Clyde Hoch: Why Tracks Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran?
Clyde Hoch was born into poverty in Pennsburg, PA, in the same family home in which he now lives with wife Debra. He really wanted to be a part of the military, to assist and protect his country with pride. So, only three days after graduating high school, Clyde went to a U.S. Marine Corps Boot Camp and eventually to Vietnam.
Boot camp was followed by infantry training and Clyde’s assignment to the Second Tank Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC – where he learned to be a tank crew man – two Mediterranean cruises, and a short stint as a Brig Guard. Then he was off to Vietnam where he served as a tank commander and section leader. He arrived in the middle of the 1968 Tet. Tet is a month-long holiday in Vietnam, but it was used by North Vietnam to launch a massive attack on South Vietnam. U.S. and South Vietnamese militaries bore heavy losses before turning back the communists.
The Tet Offensive played a significant role in weakening U.S. public support for the Vietnam War and, after his 13-month tour, Clyde came home to a country that resented him and his fellow Vietnam veterans. He hated this period of his life. After many years of resentment about the whole Vietnam War and the way he was treated upon his return, Clyde decided to write about his military experience. His intent was to write short stories and possibly send one to a military magazine. His daughter, Tina, and an elderly neighbor inspired him to write a book. As he wrote the stories, he sent them to five people he served with in Vietnam to validate the information. These people were a great help in providing technical knowledge and editing services.
The result is Clyde's self-published book, Tracks Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran, avaiiable on Amazon in soft cover or Kindle. Another result of the book: a multitude of lectures and book signings – from schools and libraries to military-related organizations and museums. A video of one of his lectures is on C-Net 1 under Tracks Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran. A short video for his book is at http://youtube/n4rkjo1vwb or youtube under "Tracks Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran."
Clyde has served as president of Chapter 468 of Vietnam Veterans of America and is Past Master of Perkiomen Masonic Lodge. Employed by a Pennsburg printing plant, it's one of many jobs he's had throughout his life: crane operator, truck driver, welder, brick layer and Marine.