Bob Kunkel grew up in a large, Catholic family on a dairy farm in central Minnesota. Although he was older than some draftees, at 22, he was still young and relatively innocent. But not for long.
Kunkel recounts his experiences with so much detail that the reader can feel and smell the steamy jungle. He brings you right along with him. His story is much more than a collection of details, however. His military experience was largely mundane routine, spiced with dramatic and dangerous moments and anecdotal incidents, recounted with a dry sense of humor. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster of a read.
Kunkel spent parts of 18 years working on this memoir. It began as general notes he wrote down in order to free the haunting details from his mind, as therapy for PTSD, It evolved into a full-fledged memoir. “Once I opened up, I could deal with it,” he says. Initially, his plan was to share this painstakingly written account with family, as a sort of legacy. His story deserves to be shared much more broadly, though. It is a story of drive and tenacity, of survival, and of the power of faith and family.
We know Kunkel survived Vietnam to write this tale. Delving into these pages, however, the reader will be taken on one adventure after another, with plenty of twists along the way. It’s certainly not at all like in the movies.
Draw your own conclusions on the merit, or lack thereof, of the Vietnam War. But you’ll appreciate the time spent with Kunkel during his year of Vietnam duty. You will not see that war the same way after reading Walking Point.
Jean Doran Matua, Editor
