Yesterday, Brenda and I had a memorable experience with the veterans group at the Estill County Library. My presentation of my investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, was especially meaningful for both me and the veterans group, as it focused on it focused on how military veterans, their family members, and others who have been traumatized by war or other events and have unanswerable questions may learn how to seek answers, conquer pain, and achieve peace from my story. A representative from the local VA office attended the presentation with them.
My presentation was followed by a healthy discussion, which, incredibly, led some vets to volunteer to tell, for what I suspect was the first time, and subsequently weep about things they had done or witnessed.
The group included four Vietnam veterans, some of whom spoke of similar experiences that my father had with the Montagnards in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Incredibly, the oldest member, a veteran of the Korean War, told me, “You tried to get me in prison multiple times.” I was taken aback for several seconds when he explained that, over 25 years ago, when as a criminal justice professor, I would take criminal justice students on prison tours in Kentucky and surrounding states, he was the university’s bus driver. We both laughed as we recalled how, at each prison, I tried to convince him to go in and not stay on the bus for a few hours, but he always refused!
I would like to express my gratitude specifically to Lesa Ledford, with whom I coordinated, and the library director, Tiffany Reynolds. They did a fantastic job supporting the event. Lesa was particularly invaluable; we discussed and planned the event’s details together, beginning several months ago.
James B. Wells 