Fragments: The long coming home from Vietnam

by Bruce K Berger

Bruce Berger, the author, finally came home 50 years after the Vietnam war when his memories crystallized into the 34 poems in this chapbook. He shipped to Vietnam as an Infantryman in 1970 but was assigned most of the year to the Casualty Branch of the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Eagle, near Phu Bai. As “next-of-kin” editor, he wrote hundreds of sympathy letters to grieving families back home for loss of their soldier, and sometimes helped gather fallen brothers on battle grounds to begin their long journeys home. Through this lens, his poems evoke an overwhelming sense of loss on many the brave American soldiers who gave their lives in the long war; a village of South Vietnamese widows; the thousands of bui doi, innocent but reviled half-breed (Amerasian) children; the empty afterness of battle grounds and burials; the long, deadly reach of Agent Orange and PTSD into veterans’ lives still today; and the thunderous silence of missing parades back home. Writing these poems brought him home. Many of the poems are illustrated with artwork created by members of the Providence Art Club in Rhode Island. All earnings from this book will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2020

Reviews

[Military Writers Society of America (MWSA)]

MWSA Review

This is an incredible read. Though short in page/word count, Bruce Berger’s Fragments reads like an opus of the Vietnam War, outlining what he refers to in the audio version as “the long afterness” of the war. It has the emotional impact of Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried or Karl Marlantes’s Matterhorn, and we’re fortunate to have Fragments join the canon of literature that emerged from the veterans of that long war. This is not a typical “Roses are red, violets are blue…” book of poetry. Berger’s writing style is soulful and improvisational, which lends a sense of honesty and earnestness to his characters and scenes. The result is 34 individual stories/poems that will pull at a reader’s psyche and leave a lasting vision of what it was like to serve and survive in Vietnam.

Berger proves to be a patriot, poet, and philosopher. There isn’t much chest-thumping bravado in his poems. Instead, he delves into the fear, hope, confusion, desperation, and loneliness of this war. Berger also pays homage to the people of Vietnam, with several stories driving home the perspective of the Vietnamese people who were fighting and living through the war as well, whether it is the double-entendre story of “Girl Selling Her Fruit” or the soul crushing “Widows’ Village.” In this regard, Berger humanizes the Vietnamese people, similar to how Ken Burns did in his documentary The Vietnam War.

There are too many brilliant passages to describe, but here are a few that had a powerful, stinging impact for me:
“…the bloody mathematics of such action…”
“Why the hell were we where the hell we were?”
“…ceremonial ribbons, silver affirmations and golden glorifications…”
“…the detritus of my delirium…”
“His heart leaks into the grave”

Fragments is about Berger’s time in Vietnam, and this book will take readers “there”—both to the literal jungles and the psychological jungles in the depths of the minds of those who walked the ground in country. And even though this is a book about the Vietnam experience, Berger’s words will resonate with anybody who has served—whenever and wherever—particularly in Afghanistan, that has so many parallels to Vietnam.

An added bonus to this fantastic book are the works of art provided by the Providence Art Club in Rhode Island. The art complements many of the stories and makes this a wonderful work of history, poetry, philosophy, and art. I originally had this on a Kindle but ordered a print version and am grateful to have it in my library.

Review by Frank Biggio (May 2021)