A Personal Post ! In this post I share that my 9 year of effort to write the story of my life is being published 1st quarter of 2017, this particular post is concerning a book published in 2016, about one of the more famous battles of the Vietnam war 50 years ago, written by a professional author of 13 books, his last book is about this battle, it also was my final battle after 8 months of combat. The author like myself was in that battle as a gunship pilot, shot through the foot while fly at ground level in one of the attempts to support us. (No Greater Love) best summed up in the actions of my friend Doug Van who saved my life but is about many others also.  His book can be purchased on Amazon in print. No Greater Love (The Groucho Marx Battle) by Marion F Sturkey in the search. This is a book of pure military history written first hand, published by a publishing company. My book tells of this battle also, it covers only 25 pages of a 300 + page book, my book is raw, unfiltered history, of personal experiences, emotions and fact that get left out of most books. An example in this battle described here-in, I remember facts a little different, the fact it took about 7 to 10 minutes for Doug Van to come into the enemy lines to flip me over, then drag me back to his hole, a long enough period of time for me to apply my own web belt as a tourniquet to steam the bleeding from my leg, this also save my life, my only medical attention done by myself, the fact I was shot at point blank and not bayoneted, that the only attention I had was from Doug, not to my wounds as he was in one of the lowest holes in our small circle so was in constant battle, on constant alert, giving me swamp water taken off a dead enemy kill at his hole, tossing the dead soldiers water canteen to me at some point over the next 16 hrs. Today regardless that we live in a world of tweets, facts our everything, like the amount of water a young marines need to fight 16 hrs in a tropical setting, or when bleeding to death, you basically thirst to death. My book has been written only by myself, edited by myself with only spell check by a friend, published by my own publishing company. Given that I lived out my life all around the world, often on the front line of our international affairs for 40 years, it will review a few things people have no clue about, or understand. Things still in the headlines today from my experiences of living in the Middle East for 22 years, not secret, all in the public domain but thing never told for reasons I reject. Part of why I do everything is because Publishing companies, publish books to make money, most books our written to make money. Nine years ago my thinking a little like that also, I’ve had offers’ to publish. In writing this I also changed, it focus my reason's. I’m an author, not a writer, attempting to review real history or tell the truths from facts and personal experience because I believe it will help us as human beings and some personally. It will tell the hard facts of many subjects, but it will also tell about the far more numerous good and wonderful things that I found in this life like those in family, friendships, love, devotion to many things that people carry. It will show how I recover both physical and emotional, the physical side took a year in the hospital, only late in life has effects, the emotional side is best described as excepting reality, forgetting about self and concentrate on others and things more important then self. Most important, please keep in mind this particular event described, all-tho challenging, it's not a negative thing that haunts me but simply the life I lived, experiences in life that were mind, in fact I made it into something positive my whole life. (I’m convinced good and bad things happen to everyone, excepting them and not allowing them to control your life is the only way to be really free) I call this event today the birthing of my second life, much of the book is about what that means in real life. Like many survivor’s I carry a sense of Reality, Thankfulness, Awareness

and a Sensitivity to and in almost everything, that can and did created a remarkable life, this I hope can be seen though-out my book, I attempt to show this in how I sign every e-mail.

Some facts, I maybe one of few seriously wounded Marine that after a year in the hospital, another years searching, I returned to Vietnam in January 1969, without a job, no connections and $40. in my pocket the night I arrived in Saigon, living their until the final days of South Vietnam, working in the final evacuation. I may be the longest living retired US Marine, retiring in 1967 at $53. per month, refusing to be discharged also another story of luck. Let me just say ! My life has been to me about the most remarkable, wonderful life a man ever got to live filled with challenges, a few struggle, a lot of adventures and so much joy and Love with meaning. I guess on one level a person has to be a little bite argent to think that, personally I feel it would be a shame to leave this world and not explain what I got to learn having livid it.

I share my web-site www.vidanusa.com , created by myself, in need of up dating witch due to technology I can’t do just now, one of my on going projects witch I will need help on. It has 6 pages, 700 personal photos witch shows in pic’s my life as it unfolded. Yes this book is being done different. Part of the book is about this modern age, technology advancements, how I was forced to learn about them. Me who forgot to finish high-school, my education mostly self study and training myself, today it’s remarkable I’m able to share my life with people world-wide, this was impossible event when I started the book. The world has changes, we must also, I feel this can advance our understanding and knowledge of each other everywhere.
The Book's name is V-Dan USA, a Vietnamese word that means (For the People) also the name of a hospital I worked to supply all imported material to build it, built by the last First Lady of Vietnam, Madam Huyen Van Thieu and her organization (The Vietnam Women Association in Service to Society). Yes, I will tell about the quit hero Doug Van and personal friend yet today who risked his life to save mind. You may be surprised about just what this relationship is, it’s interesting also, naturally Doug is a quit American hero, his and my memory of facts remarkably alike. My book will not be for those with closed minds, set idea’s, shy of realities, to be honest something important to me so you simply tell all, good and bad. Thankfully I fave few regreets if any, except that I was quit human. In the bible it’s written (The truth will set you free), how free is also part of the story.

Richard L Iverson

Remember Happiness is Oh so simple, that a grateful heart is the beginning of wisdom, that Effort is essential for anything worthwhile in life ! vidanusa@mac.com