“It’s Lonely Here in Hell” Love Letters from Nam, By, Charity Maness
April 9, 1967, in a letter from Jim Piper to his young bride Michelle, he wrote, "I thank God each night for my wife and my life and also enjoy each breath that I take and praise every morning I wake up too. It means another day gone, another day I'm alive and another day closer to being home with my wife forever."
PFC James Dennis Piper was in killed in action two days later on April 11, 1967 in the jungles of Vietnam.
Each handwritten letter from Jim to Michelle has been carefully transcribed and historical documentation has been added. Cross referencing and correlating data from sources such as declassified CIA documents, Pentagon Papers and unrestricted use of Weider History Group archives has created a historically correct and profound journey through eight months of the Vietnam War. Chronologically juxtaposing Jim's personal and tender letters written to his young bride with public facts and documents of the war on each of those same dates allows the reader an intimate and compelling snapshot of that time in history.
The book is complete at 245 pages in a 5 x 8 binding, containing all letters written to Michelle from August 30, 1966 to April 9, 1967, snapshots of Piper, his awards, the Vietnam wall, copies of documents, and interviews with his brothers and his widow.
Charity is the proud mother of a United States Marine and active in Veteran programs throughout her community and beyond. This work is just the beginning of her journey into the hearts, the minds and the souls of Veterans who have seemingly been forgotten.
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