Review: Vietnam Reflections by Steve McKenna

Vietnam Reflections is a collection of stories, essays and confessions of the author’s tour of duty in Vietnam. Steve McKenna spent 1967 and 1968 in the Central Highlands as an infantry soldier, and has traveled back numerous times over the years since. Steve returned to reconnect fractured families, to recover remains of lost friends, and to redeem what was taken from him as a man much too young to have lost so much.

Steve’s writing is stripped down to the essentials. This minimalism reminds the reader of the skills of an infantryman on patrol. A grunt on patrol had to go in boldly, act quickly and judge precisely when to move or be still. Steve writes the same way, using only the language necessary to tell a story honestly and clearly. It is powerful communication of a remarkable and moving story. Steve’s introspection is incredibly brave. He writes about how he felt upon seeing mutilated bodies of American soldiers, “At that moment, we were capable of doing anything to anyone.”

The collected memories in Vietnam Reflections form a path to forgiveness. Ultimately, Steve learns he can not judge anyone for what they did in the jungle, but the last person he forgives is himself. “We used the dark side, pretending and convincing ourselves that everything we did was justified and right. To survive, we appealed to the evil within each of us.”

This book is for readers who lived through the war, and for those who may wonder why their fathers and grandfathers have never been able to liberate themselves completely from that experience.

Vietnam Reflections