Forced Air

Recently I announced a new series of short memoirs, Stories from My Life. If you missed it, you can read about it here.  

There are eight short memoirs in the series. The first three are Dream Baby, Asses Anonymous, and Chops. Today I’m introducing Forced Air, about a crazed and troubling tour of duty with the 562nd Air National Guard Band. Here’s an excerpt:   

The Vietnam War was many things to many people. For me, it took place miles from Southeast Asia, from Washington, from Kent State.

My Vietnam War happened in a forgotten corner of a suburban airport in Van Nuys, California, where, one weekend a month, forty musicians would fall in, sometimes literally, to do their patriotic duty, which consisted of playing highlights from “My Fair Lady” and sleeping on the floor. My Vietnam involved, among other things, a brewery, a mental hospital, IBM punch cards, a 1962 Ford Falcon, the bubonic plague, and a very bad wig. 

Use this link if you’d like to learn more about Forced Air. It’s available in paperback and Kindle editions.  

Next month: Words and Music: Best Friends and Musical Partners.