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A Soldiers Journey From War to Peace

By Aaron Davis (reviewer)

At Hells Gate: A Soldiers Journey from War to Peace
By Claude Anshin Thomas
(Shambhala Press, 2004)

I first read about Claude Thomas in an newspaper article about his peace walk across America in the summer of 1998. I read his book, At Hells Gate: A Soldiers Journey from War to Peace, two years ago.

Claude Thomas was raised in a small town in Pennsylvania and at the tender age of seventeen enlisted in the Army. He was immediately sent to Phu Loi, Vietnam as a helicopter door gunner. assigned to the 116th Assault helicopter Company. "During my tour in Vietnam, I was directly responsible for the deaths of many, many people. But after the horrors of basic training, and after my childhood of abuse and neglect, I didn't recognize what I was doing as killing people. The enemy was simply the enemy, not human." After being promoted to crew chief, he flew over 625 combat missions and was awarded 27 air medals, a Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Purple Heart.

After returning home, Claude dealt with drug abuse, alcoholism, homelessness, divorce, and post traumatic stress disorder. His healing journey began when he met Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh. In 1995, he took the vows of a mendicant Zen monk under Bernie Glassman. He has walked across Europe and America for peace in what he calls a "pilgrimage."

"As a Vietnam veteran, I feel a responsibility to live, to heal, and to change - so that the lives of all those who have died in war will not be wasted. Veterans have this responsibility because we know war so intimately, so directly. Their deaths ask us to learn, to see clearly that war, that violence in any form, is never a solution. That war and violence do not lead to peace."

As a member of VVAW and Veterans For Peace, I highly recommend At Hells Gate for its message of hope and healing. Claude Anshin Thomas is very honest about his emotions, issues, addictions and PTSD.

Claude Anshin Thomas is currently a monk in the Soto Zen tradition and active teacher and speaker in both the United States and Europe. He is also the founder of the Zaltho Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes peace and non-violence(www.zaltho.org).

Zen monk Claude Anshin Thomas spoke to veterans in Salt Lake City, Utah. Vietnam vets Rick Miller and Nikko Schoch listen. Miller is A VVAW member. Schoch passed away August 5, 2006 and the Veterans For Peace Chapter 118 now bears his name.