Reviews and Readers' Comments
Rob Schultheis, war correspondent for Time Magazine and CBS since 1984 and author of Night Letters: Inside Wartime Afghanistan, The Hidden West, Fools Gold, and Bone Games, says this:
Soldier's Heart is a rare book, one that dares tell the truth about what war really does to people. Anyone interested in the Vietnam War, the experience of combat, and the problems facing ex-soldiers should keep a copy in their library. It should be required reading at West Point, the War College at Fort Bragg, and in every high school and college course dealing with the Vietnam era.
As a young Special Forces Sergeant in Vietnam, Lee Burkins led small units of Montagnard tribesmen on recon missions deep behind enemy lines. Many of his fellow soldiers, American and 'Yards' died before his eyes. He came home to America angry, alienated, deeply scarred by what he had experienced on the battlefield, and found himself fighting another war, on behalf of himself and his fellow Vietnam vets, against a nation that shunned its own heroes and a Veterans Administration that refused to recognize the very real psychological traumas that plagued Burkins and hundreds of thousands of his fellow vets. In the end, Burkins won out against his own PTSD, and helped fellow GI's get the help they needed and deserved, to heal themselves.
I rate Soldier's Heart as one of the half dozen truly great books on the Vietnam War, up there with We Were Soldiers Once and Young, Dispatches and Charles Anderson's The Grunts.
Diane Rapaport, Publisher, Author, Jerome Headlands Press, Jerome, Arizona says:
"Lee Burkins in his book Soldier's Heart is the only person that gave me some understanding of what he went through during and after the war to combat the anger, violence and emotional conflicts within his soul. I've read many books about the horrors of war, but this is the first book to talk about it from the inside of the heart.
Every woman that has a son, spouse, boyfriend or friend that was scarred by any war should read this book. It will help them understand their turmoil and fears and inability at times to cope with life. It will give them hope that their men will recover their humanity.
Every man that has survived a war should read this book because of the hope it offers them to come out of their turmoil with a clean heart.
And every young man that has never been to war should read this book to gain some understanding of what they might be getting into and what they might face once they return.
Lee is a riveting storyteller and his humor and compassion is evident in every chapter."
Lane Mills, Publisher, The Freedom Bee and The Montrose County Telegraph writes:
Some things are perfect.
Lee Burkins and I go back to late 1997 when he submitted an item which appears in The Freedom Bee (Nov. 6, 1997, Vol. 1 No. 4, Page 4, Guest Commentary: Bank of Democracy by Lee Pen Burkai ). I was a fan right away and when it came time for me to publish solo, I invited Lee to write a regular column for the Bee which he titled The Eye of Burkai. I am grateful to have been able to provide a venue for his talents, as I am grateful he pursued his writing.
After many intriguing articles over months of growth for The Freedom Bee, Lee told me he was going to devote his attention to writing a novel, so he would not be able to contribute to the Bee.
I was happy for him. After all, Dick Day, managing editor of The Montrose Daily Press for many years regarded Lee's talents as superior. I always respected Dick's opinion.
When asked, Lee said he wrote the book, Soldier's Heart, "...because I felt compelled by the unresolved feelings within me about my participation in war. I was disturbed by the many levels of hate and distrust held between the different cultures of SE Asia. I was appalled at the level of racism between these new and different peoples I worked with as a young soldier. I went to war with the clear idea of hopefully learning something form the experience. After the war it took ten years before I had any lucid insight to humanity's predisposition for violence. I needed to know more about myself because I too carried a rage in me that could too easily turn into conflict with others."
As I consider his response I think I may finally begin to understand why I write, too. I haven't found peace yet, but now I know it may be found. That, to me, is perfect.
A Book Review by Frank Dorrel, Publisher of ADDICTED To WAR
This book had me mesmerized. Reading it was the closest thing I have ever experienced to being in combat, to fighting and killing, things that I have never done and never wanted to do, even though I am a veteran. Reading
Soldier’s Heart made “war”, which has been the very thing I have dedicated my life against, all the more real. I was taken on a journey of Lee’s experience of being a Green Beret Sergeant in the Special Forces in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I felt the horror of living in a war-time situation where survival is everything. And in order to survive, others must die.
But this is not a typical war book. It is personnel. In it, Lee expresses his humanness and the suffering that war brings. All of this is coming from the perspective of a man who ended up believing that he was not there for the reasons he was told by his government. Not only do we learn what life-and-death combat is like, we learn what it is like to return home and be put down and treated with disrespect by others. We get a chance to feel what it is like to relive the memory of war, of the horrors experienced and of the craziness of returning to a society that does not understand. Throughout his book, Lee shares his own feelings in such a personnel way that I felt I knew and liked him very much. Lee’s book also reminded me that U.S. wars not only wound and kill people from other countries, but that they cause suffering to our own soldiers in ways not always realized by friends and family members.
This is a very powerful anti-war book; one that I recommend everyone should read.
"Soldier's Heart is the best book that I have read about the Vietnam War and the effect that the war has had on those that went there. The reviews at Amazon.com agree with me. Besides being a very emotional and moving work of literature, the book serves as an excellent source of information that can be given to those who have not experienced combat. Soldier's Heart will hopefully show to the non-veterans, why long term support and appreciation should be given to all veterans. I would think that all veterans will shed a tear when they read it. Of the 40 or 50 books on Vietnam that I have, yours is at the top." Paul Appell, member Veterans For Peace.
"...as a daughter, sister, mother, and wife of soldiers, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart to write of that which has been the source of so much... God bless you for what you have shared with us. You have touched my husband deeply." Carol McDonald
"...a remarkable story. Heart breaking, soul wrenching and triumph over anger and pain. What a journey. I'd recommend this book to anyone." Sharon Ward, Montrose, Colorado
"A great read. I enjoyed every chapter. Not just another 'war story' but a personal journey back to humanity." Larry Foster, Hollywood, California
"Soldier's Heart evokes the immediacy of adrenaline-charged combat and the despair of a mortally wounded warrior's spirit. Lucid and direct, his style is free from affectation, piercing the armor of the rational mind to detonate deep within the reader's more intuitive nature. The uncomfortable questions raised are weighty and urgent. A break from rigid and strict convention lends the book character and authenticity." Michael Askew, freelance writer, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma