Category Archives: Literary

Somewhere, timewise, about the middle of the Afghanistan War, I was asked to travel to South Carolina and deliver a lecture on the veterans’ crisis in this country. The University’s campus was located in Beaufort, a few miles from where I went through bootcamp in 1967, The USMC Recruit Depot on Parris Island. I foundContinue reading “The War on War”

I got my oil changed a couple of days ago at one of those express places that seem to pop up like dandelions along most major thoroughfares in most towns. A young man, maybe late teens or early twenties approached the car as I waited in line. The young man was tall, broad-shouldered, smiled aContinue reading “Nuclear Winter May Be Here Already”

After Max Murphy died and after we chased off or killed the sniper—it was impossible to tell which—and after we cleared the roadblock, the supply trucks ran the route safely for several weeks. I had almost five months left on my tour and was sick of humping along the DMZ at the beck and callContinue reading “Who’s Got the Rada Loa Now”

This link will take to you an interview with me conducted by Dr. Erin McCoy who teaches at the University of South Carolina. It’s one of a series she’s doing as research for her classes. I’m posting it on my blog in case those of you who know me have forgotten how tall and thinContinue reading “Interview – January 31, 2022”

“War What Is It Good for, Absolutely Nothing” – Edwin Starr, Motown Records, 1969 A War Tour of Vietnam (McFarland and Company Inc. 2022) author, Erin McCoy Book Review by Jim McGarrah I’m a Baby Booming Vietnam veteran, a survivor of combat, and an anti-war activist. I have also been a university professor and anContinue reading “Read a Good Book”

One of the most confusing aspects for me regarding the personal question of how to maintain a functional inner world in harmony with a functional outer world has been the conflict in my mind of two realities. The necessity of random and explosive violence in the natural world between species stabilizes the environment and ecosystemsContinue reading “How We, as Beasts, Differ from Animals”

Start the New Year right by reflecting on some of these with a bottle of bourbon at home instead of going to a huge party and helping spread Covid-19: JFK wrote a book called “Profiles in Courage” about politicians who had taken unpopular stances in Congress for the good of the people. It won theContinue reading “Brief (not so profound) Thoughts”

I gave this lecture years ago at a literary conference. As a professor who was always a bit rebellious, I guess my primary reason was to see if I could start an argument. Actually, it was pretty well received, or maybe it was just shock on the part of the audience. I don’t know. I’mContinue reading “Ernest Hemingway — Latent Feminist”

“Droll thing life is – that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself – that comes too late – a crop of inextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes placeContinue reading “The Heart of Not So Much Darkness”

I’m sharing a brief excerpt from a nonfiction book I wrote and that was published by Blue Heron Book Works in 2018. The title is Misdemeanor Outlaw. Read it and perhaps gain the opportunity of giving away two Christmas presents rather than one. First, you can share a book with family member or a friend.Continue reading “Destiny and the Violence of Butterscotch”