RECALL, my latest novel will be launching very soon… In anticipation of its launch, I wanted to share its cover and the thought that went behind the design process.
The cover artist’s custom rendition is a modern style of a 1965 Vietnam medical air evacuation, capturing a poignant scene in an art form that softens the graphic nature of that conflict. The softer lines and swirls in the sky symbolize the fog of war and the fragmented recollection of trying to recall the events of over fifty years ago. The hazy flags of the North and South combatants fade into the upper corners of the cover, just as many memories do.
Recall takes on a special meaning for those who served. Some memories fade with time, while others do not – especially for those suffering from PTSD who require cognitive enhancement therapy, as one of the protagonists experiences in this fictional historical narrative.
Half of America’s population was born after the Vietnam War. This narrative could serve as a primer of that turbulent era. For the other half that lived through it, it may serve as a reminder to recall a great price was paid not only militarily, but also socially. And this social price was detrimental to the fabric of the nation. Much of today’s political polarization stems from the unintended consequences of that distant war.
CIA intelligence documents from that time period, declassified in the 1980’s, clear up much of the confusion existing from the fog of disinformation prevalent at that time.The reports not only shed some understanding regarding flawed decisions, but also reveal some alarming facts that should serve as caveats before engaging in any future foreign conflicts.
Vietnam was not a military defeat, but a series of political miscalculations and blunders that imposed serious restrictions on rules of engagement. In retrospect, some of these restrictions were mind-boggling. Put more simply, many of our political leaders did not understand the enemy.
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
– George Santayana
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