Spring Break
A professor with a story to tell
By: Sarah Schuch
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: News
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It just took him 30 years to get it out.
"We live in a society that demands disclosure: This is mine," said Caldwell, a music professor and Vietnam veteran.
Caldwell's book "The Chaplain's Assistant: God, Country, and Vietnam," tells of things that happened to him, other soldiers and things that never really happened during the war.
"That's how I make sense of the world - through writing," Caldwell said.
Caldwell hopes his novel about the Vietnam War will lead readers to draw parallels between southeast Asia and Iraq.
"The world has more or less forgot about the war in Afghanistan," he said. "If people read the book and wonder what else is going on, that would be good."
Caldwell's book doesn't include any fighting.
He intended it to be humorous, but it didn't end up that way.
"You could be crying one moment and chuckling about another thing the next," he said.
Mount Pleasant resident John Barker, a Vietnam veteran, said he admired Caldwell for writing fiction and putting so much of himself into it.
"The emotion is really what got to me," he said. "He gets in to all of the emotions: the humor, the pathos and the fear."
Caldwell said he wanted his book to send a message. He wanted to give a better understanding of what it is like for a family member or friend who is in a war and what they might bring back with them.
Many families think soldiers who return from war can just start off where they left off, Caldwell said.
"They will never understand what it's like to be under fire," he said.
Caldwell suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, so after some therapy he could finally sit down and fill in the holes in his book.
"It's good to finally have it done," Caldwell said. "It's like having a very, very long pregnancy."
Since the book came out, Caldwell said he has received messages from wives and family members of soldiers and veterans who realize the importance of talking about their experiences.
He said he will consider his book successful if it causes more conversation amongst veterans.
Last Friday, Caldwell had a book signing at Book Mark, 2200 S. Mission St.
Kristin Moutsatson, manager at the Book Mark, said she always tries to support local authors and do what she can to sell their book.
"I really have high hopes for him," she said.
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