Lieutenant Henry

1968 was a defining year in our country's history. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Free love, Vietnam protests, Black Power and the dawn of the drug culture were in full stride. 1968 was also the year that a young 23-year old college student decided to transfer from the Navy to the Marine Corps. The metamorphosis of Joe Henry from college student to a Marine Corps Combat Officer is adventure and survival. It is fraught with psychological and physical challenges, emotional disruptions, urban adventure, spiritual epiphanies and sheer luck. The story starts on a college campus tucked away in the quaint Northwest corner of Washington State and ends up on the politically charged corridors of Washington DC. The odyssey visits the preparation phase of the making of a Marine Corps Officer, specialized training, state-side duties and assignments and Vietnam, both in the bush and the rear. Heavy dialogue and personal anecdotes are scattered throughout. There is never a dull moment. It is fast paced and intense.