Cheerful Obedience
Submitted by: Patrick McLaughlin
Category: Books
Navigating the stormy seas of the 1960s wasn’t easy, especially if Vietnam was on your horizon.
Ignoring his 2-S Selective Service deferment, Conor Patrick McKall volunteers for the draft, and Uncle Sam promptly deposits him in the Big Green Machine.
Six months later McKall is walking point in jungles, rice paddies and rubber plantations. In nine short months, he’s made an infantry squad leader responsible for a dozen other grunts. In the “boonies,” life is lived one day at a time.
Joining McKall’s squad is Jack “Red” Sheridan, whose near-death encounter with a black panther presents challenges to his credibility from other members of Lima Platoon. When McKall stands with Sheridan, an unbreakable bond develops. They meet Red Cross Donut Dollies and together experience the infamous Black Virgin Mountain, where the good guys control the top and the bad guys the rest.
Escaping Vietnam for a handful of days on R&R in Sydney, Conor experiences Aussie hospitality and the attention of a green-eyed beauty who offers him a chance to escape the war. Loyal to his oath and to his men, Sgt. McKall barely has time to supplant the fading scent of Chanel before he and his squad must face their determined and deadly adversaries. The arbitrary gauntlet of Vietnam offers no guarantees.
About the author:
A decorated combat veteran, and former U.S. attorney, Patrick McLaughlin spent 1967 in Vietnam as an 11Bravo infantry grunt serving with the Dogface Battalion of the Big Red One. Following Army service he graduated from Ohio University. then Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He served 10 years with the U.S. Attorney’s office, Northern District of Ohio, the last four-and-a-half years as the United States Attorney having been appointed by the district court by then-President Ronald Reagan. He made his mark for 30 years in the private sector as an accomplished trial lawyer, the last 20 years heading his own firm. Patrick has been inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. Patrick and his wife Christine reside in Greater Cleveland. This is his debut novel, and he would be delighted if you followed him at pmmclaughlin.com.