title: Warrior for Peace. a Touchstone Book
author:  Steve Mason 
description: The author of Johnny's Song (which earned him the title of National Poet Laureate of the Vietnam Veterans of America) attempts to reconcile his Vietnam experiences with his return to America. These poems are a veteran's raw, heartfelt pleas for lasting peace and for a reevaluation of patriotism, nationalism and a government that wars "as a solution to economics/or as a perpetuation of social justice." Verses shift from jarring, often graphic accounts of the atrocities Mason witnessed to strangely peaceful images of his childhood, family and friends. These juxtapositions would be more effective were they not so explicitly spelled out; Mason explains rather than illustrates, and he frequently lapses into didactic sermonizing. Although his message is certainly worthy, Mason's tendency to rely on political rhetoric rather than craft (in "A Living Memorial," for example, he writes, "It is the courage of America/ and the strength of our world/ that the essence of our patriotism/ is not nationalism,/ it is humanity") makes his work more appropriate to forms of expression other than poetry. The introduction by film director Oliver Stone adds nothing of value to this volume. <br />Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  # Warrior
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## A.M. Brooks
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [![The Salvation Society](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  ![The Salvation Society](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Warrior
  
  
  By A.M. Brooks
  
  
  Copyright © 2021 A.M. Brooks
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
  used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the author
  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work
  of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination.
  Thank you for respecting the hard work and creativity of this author.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Note: This story may not be suitable for persons under the age of 18.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cover: Amanda Simpson- Pixel Mischief Designs
  
  
  Photographer: Sara Eirew
  
  
  Formatting: Elaine York- Allusion Graphics
  
  
  Editing and Proofreading: Rebecca- Fairest of All Book Reviews
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Prologue](part0003_split