Summary
After a 2-week leave in Vermont, 17-year old Zack Martin onboards the San Diego Naval Station as First Division sailor assigned to the destroyer USS Hawke DD 894. He and 229,000 sailors embark on a trip to Vietnam via a 400-foot ship, unaware that they will get exposed to a new chemical defoliant called Agent Orange. Tally, his one and only true love, awaits for him and upon his return in Vermont, they finally fulfill their dream to be together. Their happiness is short-lived when they discover the grueling aftermath of the Vietnam war; Zack is inflicted with a grave disease that he got from Agent Orange. Together, they face their biggest challenge of being denied compensation by the U.S. Veteran Administration.
Review
Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War and Its Aftermath is a historical fiction by Randy Miller. It narrates how the Vietnam Blue Water Navy Sailors served in the military, and were exposed to the deadly waters of Vietnam called "Agent Orange." While it is told through the eyes of Zachariah Martin, the story is based from factual events. Set in Vermont, Philippines, and Vietnam, the story cuts deep with a slow death. It pulls you instantly with its compelling characters, and voyage to places of different accents. It gradually instills human's basic emotions: anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, and contempt. I went through all of these emotions just by reading one book that was hard to put down. What I like the most about this novel is its very detailed geographic descriptions. It takes you to places as if you were part of the story, and the different accents and slang words used by the U.S. Navy in Vietnam were very impressive - the characterization was built very strongly to portray a realistic story. If there's one thing I don't like about this book, it would be the author's negative description of Olongapo, a city in the Philippines. The river was referred to as the "sh*t river," and the city was described as a machine that had been built and refined over the years for the purpose of stripping each sailor of every last penny. I'm from the Philippines, so it wounded me to read this part of the story. Nevertheless, the author gave justice by creating an exemplary novel that is dedicated to the Vietnam Blue Water Navy Veterans, and I salute Randy Miller for that. Overall, I'm rating this 3 out of 4 , not because of its negative description of a city in my country, but because it wasn't perfectly edited. It pains me not to give it a perfect score because the story is very commendable, well-written, and informative. I recommend this great book to readers who love historical fiction about love and war. It's one that will get stuck in your heart for a long time.
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