A Long Way Home

Historical fiction about two veterans who journey across America after returning from the Vietnam War. They reflect back on episodes from the war and attend events that are occurring in the U.S. as students and veterans rally in anti-war protests. The journey becomes more complex as the trip unfolds, For Ben, the main character, who has a promise to keep before returning home, the journey becomes longer than he could have ever imagined, as the war rages on.

When Ben lands in Oakland, California, after one year in the Vietnam War, he decides to take a slow journey across America to ease back into "the world." Joining another Vietnam vet, the pair leave California in an old bread truck headed for Boston. Along the way, they reflect on episodes that occurred in Vietnam, help some stranded students, attend anti-war rallies, meet other veterans of the war, and, ultimately, must deal with the sad consequences of the war. Ben has a promise to keep before returning home. But home seems further away than he ever imagined. His journey continues as he learns and reaches his own conclusions about America.

Terry Raycraft was in his second year at Birmingham-Southern College when he received a letter from the U.S. government ordering him to go to Montgomery, Alabama, for his selective service physical exam. Facing the draft, he joined the navy and found himself with the marines as a hospital corpsman. He spent 1969 with the First Marine Division in Vietnam. In 1971 he returned to college. Later, he would obtain a masters degree and a law degree. He practiced law in both the private and government sectors. He is a member of Vietnam Veterans against the War and Veterans for Peace. He has participated in conferences and spoke to college students on the Vietnam War.