Letters Detail Life During Combat in Vietnam
Author contact: www.authorsden.com/faithndeveaux March 27, 2003 TOPEKA, KS — Based on Vietnam-era correspondence, Faith DeVeaux's novel "When Duty Calls" showcases the importance of family support through letters. DeVeaux's novel, which is based around actual letters her parents exchanged during her father's tour of duty in 1969-70, traces the joys and sorrows of everyday life "back home." It also chronicles the Army chaplain's struggles to keep his own morale up while ministering to the troops fighting in Vietnam. The daughter of a retired Army colonel, DeVeaux used more than 50 of her parents' real-life letters as the heart of a fictional story about an estranged family, the Andersons. When Tom Anderson suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma, his wife Anita reads the letters aloud to him. The letters not only remind Anita of their long-shared love, but also prove to be the impetus for pulling their family back together. Like many children of Vietnam veterans, DeVeaux knew little about that period in her father's life. "He never spoke much about it," she said. When her mother shared their letters with her, DeVeaux learned more about his day-to-day activities in Vietnam, as well as their love and concern for each other. DeVeaux is an undergraduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. For Veterans' Day 2001, she spoke in North Carolina at UNC-W and Williston Middle School, and was invited aboard the Battleship North Carolina for special ceremonies. "When Duty Calls" is her first novel. "When Duty Calls" can be ordered in bookstores nationwide through Ingram, as well as through online services such as www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.iuniverse.com. It can also be ordered by calling 1-877-823-9235. | 
