Edgardo Santiago was born in 1946 in Puerto Rico. In 1969, he was drafted into the Army, trained as an infantry soldier, and in 1970 was sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam, he was made a point man. He served with the 199th Infantry Brigade and later on with the 25th Infantry Division. Santiago was wounded in combat while walking the point. In 1971, he was honorably discharged and returned to Puerto Rico. In his book, Santiago takes the reader from his childhood to Vietnam and through his subsequent career with the FDA, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Virginia. Along the way, he tells about the pains of dealings with the effects of combat, not only on him, but also on the nation. More than about telling war stories, this book is about insightaabout what the author felt and thought before, during and after his tour of duty in the other side of the world.