Author Description

Many men viewed college as a way to avoid serving during the Vietnam War. He explains the choices he makes and why in his memoir Leaving Vietnam: Trials of Leadership. Cook, who attends Kansas State University, enrolls in its ROTC program, earns the rank of second lieutenant, and enters the military as a commissioned officer in the army. He bypasses graduate school to fulfill his commitment rather than delay it. With the Vietnam War still building, Cook completes basic training in Panama before starting active duty in Vietnam. Along the way he experiences the challenges and responsibilities of leadership as he accepts his role and follows through with the choices he makes. He learns what it's like to be on both ends of command as he makes decisions and faces the consequences of his mistakes. Throughout it all, he changes into a man aware of his responsibilities as a leader. But that's not the only way he changes-the horrors of Vietnam stay with him into the future. Whether working for a corporation or as a farmer, what he learns during that time period will always be a part of him.