Additional information
by Lawrence T. Vosen (Author)
At the official website for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, the following description is given regarding the symbols that either precede or follow each of the 58,272 names that are indelibly etched into The Wall: "WHAT ARE THE SYMBOLS BY THE NAMES? The diamonds and pluses (crosses) indicate whether a person is confirmed dead (those who died in accidents are included) or missing/whereabouts unknown. The diamond indicates a person's death was confirmed. The pluses (crosses) indicate that a person remains missing and unaccounted for and in no way are meant to be a religious symbol. A plus (cross) symbol can be easily turned into a diamond if a person is declared dead (such as the return of their remains). A circle (as a symbol of life) will be inscribed around the plus if the person comes back alive. As of this time, no circle appears on the wall. On the West wall the symbols precede the names, while on the East wall they follow the names."This is the story of how three American Green Berets (of which I was one), along with our ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) counterparts, and one hundred sixty Montagnard Strikers, succeeded in accomplishing what a Battalion of the 4th Division could not do - and in the process, insured that A Diamond on The Wall preceded the name of one fallen American Warrior; and how that recovery mission still impacts my life today.This, therefore, is the story of my tour of duty in Vietnam. With all that said, the memoir you are about to read, and the events detailed herein, hold the remarkable and verifiable series of events that unfolded in an occasionally hilarious, wholly unusual, frequently noteworthy and entirely memorable (as well as historic) way.Larry T. Vosen
Author Biography
Lawrence Thomas Vosen, aka: larryv - from thelettersoffaith.com website, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in December, 1948. Larry acquired his GED high school equivelency diploma in 1965, entered the Army at 17 in 1966 and ultimately served as the youngest Green Beret in Vietnam for 17 months in 1967-1968. Upon receiving his honorable discharge from the military in 1968, Larry met, and ultimately married, Charlene Mae Wilson, in July 1970. Career moves transferred the Vosen's to Colorado, California, Idaho and Oregon; ultimately allowing them to retire in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the course of his career, Larry Vosen continued his education, ultimately receiving his Ph.D. in 1998. For the last 24 years, Dr. Vosen has maintained an online ministry at his - thelettersoffaith.com website. In 2002, Dr. Vosen was moved to begin a project which culminated in the development of an entirely new Bible translation. Titled, The Exalted Name Bible, this crowning achievement of Dr. Vosen's work is currently available in e-Book format at Kindle, and may also be viewed free online at the exaltednamebible.com website. In 2012 Dr. Vosen wrote a memoir on his tour of duty in Vietnam, titled - A Diamond on The Wall - and immediately followed that work with a prequel entitled - Willing To Engage. In context, "A Diamond on The Wall" presents factual evidence that personal success can come from the depths of despair, while "Willing To Engage", shows that despair can come from successful and joyous beginnings, and that even the best intentions and efforts, of parent and child, may often end in seemingly utter failure. Together, both books present the fact that we must never give-up on ourselves, or on our children (or parents), and that successful endings result because someone is "Willing to Engage". Furthermore, "Willing to Engage" is a call-to-arms for the personal involvement and participation of every citizen, and from this work Dr. Vosen founded - The 7th Column Movement, a political action and informational website at 7thcolumnmovement.com Additionally, Dr. Vosen has just released a series of heartfelt spiritual poems in: Scarlet Lace Poems - Spiritual Musings. Dr. Vosen remains highly active in all areas of life, seeking to uphold the value and self-worth of all mankind. His focus today is clearly in the arena of political involvement, as he challenges the silent majority of humankind to "get involved - NOW!"
