Casting Alpha

Amtracs in Vietnam

by James R. Kelly


Formats

Hardcover
£21.49
£17.00
Softcover
£12.82
£10.75
Hardcover
£17.00

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 01/07/2002

Format : Hardcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 256
ISBN : 9780759671720
Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 256
ISBN : 9780759671713

About the Book

Casting Alpha is the story about a platoon of Marine Corps amtrac crewmen who served during the Vietnam War. Kelly, a former trac rat, has wanted to write about his unit since he returned from Vietnam in 1967. He wanted Casting Alpha to be different; not just another blood and guts book about Vietnam. Casting Alpha is the story of young Marines sharing a common goal: getting home in one piece. It’s the story of their daily activities and their feelings combined with the sense of helplessness they endured as they carried out their sworn duty.

Kelly opened his Vietnam photo album and searched the faces on now faded photographs. Each one transported Kelly back thirty-five years to a time in his life that he refers to as his personal twilight zone. The young faces in the photographs brought back memories, memories of situations and occurrences that seemed to have happened only yesterday. A few memories were of comical situations while others reflect sadness, cruelty, and anger. One memory most trac rats can’t forget is the anxiety associated with thoughts of enemy land mines and snipers. Kelly named that anxiety "the big wait."

Discover what it was like to be a crewman aboard an amtrac during the Vietnam War. Feel the anxiety build as you climb into the driver’s seat, start the engine, and begin a mission into no-man’s land on roads and trails that have been previously visited by enemy soldiers. Are land mines in your path? Will your number be up today? The big wait will take control of your senses as you read Casting Alpha.


About the Author

James R. Kelly is a retired law enforcement officer and the author of Prescription for Murder. Kelly served one tour of duty in Vietnam during 1966/67 with A Company, 3rd Amtracs while enlisted in the Marine Corps. Kelly retired in 1995 from the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics after twenty-five years of distinguished service.

Kelly is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. During his career Kelly attended numerous law enforcement schools including the FBI National Academy. He is presently an investigator with a law firm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Kelly’s continuing dream is for a global ban on land mines. His continuing hope is for a drug-free America and the development of cures for cancer and AIDS.

Kelly’s next book, Broken Oath, will be published in 2004.