The Book

When was the last time a Vietnam memoir truly touched your heart...and made you laugh out loud? Or when did you last  read a book or see a film that vividly captured the broad spectrum of human emotions? And how often has one man’s inspirational story made you want to stand up and cheer? Naked In Da Nang does all that...and much more. Few combat memoirs have ever painted a more compelling portrait of the hopes, fears and motivations of the average American GI. Naked In Da Nang successfully reaches out to all branches of the military, all living veterans, and civilian audiences, as well, male and female alike.

Like the wildly successful "We Were Soldiers Once…And Young," Naked In Da Nang (the book) is helping to redefine America's perception of her Vietnam veterans. Armed with the biting wit of MASH, the historical accuracy of We Were Soldiers, and the innocent nostalgia of TV’s The Wonder Years, Naked In Da Nang presents a main character who is likeable, sardonic and courageous, usually in spite of himself.

The bitter, brooding, traumatized soldier who finds solace in drugs, alcohol or insanity is not now - and never was - the norm, as underscored by the fundamental decency of Naked In Da Nang. The book's accurate yet warmly colorful portrayal of the Vietnam GI has struck a nerve across America and throughout all branches of the military. In fact, Naked In Da Nang inspired Operation Welcome Home, the nationwide "welcome home" celebration for America's veterans of Southeast Asia, which took place across America in 2005, culminating in a huge Las Vegas, NV event over Veterans' Day weekend last year.

Now in its third printing, Naked In Da Nang (Zenith Press 2004) has become a brisk seller based almost solely on energetic word-of-mouth by veterans their families, and passionate reviewers who have discovered that 'Naked' offers a highly readable and vigorous personal account of combat.

Reviewer/author Henry Holden, Airport Journal, calls the book "Riveting! Naked in Da Nang is easy to read but not simple. Sad at times and provocative, it provides a healthy dose of déjà vu and irony."

Women In Aviation described the combat memoir as "a refreshing read... Jackson and Dixon-Engel weave a compelling and very human tale of Jackson's tour of duty in Vietnam; you'll even find yourself laughing aloud at times... And, by the time you figure out the meaning of the title, you'll be half-way through the book and won't want to put it down!"