Keith Pomeroy

A surprisingly good story considering the title. Keith Pomeroy uses humor to describe much of his time with an artillery unit during the Vietnam War. Some of that humor is shown in his selection of names used for those characters in his tome - to protect the guilty, he admits. Many of his short stories are terror-filled as his unit is entrapped in different firebases - cut-off from help, ammo, water and food. One of his characters is extremely intelligent and manages to find solutions to many of their problems in ingenious ways. The author also shares his personal experiences with the family of his hootch maid, who invites him to her village for dinner. The gesture is to repay him for his generosity and gifts that were bestowed upon her simply as a show of good will. He learns much from this experience...although taking an enormous risk during that adventure.

Mr. Pomeroy also tells about the dark side of Vietnam - drugs, prostitution, theft and officers who use the war for their personal gain - telling it like it was without any sugar coating.

One important fact that the author exploits throughout his story is in demonstrating the closeness and camaraderie between his small group of soldiers. His characters are well defined and readers feel as if they know them personally. I also enjoyed reading the author's final thoughts, where the he provides an update as to the current status of those men.

As an author myself, I can relate to the long lapse in time between the war and getting my story on paper - it took me forty years to complete. Writing a book is a labor of love requiring dedication, family support, sacrifice and a lot of time away from the family. I did it for my wife and daughter so they understood that part of my life! Great job Mr. Pomeroy! Welcome Home and thank you for your service!

Don't let the title scare you away...the story is worth reading!

John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel… (plus d'informations)