Return to Eden Tucker Smallwood, MP3 Audio Book,$19.95, 4 Disc CD, $7.50 each, Book version download $8.53, Soft cover book $17.95 . Available from http://www.lulu.com/
Not many of us know that one or our members is an internationally recognized actor, musician, and entertainer. Tucker Smallwood has appeared in a long list of films and TV productions, done a music CD, and made a number of other public appearances. Return to Eden reveals that he has also become a wise and thoughtful observer of a world that we Advisors once called our own.
In 1969 though, he was 1st Lt. Smallwood, XO and later CO of MAT 36, an RF Advisor in the village of Tan Nhut Nam, southwest of Saigon. In September of that year he was badly wounded and Medevaced out of Tan Nhut Nam, not to return until his visit on Christmas, 2004. ( See SITREP, Spring, 2005).
Smallwood has written an extraordinary account of his experience during those thirty odd years, a story that ranges across the Vietnam War, politics, and his own struggles to come to terms with his life, all bound together by the leitmotif of his time in Tan Nhut Nam. Return to Eden describes a journey that will be familiar to most of us who were CoVans, but is, at the same time, deeply personal and unique.
The son of a Lutheran Minister, Smallwood was drafted, attended Infantry School and went on to OCS. Although his independent personality sometimes put him at odds with the Army he nevertheless found, to his own occasional surprise, that he had become a motivated Infantry Officer. He served as a TAC Officer in OCS, and after Jump School was designated Airborne Infantry Advisor and ordered to Vietnam as liaison to the ARVN Airborne. As the pace of Vietnamization increased so did the need for Advisors in the new MAT teams, and Lt. Smallwood soon found himself reassigned to MAT 36.
Although Return to Eden' s 33 essays sweep a broad spectrum of subjects, Smallwood's Vietnam experience colors each of them. Commenting on Manhattan's first "Welcome Home" parade, he describes his joy at meeting other veterans, while noting with some sadness, that his experience as an Advisor puts him outside the circle of those who served with better-known US units. His essay on the officially sanctioned use of "uppers" to keep troops alert brings him back to a desperate firefight on his first night in Tan Nhut Nam, and in "Moonlight" he recalls lying in ambush in a moonlit Buddhist cemetery on the same night that Neil Armstrong took his famous first step.
Smallwood's description of the small universe of the Advisor is sharp and clear. Those of us whose Vietnam experience was defined by the boundaries of our AO, or by a dozen or so miles of river, will instantly recognize the world of 1stLt Tucker Smallwood, the "Truong Uy Den" of MAT 36. The "scrounging expeditions" to Saigon, the strong ties between him and his Counterpart Troung Uy Dai, the intensity of a night ambush, and the often overlooked day-to-day trade craft of the Advisor will evoke memories in all who were part of the tiny fraternity of the CoVan.
Return to Eden is the product of an independent and intense talent, with a perspective that some will not find agreeable. Yet, after reading Tucker Smallwood's essays, anyone who was ever been an Advisor will know that this is our story too, told by a man who is one of us.
...................................................................................... Ken Jacobsen
Memoirs In Brief: Return To Eden 16 Dec 2006 (updated 16 Dec 2006)
by Marc Leepson
Tucker Smallwood, an actor of some renown, has compiled short, autobiographical essays about his tour of duty, about his family and career, and about his return to Vietnam in Return To Eden. It is an easy and intriguing read. But it is one leaving the reader hankering for more...We look forward to a second, expanded edition.
The Veteran - Nov/Dec 2006
The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America
Return To Eden 31 Jul 2006
by williamrapp
I just finished reading your book and all I can say is WOW! Exceptionally well written and extremely heartfelt. As you say, you had to have been there to totally understand the mind of a combat soldier.
I was touched that you remembered my comments to you about your effect on my life. Everything that I said then was true and still is. I will be forever in your debt for all that you taught me. All the members of my SF team made it through some bad times thanks to to the training and discipline that you taught me. War hurts, but you made the pain bearable. You have also made me re-evaluate going back to Vietnam to get rid of many ghosts. I didn't have the courage before, but this book has given it to me now.
William Rapp, LTC, SF(Ret.)
Return to Eden 7 Oct 2006
by sadewell
Although I haven't read many Viet Nam memoirs, I found Mr. Smallwood's collection of essays by far the most intriguing. Can anyone who didn't serve in that time and reality truly appreciate the experience? Probably not, but Mr. Smallwood shines a light on the process of a soldier in war, the blood and guts, the anguish and joy of survival, and coming home. As someone else suggested, buy 2 copies and give one to a friend (especially when that friend is a combat veteran).
Susan Dewell
"Return To Eden" 26 Sep 2006 (updated 27 Sep 2006)
by robertktownsend
I found Mr. Smallwood's compilation of essays to be highly engaging, each one laced with potent recollections and passionate insight into an amazing, albeit troubling, time and place in our nation's history. I can't imagine what it must have been like for our soldiers to endure such horrors during the Vietnam War, or any war for that matter, but as I read on, I often felt like I was right there, transported through time, shadowing Tucker as he and his Mobile Advisory Team traversed the canals, rivers, rice paddies and swamps of the Mekong Delta. Written with power and grace, and tinged with the occassional humorous anecdote, "Return to Eden" provides the reader with an accessible porthole through which one can journey back in time to share this unique individual's incredible journey. Hats off to Mr. Smallwood for his undying service to our country, and for his generosity in sharing with us his personal triumph. Carpe diem! Can't wait for the next one. -Robert K. Townsend
Return To Eden 17 Sep 2006 (updated 17 Sep 2006)
by mangomom27
"An incredible master at not just living through some horrific experiences, but recalling them in such vivid detail, seeing it all for its pure truth, and putting them all onto paper for all of us to experience. I laughed, I cried, I stood silent. Thank you for taking me on this remarkable journey with you."
France H. M. Pelis, SPHR, Director of Human Resources, CFGC
Return To Eden 18 Sep 2006
by Bernard Edelman
I spent yesterday reading RETURN TO EDEN. When I'd finished, I felt cheated, somehow: I wanted to read MORE: more about your service in Nam; more about your ambitions and how they were affected by the war; more about your career, particularly how your acting has been informed by the war; more leading up to your return to the place of your near death. More.
You are an easy and facile writer, with a lot of interesting stuff to tell and offer commentary on. I do hope you'll continue your literary endeavors.
Editor Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam
Return to Eden 14 Sep 2006
by Rick Gandenberger
As a member of the Mekong Delta Water Ski Club (Go Cong / Hoa Binh Chapter), I found Smallwood saying my thoughts and using my words. Thirtyseven years melted away as I returned to maps without contour lines, smiling agreements to not agree and ending a day of firefights by watching Rick Jason in "Combat."
Unlike most "combat memoires" Tucker Smallwood deals with the aftermath that many Vets won't talk about. An incredibly honest story told in bite size chapters.
Rick Gandenberger MACV MAT IV-29 IV-30
Return to Eden 19 Aug 2006 (updated 19 Aug 2006)
by Dick Stanley
Tucker's distinctive voice comes through loud and clear in this strong collection of essays which will make you chuckle and make you think. The photos, particularly the ones of 1960s OCS and old and new Vietnam, are a treat. Tucker is frank, sentimental, unafraid of controversy and easy to read. You need two copies, one for yourself and one to give to a friend.
Dick Stanley, RF-PF advisor, MACV, I Corp, 1969-70
Return To Eden 14 Aug 2006
by Lee Luckey
"I found it to be interesting and easy to read. Your writing style makes it seem as if the reader is sitting down with you having a beer while the story is being told. As I read, I found myself wondering, am I enjoying this because I know Tucker and have shared some common experiences or is he just a good writer? I decided you are just a good writer."
Lee Luckey, Captain. U.S.Army. Ist Signal Brigade.
Return To Eden 12 Aug 2006
by cooperce
I spent about 2 hours tonight immersed in your book and really enjoyed the journey. It was such an easy read, it felt like we were sitting over a beer (or 6) and reminiscing about old times and sharing memories of those times. Brought back memories; rekindled my long-held desire to someday return to Saigon, Nha Trang and Kontum especially. My first tour, in particular, as an SF medic, seems like another life altogether.
Claude Cooper, LTC (Ret), SF
Return To Eden 26 Jul 2006 (updated 9 Aug 2006)
by Gene Kaufman
I started reading your book about 11 PM and I finished reading your book about 3 this morning, I couldn't put it down. Needless to say I enjoyed it. I admire your courage, bravery and adventurous spirit. I appreciate your honesty in revealing yourself.
Gene Kaufman, da chiropractor
