Searching for the Good : A Young Man's Journey to War and Back by Thomas A. Brewer Search Amazon for other books by or about Thomas A. Brewer. Rating: Reviewed by: Josh Remis

Almost 30 years have passed since the United States withdrew the last of it's troops from combat in Vietnam, yet disagreement persists about the reasons for the war, whether it was just, and if it was a "success" or a "failure".

At the beginning of the conflict the elite media and the population were largely in support of U.S. military action in Southeast Asia, but support steadily dropped once U.S. investment in the conflict escalated to full blown war. Returning soldiers were not met with cheers and accolades for having risked their lives, but with condemnation for having participated on what was being perceived by many as an unjust and dirty war.

Thomas Brewer's "Searching for the Good", is written within this context. It is is an interesting personal account of his experiences serving as a soldier in the Vietnam, and it is a search for meaning within those experiences. He does an excellent job of telling the story of his experiences "in country". His reflections on how U.S. actions during the Vietnam should be measured are less impressive; he vacillates between regurgitation of popular but simplistic (and, in my opinion, wrong) analysis of why the conflict was fought, with more personal observations of what happened, such as:

"It's not the men who shed blood on the battlefield who make war. It's politicians, far from the battlefield and safe, who use others for their noble causes."

I respect Brewer for sharing his story and for his search for meaning in the many lives lost. I also respect him for openly looking for answers without pretending he has them all. What Brewer does demonstrate clearly is that that the Vietnam was a tragedy for all people concerned: The U.S. soldiers that fought and died, those that came back to a horrible reception by the American people (who were confused about the difference between objecting against a war and objecting against the men who were used to fight it), and the Vietnamese people (who endured the heaviest human losses and severe damage to their country).

I would recommend the book as a good source for finding out what it was like as a soldier in the Vietnam war and as a discussion-starter on the psychological effects of war. I would not recommend it as an accurate analysis of the socio-political conditions that led up to and surrounded the conflict.