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Permission to Walk in Peace

By Jerry Neece (reviewer)

Permission to Walk in Peace: Stories of Healing from Trauma as Told by Combat Veterans
by G Craige Edgerton (editor), Joe Cotchett (foreword)
(Advanced Publishing LLC, 2025)

Permission to Walk in Peace is a raw and compelling anthology written by eight veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) from combat during the Vietnam War, and how they have chosen to move on, growing from their experience instead of being victims of it. These veterans began writing as therapy and created 106 stories, essays, and poems that artistically recount the process of dealing with their trauma.

Edited by G. Craige Edgerton, a Marine from Vietnam in 1969, Permission to Walk in Peace delves into their combat experience, how they dealt with their return to civilian life, and finally, how they came to terms with their trauma.

The first chapter, Experience, describes combat and other traumatic events that led to their PTSD. Although graphic at times, those stories lay the foundation and are necessary to understand their recovery, especially for readers with no exposure to combat veterans. But this chapter is not the heart of the book. The more important parts are the second and third chapters.

The second chapter, Handrails, refers to the handrails used on naval ships to aid in climbing steep stairs. It is an apt metaphor for the tools veterans used upon returning to civilian life. Too many returned, not as heroes, but rather societal pariahs, resulting in divorce, lost jobs, alcohol and drug abuse, and worst of all, suicide. One story, The Plan, details one veteran's attempt to end his life, but in the end, he could not do it. Another Farewell is a poignant poem about self-love conquering fear.

The third chapter, Mending Fences, came from a heartfelt story of a veteran helping his elderly father repair a fence, and in the quiet aftermath of reflection, healing occurs for both. All of these veterans have spent too many years trying to mend the fences of the broken experiences of combat.

Welcome Home is a poem of finally receiving a long-overdue greeting from another disabled veteran in a chance encounter. In Dumpster Diving, the writer recounts an attempt to destroy any evidence of his time in Vietnam, only to have that evidence recovered in an unexpected turn of events.

Permission to Walk in Peace is not intended to be a textbook for healing, which is better left to professional counselors. These stories are directly from the heart of those eight veterans, uncut and unabridged. Many veterans will understand and connect with these stories, and the writers intend for them to inspire other veterans on their journey to peace. At a higher level, it is clear that their stories can help anyone with trauma, whether they are a veteran or not..

Permission to Walk in Peace is unique in its presentation format, featuring stories, essays, and poems; its emphasis on literary merit; and, finally, its direct, uncensored truth-telling.

Joe Cotchett, one of the top trial attorneys in California and a retired Colonel, says it best: "It should be mandatory reading for every elected public official about what war and conflict can do to those who serve, along with their families and community. The title of this book tells what many veterans, men and women, have done for their country—much of the battle is fought in the minds of veterans when they return home to walk in peace."

Jerry Neece, is a Vietnam-era Army veteran, and has been reviewing books, concerts, and restaurants since 1963. He lives in San Jose, California.