Book Review

Exit Wounds: A Vietnam Elegy
By Lanny Hunter
Blackstone Publishing, Inc
Unabridged edition (October 10, 2023)
310 pages

By How Miller

Exit Wounds: A Vietnam Elegy by Lanny Hunter is a wonderfully interwoven story that occurs in two time frames. The first is during the author’s tour in Vietnam as a medical doctor assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). The second time frame was decades later, when he responded to a call for help from Y Kre Mlo, his old Montagnard right-hand man.

Among the many striking aspects of this tale is the eloquence with which he relates his experiences. His word choices pack a lot of precise meaning into individual sentences. In the first three short chapters, he draws you immediately into the action he experienced, tells of the 1997 letter he receives, and proceeds to layout the setting, describing Montagnard society and how he was drawn to it by their loyalty, tenacity, and courage. You can read that here, but be forewarned; once you do, you will likely be hooked.

He goes on to fill in the larger picture and the many ways he looked at each part of it. He uses examples, as well as thoughts he had, to bring out the subtleties of the war. There is plenty of action, such as at Duc Co and Plei Me, as well as plenty of food for thought. Central to the story is the bond he felt with Y Kre and his many attempts to help his old friend get ahead in life with the help of his church organization.

Above all, there is a message about how the Montagnards seem to be in a never-ending role of being less than second-class citizens in their own country. When the U.S. left Vietnam, the Vietnamese communists were ultimately able to exact vengeance on their perceived enemies, especially those who worked with the Americans and the defeated South Vietnamese military. Some were killed outright; others, like Y Kre, managed to survive years of brutality in the communist “re-education” camps; and others, like the Montagnards in general, were also returned to permanent marginalization.

They are refused treatment at hospitals and cannot find employment equal to their skills, even when they are lucky and persistent enough to gain them. So, they continue to exist in their primitive agrarian lifestyle without much chance of improvement or integration into Vietnamese society. And beyond that, the communists seem determined to be rid of them by forcing them to move away to other countries, or worse. So even the status quo is less and less sustainable.

Lanny also, in very practical terms, delves into the why and how of our participation in the war, as seen in the rear-view mirror. His historical comparisons are informative, and his frank admissions of some of the things we got wrong can bring some perspective to the events we so intensely lived. His self-deprecating style and his obvious affection for and loyalty to Y Kre make this a very enjoyable and worthwhile read.