Pennies from Vietnam: A Sister at Home, a Brother at War Paperback – July 11, 2024

Some say “War is Hell” and it is. It has been written about since Cain and Able, The battles the defeats, the victories, the bravery and fear, the pain and suffering of those who fought in them. But this book puts a face to the other side of “Hell” It is a side of war to often ignored those on the Homefront. Tracy Smith takes you through the good times and the bad, she paints a picture of how Vietnam changed an eager young man into a troubled soul and goes on to show how those who stayed behind lived from letter to letter never knowing if the next one would be from the Government announcing an unspeakable loss. It is a story worthy of reading. You see, I served in the same unit as Tracy’s brother and perhaps even flew with him in the back seat. I knew the people he mentioned. I didn’t think about how those at home felt, just how I was going to get through the next day. Tracy's book has made me realize that their storys are as worthy our war stories.

As a Vietnam Veteran, Pennies from Vietnam touched me on several levels. Larry's story is emblematic of the over 2 million young men and women who served our country in Vietnam.As a side note, it is the families who suffer the most in war. In combat, a soldier has a mission and a surrogate family (a band of brothers), but at home there is an empty seat at the table and the gnawing uncertainty about the safety of a loved one. I only became fully aware decades after I returned from Vietnam of what my wife went through while I was in Vietnam, but that is another story.Nearly 60,000 young Americans died in that unpopular war; tens of thousands more like Larry bore the traumatic scars that eventually contributed to their untimely deaths. Although their deaths are tragic, we should give praise and thanks for the examples of selfless service, which Larry exemplified. We must strive to prove ourselves worthy of their sacrifice.

I read this book slowly. Methodically. Passionately. I ached for your story and for your beloved brother.You have shined a light on a story and life that so many can resonate with.The catharsis this book evokes is priceless. For myself and will be for many others. This is the story of the common soldier. Not an officer. Not a pilot. The story of a PFC who does his job and does it well. Makes rank to SP/5. But at the cost of his youth and any future peace.The true price of war and combat.Larry and Charlie and all the others thank you. As do I.

This book made me laugh, cry and learn more about a teenage boy sent to a war torn country to serve his own country! Its very emotional and it was a very unfair war that took too many lives and left the solders that came home damaged for life.You will not be sorry if you read it for yourself!

The whole family lived Larry's time there. A wonderful story I want to read again. Tracy is so talented. Definitely recommend.

I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in one day and the story sticks with me. An excellent read for a book club. The story is personal for those who served in Viet Nam and family members who waited for the return of their love ones.

Great book!

I had the great opportunity to read an ARC of Pennies from Vietnam: A sister at Home, a Brother at War.The author used her brother Larry’s 99 letters home from Vietnam as a guide, along with her memories with her family and the connections & stories of those who served with her brother in Vietnam.The real story is the scene between the lines of those letters. The book is about Larry's journey with the US Army 1st Calvary Division during the Vietnam War. It gives you a clear view of what it was like to see a son/brother go off to war, and what it was like for her brother Larry to join the Army, and then in Vietnam on the ground and in the helicopter as a Machine Gunner.You see the impact of war on a young man. At points, both humorous, shocking, and heartbreaking.This story opened my eyes (and heart) to what it is like sending a loved one to war, the excitement and boredom of training, the brutal truth about war, and why it is so hard for our veterans to talk about it, which is not good for them - as we see what happened. I never asked my Dad about his experience in Vietnam - he died of Agent Orange cancer. Still, this well-written book gave me even more compassion for all our veterans of war, and an idea of what my Dad may have experienced as an aviator and Forward Air Controller on the ground during his tours of Vietnam.