The book was written to record the history of Brian's father and his uncles. They all joined the Second World War together and Brian thought that their service should not go unrecorded - it was intended to be a short history but led itself into Brian's life when he unexpectedly found himself drafted into an Army that he had no interest in joining - the Army however provided a dimension for Brian that he had never visualized and provided the experiences and friendships that can only be achieved through hardship and common deprivation. These experiences were thought worthy of being included in the book for the purpose of providing a more complete history of Brian's family with particular emphasis on the way he viewed a thirteen month tour of Vietnam and how it affected him. The path Brian took was the same as many who were born during post war years hence the term Baby Boomers.