Carl Melcher Goes To Vietnam
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REVIEW BY BRETT PERUZZI
Paul Clayton's novel Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam gives a poignant view of America's most unpopular war, from the perspective of one ordinary American man who fought in it. Drawn from the author's own experience as an Army soldier in Vietnam, Clayton deftly portrays an innocent abroad in the development of his protagonist, the likable but naive Carl Melcher. Like so many young men of that era, Carl Melcher quickly found himself in Vietnam after flunking out of college and getting drafted. Within months he goes from campus life and having a girlfriend to living in a bunker in a hilltop firebase and going on night patrols in the jungle with his squad. The novel often reads like a true story, and to add to the confusion, it was a Frankfurt eBook Award Finalist in the nonfiction category. Filled with insights from someone who was there, Clayton gives us Vietnam from the ground level -- the sights, sounds and smells, and the long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. With a strong sense of emotional authenticity, he shows the camaraderie that develops between young men of different races and backgrounds. Frequently this bond is destroyed by the sickening reality of war, as death comes to so many of them. Carl's disillusionment grows after several of his buddies are killed by that most ironic of war-time deaths, friendly fire, in which -- through tragic errors -- Americans are accidentally killed by their own troops. Add to this a mostly unseen enemy and civilians who are potential enemies, and Carl soon realizes that the principal goal for American soldiers is not winning but surviving their year-long tour of duty. During a firefight that kills many of his fellow squad members, Carl sustains a so-called "million-dollar wound" -- one serious enough to end his tour of duty in Vietnam, but not cripple him for life. As Carl recuperates, Clayton effectively demonstrates his character's transition from a somewhat aimless but optimistic college kid to a pragmatic combat veteran who still manages to keep his humanity and sensitivity intact. The subtle yet evocative climax as Carl is rotated stateside brings this well-crafted tale to a graceful ending. After a year away, he feels somewhat alien in his own country, both because of the rapid social changes that the '60s have wrought upon American society and his experience in Vietnam. Both he and America have changed irrevocably, and neither will ever be the same again. Brett Peruzzi is a freelance writer living in Framingham, Massachusetts.
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