongly.  What was that war really like?  Check out the book and find out.
Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Right around this time of year, in 2001, I was boarding a plane for Frankfurt Germany, because Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam had been named a finalist at the ebook awards.  At that time, hardly anybody was flying, but I was damned if I'd let the fanatics keep me away from this wonderful appointment.  I had fantasies of hanging out with David McCullough, Joyce Carol Oates, even Bill Cosby (a book he co-wrote was a finalist).  But of course none of these folks went.  Anyway, what an astounding thing!  If you look at the other books that were nominated and the publishing houses, the authors...  Mine was truly the only 'Indie' among them.  Check out Carl Melcher and see why.

Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam.  So can you.  For on $2.39!  Have a nice trip.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Time to tell the good readers about a great little book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it like to be a nineteen year old naif and be drafted and sent to Vietnam?  Go with Carl and the guys in his squad and find out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is hella late.  I usually post it on Sunday.  But here it is.  A damn fine little novel.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it like to go to Vietnam, when the peace talks were about to start, and you thought that it might be over soon


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

Many congratulations on what sounds like a book I have to read.  Good luck!

Joan Hall Hovey


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It was a long time ago when I got that call that my book had been named a finalist at the Frankfurt eBook Awards.  I was astounded and spent a week in a mild state of shock.  I'm still astounded when I look back on it.

Here's the original article by another Indie, M.J.Rose

Eight Copies Sold Is Enough
M.J. Rose  10.09.01 

Along with the likes of best-selling authors Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough -- whose works were nominated for Wednesday's Frankfurt eBook Awards -- is an author who's only sold eight copies. 

Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, a non-fiction work by Paul Clayton, was rejected by traditional publishers before being picked up last year by Electric eBook Publishing. 
Clayton's publisher, Shannon Mobley -- half of a husband-and-wife team that works out of their house -- entered the book in the Frankfurt competition. To the shock of many, including those involved in the selection process, the book was nominated for a prize. 
Peter Mollman, director of judging for the awards, said he was surprised to discover the background behind Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam. 

"This really does illustrate how carefully and fairly each title was evaluated," he said. "And that’s part of the beauty of judging e-books -- you are just looking at the screen and on that screen is the quality of the writing and nothing else." 

That's the kind of approach Clayton was hoping for. 

"I knew that the e-book world was looked upon as a sort of publishing minor league. But who cares? Good minor league players move on up to the major leagues," said Clayton, who is also the author of a mass-market historical fiction trilogy. "And a hundred readers a year was a lot better than none. It was either that, or just encase the book in concrete and bury it in the backyard.

"But in some tiny place in my brain I believed that if this Frankfurt thing was for real, and someone actually read the book, there would be some recognition, maybe not a finalist or a winner, but something, some kind words passed on, some scrawled comment of appreciation, an 'attaboy.'"


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

That's a great story!

We're pleased to have Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam as our KB Book of the Day!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

When Carl Melcher was young and not paying attention,
government drafted him with but one intention,
to send him to ‘Nam, to fight and to kill.
They gave him no choice, ‘twas the national will

So over he went, with thousands of others,
mostly white boyz with a sprinklin’ of brothas.
Thrown together in camps, with C-rations and guns,
They’d seek out the enemy, put ‘em on the run.

But there were more problems than the Cong, you see,
cause back in the States people yearned to be free,
from prejudice and fear, and discrimination’s woes.
Now some American soldiers saw each other as foes.

To tell you much more, would give it away.
I’d rather you download a copy today.
Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, and so can you
And you won’t need a gun, just a Kindle to view.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Thousands of unnamed soldiers now have someone to tell their story.  58,000 dead in Vietnam; hundreds of thousands wounded.  Your dad, your uncle.  What was it really like?  Find out.  Read Carl Melcher.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Peter Mollman, director of judging for the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, said he was surprised to discover the background behind Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (i.e., the fact that the book only sold 8 copies before being nominated along with John Adams by David McCullough’s, and Faithless by Joyce Carol Oates.)  “This really does illustrate how carefully and fairly each title was evaluated,” Mollman said. “And that’s part of the beauty of judging e-books-- you are just looking at the screen and on that screen is the quality of the writing and nothing else.”


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

No heroics in this book, no Sergeant Rock or Rambo, just a heartfelt, realistic account of what it was like to be an eighteen or nineteen year old American kid and be drafted and sent to Nam.  What to know what your father, uncle, friend's brother went through?  Check it out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl Melcher is still only $2.99!  One fine read for a helluva low price.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Read the little ebook that could. By veteran eBook Writer, Paul Clayton. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough. Really.

_--- edit... new post merged with original thread. please remember, only one thread per book. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

In late August of 2001, just before the world changed forever, a book by an almost unknown Indie ebook writer was named one of twelve finalists at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Alan Furst, Joyce Carol Oates, and David McCullough. Imagine that _Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam _ is that book.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Almost finished All Quiet on the Western Front.  I never read it before and it brings some of my own experience to the fore.  All soldiers are brothers at heart.  That will never change.  Think of our own soldiers, taking out the bad guys while we sleep safe and warm.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was that war really like for the young draftees that fought it?  Find out today.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Yes, this took place in 2001, a month before  911.  Carl Melcher is indeed the one of the Great Granddaddies of the ebook world.  And, it's a d*mn good novel too.  Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Many of us are so removed from the sacrifices our guys and gals in uniform are making overseas.  Some are professionals, some are maybe a little under trained (I believe we were), but bottom line, they either choose to go or, when called, choose to respond (during the Vietnam war many avoided the draft by claiming illness, running for sanctuary in Canada, or else opting to serve jail time in a federal penitentiary).  And when they're far away, yeah, they grumble and complain, some of them (I know we did), but still they do what they're asked, at great risk to themselves.  So please remember them this 4th, remember the army of rabble that stood up to England and won freedom for a new country of proud individualists, and all those who served after that.  Have a great holiday!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it really like to serve as a drafted grunt in Vietnam in 1968?  Go with Carl and the squad and find out.  I think you'll be touched.  Sergeant Rock, it ain't.  --  One Who Was There...


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This book has a fascinating story.  And it's a damn good read too!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This ebook was recognized by the paper folks back in the day.  For real...


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Peter Mollman said it best.  A damn good read.  Hope you'll check it out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A quiet but important story...


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## Buffalo Cowboy (Aug 29, 2011)

That's a fascinating story of success, Paul: An inspiration for the rest of us e-bookists and a reminder that quality writing, regardless of which publisher attaches their name to it, remains valuable and appreciated.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it _really _ like to serve in Vietnam? Find out in Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

My Lieutenant from Nam recently sent me some stats on how many men were killed (and woman nurses too) in Vietnam.  The numbers are astounding and I'll feature them here soon.  At any rate, we (the troops, the chosen, the grunts) were unaware of all of that as we slogged on.  Check out an accurate account of that war, no Rambo bullshit here.  Best!


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## Borislava Borissova (Sep 9, 2011)

Your story is very nice! I am bored by traditional publishers and I love when someone finds recognition by readers! 
Wish every success to you!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Borislava Borissova said:


> Your story is very nice! I am bored by traditional publishers and I love when someone finds recognition by readers!
> Wish every success to you!


Thank you!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

The PAVN (Peoples' Army of Viet Nam) was considered to be one of the best infantry forces in the sixties, having waged war against the Japanese and then later against the French.  The U.S. Army in Vietnam was also topnotch and in full force.  For a gnat's eye view of that conflict from one on-the-ground reporter, check out this book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Reality ain't pretty.  But it walks the walk.  Check out a damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Vietnam was, for me...  well, I'll let you read the book.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A fictionalized account of my tour in Vietnam, when it was hot there.  A damn good novel!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

They say war is hell. That's true, there are moments of hell.  There are also moments of great insight and humanity.  What was it like to be nineteen, ignorant of the world, and be sent far away to fight an enemy of your country that you didn't hate?  Go with Carl and the squad and find out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Youthful, unfaltering optimism, sweat-soaking, backbreaking work, with occasional bouts of pure adrenalin and terror thrown in...  The life of a grunt in Nam, 68.  What was that war really like?  Find out in Carl Melcher.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What a slog it was, most of the time.  But there were good times too, like a stand down at Tin Can Village, with a running river, pretty 'Coke girls' and the local ragamuffins to remind you of home.  And there were the occasional bouts of terror and the gruesome victims of the war.  But you don't have to get your boots muddy.  Just order a copy and see what it was really like.

Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

No, it wasn't a walk in the park.  But, believe it or not, we had good times too.  Find out about them in Carl Melcher!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel... by a veteran.  Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a good dramatization of one squad's story.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It was not bad... some parts of it... the camaraderie, the primitiveness eased by the strength and resilience of youth, the cultural 'differentness'...  But there were moments of terror.  Not a thriller, not 'action-adventure' written by some armchair general wannabe, a true tale told by someone who was there.  Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

This is a fine little book.  Originally published in pdf, it was an ebook back in 2000!  Imagine that.  It's a great read. Please take a look.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it like?  Join Carl and the squad and find out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

For a damn good read... check out Carl Melcher!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Check out one of the grandpappys of the Indie ebook movement... for $3.99!


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## tamaraheiner (Apr 23, 2011)

Very inspiring and encouraging story! Yay for him!


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## Victoria lane &amp; R.T. Fox (Nov 10, 2009)

My husband was there, and he said he didn't want to talk about it.  So it much have really sucked.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

By the way... I have made Carl Melcher FREE this Sunday (2-5-12).  Check it out and tell a friend!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl Melcher and his buds are waiting to meet you.  Today you too can go to Vietnam...  for free!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl is really getting noticed lately thanks to the Free time of Select.  Check him out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

If you're a prime member, this book is free to you!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Afghanistan seems to be turning out much like Vietnam did, sorry to say.  There are many parallels.  What was Vietnam like, for an American soldier?  Go with Carl and the squad to find out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Some folks think the war in Afghanistan is shaping up like the one in Vietnam did.  Namely that the troops are getting the message from their leaders in DC that our hearts are no longer in it, that it's just a matter of time before we get out (actually, the Prez has already telegraphed that date to the Taliban), etc.  How must if feel to be on the ground in a hot zone with your life on the line knowing this... 

Well, that notion began to spread through the troops in Vietnam a long time ago.  How do I know?  Well, read all about it here and see how ordinary guys, not Rambo, deal with it.  If you want real, read Carl Melcher.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, it was no picnic, I can tell you that.  Probably because of those C's.  We had to heat them on the trail using C4 plastic explosive.  It burned with a orange glow, hissing like it was alive.  They say that if you would've stomped on it then it would have blown you up.  They said a lot of things.  Crack the book and you'll see.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel... if I do say so myself.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

One of the grand daddies of ebooks.  And a helluva read to boot (Jungle Boots, that is)


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good world to visit.  Well worth the price of admission.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

The war is unpopular, the American will in tatters.  The government is torn over whether to stay the course or to just pull up stakes and go home.  None of this is the fault of the soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country.  Afghanistan?  No.  Vietnam.  It's deja vu all over again as the ball player said.  Read about it in Carl Melcher.


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

It sucked


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

I should add, it was a great book, it brought me back - for too long.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

The war is unpopular, the American will in tatters.  The government is torn over whether to stay the course or just pull up stakes and go home.  None of this is the fault of the soldiers who put their lives on the line for their country -- Afghanistan?  No.  Vietnam.  It's deja vu all over again as the famous ball player said.  

So there you are -- where the National Policy hits the B-40, or the roadside bomb. What the hell would you do?

Read about it in Carl Melcher.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It was no picnic.  It was more like watching paint dry with momentary lapses into animal terror.  But we were young.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I thought I'd make Carl Melcher free today. Remember those who gave all.  The soldiers that go to war don't make policy. They just back it up.  Have a good day.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

War-weary country wants out of Afghanistan. Find out why. Read _Carl Melcher Goes to Vientam_


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good book!


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## Victoria lane &amp; R.T. Fox (Nov 10, 2009)

I was there in 64-65 and it suc***  R.T.Fox  Good luck on you book


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A good read for Independence Day.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good book!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Won't be in Select for long!  Borrow your copy today.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I've put Carl Melcher on free today and tomorrow. Then I'm out of select.  If you want to know, or at least to get a sense of, what war is like, the real thing, not the Rambo version, you might want to get a copy.  Best!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl Melcher is a damn good novel. Check it out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good novel for a great price!


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

Today you too can go to Vietnam... for free! ****I went for free >40 years ago. Didn't want to go then, sure don't want to go again. Did spend some time in ll Corps where Carl was though -- hot & humid


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

the little ebook that did... become a finalist in the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well it weren't no picnic, but when you're nineteen, even hell has it's highlights, as long as your with your friends.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It weren't no picnic, but we had our moments.  When you're nineteen, even hell can be cool on occasion.  That is, if you're with your friends.  Friends are the key.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A read you won't soon forget...


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Got into a bit of a political discussion with a friend at work, someone my age.  He slammed Bush over some old sin, then said that he 'avoided the draft,' in Vietnam.  Then I said his hero Bill Clinton had done the same or worse, actually leading marches against the war while a student in London.  I avoided the draft, my friend said, and I'm not afraid to say it.  Didn't everyone? said I.  Cause it sure seems that way sometimes.  I rarely run into guys that served in Nam, even though there were over a million and a half of us.  But most were support troops.  I served in the infantry and that's what this novel or memoir is all about.  What was that like?  What were the young men like who went over there?  Read this if you want to know.  Best!


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## jaimee83 (Sep 2, 2009)

@2.7 million Americans served in RVN. 1.7 million GI's. who accounted for 30% of deaths.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Still a damn good novel and a great buy!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

A damn good book at any price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It weren't no picnic... but good times were had on occasion.  Young men, in the prime of their lives, death and destruction... weed... the boom boom girls...  READ ALL ABOUT IT!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Muck that could suck your boots off, wait-a-minute vines holding you back, or pulling the pin from the grenade on your rucksack, angry bullhead ants dropping down from the trees onto your sweating neck, leeches, and the occasional ambush or booby trap... But there were good times as well... a can of beer chilled in a dirt bunker, enjoyed in the sun on the firebase, a smoke (both kinds), poker games, twenty five cents a chip, using the matches in a book of matches as chips, a letter from home, and an occasional visit from the delightful boom-boom girls.  In balance, I'm glad I made the trip.  Now you can too!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it like?  We did what we had to do and made the best of what was sometimes a bad situation. But we had good times as well.  Read all about it!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Frontier fiction at its finest!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Wonderful, idyllic, comradely, with bouts of blood-pumping terror.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

No bs, no unnecessary expletives, no fillers...  all at a great low price!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

They were the best of times; they were the worst of times (sorry, Dickens).  For I was young, and despite the awful physical rigors of our life as infantryman, I was with my buds.  Your friends, and I mean your friends in your youth, they'll march into hell with you.  When they get older, like I am now, they'll claim that they can't, cause their bunions are giving them a hard time, or their arthritis is acting up and they're out of Tylenol.  But young friends...  Well, read the book and find out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I think there's a lot of bs out there about the American war in Vietnam.  I tried to keep it true.  Check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

What was it like to serve in Vietnam as a draftee infantryman?


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It was hell and it was, on occasion, heaven.  C'est possible?  Read and find out.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, if you were serving coffee at the Continental Hotel, maybe not too bad.  But you still had to go home at night.  We GIs were in the thick of it, a real war against one of the best armies at that time, the PAVN (Peoples Army of Viet Nam).  Much of what you saw depended on luck, good or bad.  There were big, brutal battles, much like in WWII, with both sides taking many casualties.  But there was a light at the end of the tunnel for us. You had a specified term of service; one year.  When that year was up you went home.  So we all knew what that date was. DEROS: date of estimated return from overseas.  Some went home early, usually via a body bag.  So what was it like to be nineteen, fresh out of your comfy life livin' with mom and dad, and now...


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, it weren't no piece of cake...  But back then in this country, most young men, not all, answered the call.  You did what you had to do to protect your buddies and to earn their respect.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

Carl Melcher is a no-bullshit look at what it was like to serve as a draftee rifleman in Nam.  You want Rambo instead, that's fine.  But if you want real, check it out!


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

It weren't no picnic. But for brief moments it was heavenly.  After all, we were young and drunk with the illusion of our immortality.


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