"A Soldier’s Heart" is a moving and expansive memoir by Vietnam veteran Ray Gauvin. The story takes us from the French Ghetto of Presque Isle, Maine, and the descendants of the Acadians, to military bases all over the country, and to Vietnam and back. Gauvin takes an unflinching look at life on the ground in Saigon and the horrors of the unusual and classified military posting of WDMET. The ingenuity and work ethic he built to help support his family as a kid got him through both the loss of his father and the war. But afterwards, pushing himself to the edge with striving and responsibility became a compulsion that staved off the nightmare.
Silent about the classified mission of WDMET, even to his family, Gauvin wrestled on his own with the effects of Agent Orange and post-traumatic stress disorder. He became an entrepreneur, a businessman and a philanthropist, but PTSD kept him embroiled in an internal battle between his obsession to work, his drive for success, a search for peace of mind and thoughts of suicide. But after 50 years of running from the past, he turned about-face, and began the journey of remembering and healing.
This book is a must-read for anyone seeking an inside look at one man’s road to Vietnam, and WDMET. It also gives incredible insight into the history of francophone communities in northern Maine.
