Drafted!, by David R. Frazier. December 2014. 182 pages. Softcover. ISBN 0-945648-22-2. $15.95.
In Drafted!, photographer David Frazer shares his unique experience of Vietnam – first as a wartime photographer, then, in the last few years, as a peace-time photographer. Both will open your eyes to a Vietnam different from the one you thought you knew.
“DRAFTED!” is Dave Frazier’s behind-the-scenes account of the mostly involuntary Army of the 1960’s and his personal quest to make the best of an otherwise unpleasant situation and have fun doing it during the Vietnam War.
“Vietnam” to most people is a war or an “era.” They forget Vietnam is a country bordering the South China Sea, rich in culture and blessed with fertile soil and resourceful, educated people eager to make a mark on the world economy.
As a young freelance reporter-photographer in Lansing, Michigan Frazier was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. A note in his personnel file from a friendly commander led to an assignment as a Public Affairs NCO writing about and photographing the activities of the transportation command during the height of the Vietnam War in 1967-68.
Frazier’s memoir provides a unique look at Vietnam as both a war and a country. Dozens of contemporary photos along with war time views of both Frazier and the country compliment the vignettes and offer a peek at life in Vietnam today.
Drafted!, by David R. Frazier. 182 pages. $15.95.