Eighteen with a Bullet | The American Legion

Submitted by: Stephen Walker

Category: Books

This is my autobiography. It took me eight years of research and writing to write the 564 pages.

I describe in detail my bizarre childhood, describe in graphic detail the many battles I fought in against the Vietcong and North Vietnamese, which resulted in the death or wounding of 90% of my Company.

I describe the trauma of coming home to a hostile or indifferent America, and the onset of PTSD 12 years later.

I describe all the methods I used to overcome PTSD, including self-help psychology, counseling, and medications to control the depression and anxiety so I could support my family.

I delve into the history of Vietnam and the circumstances that led up to our involvement there.

I write about some of the highlights of traveling to forty-four countries in the past 55 years, and how therapeutic traveling can be.

My story is meant to be helpful to any veteran who is still struggling with the awful effects of war.

If I can help just one veteran to enjoy a better quality of life, all the work will have been worth it.

Please give it a try.

About the author:

Steve Walker was born in Long Beach, CA in 1946. After finishing high school, he left home and lived alone in apartments for two years, while working at low skilled jobs to support himself. He then received his military draft notice and volunteered to join the United States Marine Corps. After six months of training, he was sent to Vietnam as a rifleman, or grunt. He survived a full year of combat before going home. He immediately enrolled at Long Beach City College, where he graduated two years later, then enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona as an Electronic Engineering student. After graduating with a B.S. in Engineering, he went to work for Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, where he worked for eight years designing weapons, and earned a M.S. in Engineering at UCLA. He married a Korean lady in 1975 and has been married to her for forty years. He has two children and two grandchildren. He has traveled to 44 countries in the past 50 years. He worked as an engineer for 38 years, then retired and has written three books in the last 8 years. His other two books are ‘Bad Day at Bikini Beach’, and ‘Escaping the Plantation’. All three are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format.