Reflections of Valour… is an American story of untested lovers from opposite backgrounds during the tumultuous early days of the Vietnam War. Brenda enjoys the trappings of college and her wealthy suburban environment. John Briggs is from a modest midwestern working class family. The Marine Corps owns his loyalty. When he is called to war, Briggs is torn between a sense of duty and having to leave behind the woman he loves.
In Vietnam, he emerges as a leader among the young troops trying to survive combat. The reader experiences the exhilaration, the boredom, the confusion, and the horrors of war. Briggs becomes an artillery forward observer in the DMZ. After a fierce firefight he leaves the battlefield alive, but critically wounded.
Two decades after they said goodbye, Brenda learns why he was drawn to war and what happened to him afterward. “Reflections of Valour” is a novel of peace and closure.
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