Synopses & Reviews
In 1968 Leroy TeCube left his home on the Jicarilla Apache reservation to serve as an infantryman in Vietnam. Year in Nam is his story of that long, terrifying, and numbing year of combat, one that profoundly affected the men in TeCubes platoon and tested the strength of his own Native American heritage. Tecube was a respected point man and leader of his platoon. His memoir provides an intimate glimpse of the daily lives of infantrymen—the monotony of camp, the oppressive heat, the deceptively dull routine of patrols, the brief but furious eruptions of combat, the forging of platoon squads on the crucible of trust, a pervasive sadness and indifference, and a growing acceptance of the imminence of death. Particularly powerful are Tecubes observations and experiences from the perspective of a Native American soldier. Many aspects of TeCube's cultural heritage—his traditional religious beliefs, the farewell blessing from an Apache medicine man, the memory of special powwow dances held back home for soldiers—were a source of strength to him.
Review
"TeCube, a Jicarilla Apache and one of the approximately 82,000 Native Americans who served in the Vietnam War, tells a story of his year in combat that is both ordinary and extraordinary."—Choice Choice
Review
"TeCubes salvation was the discipline and strength of his native culture, which he drew upon in his darkest times. Straightforward and unaffected, this memoir presents a point of view rarely found in the literature of the Vietnam War."—Booklist Booklist
Review
"[TeCube] was buoyed by his people's traditional prayers and a sense of connectedness to earlier generations of Indian warriors. He found practical usefulness in the World War II stories an older Jicarilla Apache man had told him. This is an ordinary soldier's story, but immensely powerful in its ordinariness."—Kliatt Kliatt
Synopsis
A Jicarilla Apache relates the story of his time serving as an infantryman in Vietnam. While much of the narrative focuses on combat experiences, other aspects of military life are discussed.
About the Author
Leroy TeCube works in the Environmental Protection Office of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe.