Memories in Green

Conde’s stories provide a glimpse into his and others’ experiences in Vietnam, which he hopes many of his comrades in arms will relate to. After being involved in combat and surviving and witnessing others who did not, Conde has come to realize the futility of war. His feelings are that, as a species, by this time man should have evolved to where their primary goal in life is to provide a safe world for all its inhabitants, especially its children.

Told from the particular bicultural and bilingual perspective of a Rio Grande Valley native, Memories in Green distills the fear, anger, grief, exhilaration, and defiance that combatants from across the United States experienced in Vietnam. There are many excellent books about Vietnam. None that I have read packs so much lived experience in so little space. This slender book will lodge itself permanently into your psyche – by evoking, with piercing simplicity, how permanently Vietnam is etched into Beto Conde’s distinctively South-Texan heart, mind, and body.

Simply, it’s one man’s story – one soldier’s story – of how he survived this war. An entire generation of Americans felt this war’s pain. Conde’s work is a testament that many of us, especially soldiers, of that generation and their families, still feel the pain.

Reviews

Ben Figueroa
Director, Institute of Rural Development
Kingsville, Texas

Memories in Green is exemplary of the many veterans who have suffered the demons of PTSD and Agent Orange. It is a vivid and truthful reminder that freedom isn’t free. Many of our veterans died in the war and many others who fought for our freedom here in America came back to suffer for a lifetime, many dying a slow death.

This book is required reading for everyone who wants to experience the Vietnam War

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