The Chaplain's Assistant

The Chaplain's Assistant: God, Country, and Vietnam, is nothing like any Vietnam story you've read before Caldwell manages to capture the country, the war, and the people caught up in it in a way that is emotional, profane, sexy and heart-breaking. This is JT Caldwell's debut novel and is a next generation war memoir, one without battles, bullets or air strikes, but as grim and realistic as the war it documents. The Midwest Review called the book solid and riveting. It is a humor-laced novel that strikes a balance between the absurd and merciless effects of combat and their long-term impact on the soldiers who changed the way wars are fought, and every soldier's story is, in some way, unique. But when a soldier returns from war, he or she faces the same struggles as Ted Bertson, the soldier who is at the center of The Chaplain's Assistant. For better or for worse, Caldwell captures it all and leaves us a little battle scarred in the process. This is a must read for veterans of all recent wars, students of history, and families of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

About The Author

JT Caldwell (a pen name for Timothy Caldwell) received degrees in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan. He was drafted into the US Army in 1969, and was a Chaplains Assistant in Vietnam in 1970. He was discharged in 1971, and began his teaching career in 1972 at the University of Maine-Orono. In 1974, he joined the music faculty at Central Michigan University where he taught for thirty-six years. A victim of PTSD, Caldwell is an advocate for veterans of all wars, but particularly the veterans from the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fifteen years of collaboration with a prominent neurologist equipped him to understand and discuss the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), PTSD, and adjustment issues for veterans and their families. He is a critic of the lack of government support services for veterans who risked their lives serving their country.