Living The Dream: Wake Me When It's Over

By Brad L. Smith

What does it take to prepare a young man for war?
In World War II, it took the Great Depression. Hard times made for harder soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
But for Brad L. Smith, it took 19 years of growing up in Southern California--from the late 1940s to mid-1960s-- before he faced the guerrila-laden jungles of Vietnam in 110 Combat Assaults and 13 Firefights
In his memoir, "Living The Dream: Wake Me When It's Over," the author takes a loving--and often laughing-- look at his childhood. He played war in the neighborhood creek and even tossed dummy hand grenades in the backyard. Once, he nearly shot his little sister with a stray arrow from his bow
A decade later In Vietnam, he paid for such youthful sins when he himself was shot--by a Communist AK-47 assault rifle. By then, however, nobody was playing; Doc Smith was a Combat Medic with an elite Recon troop of the venerated 1st Air Cavalry Division
Two years later, after being classified as a Disabled Veteran and medically discharged, Brad married and continued his formal education. With his MA Degree with Honor in Journalism, he found new wars to wage. On assignment with World Vision International, he traveled to Sudan to document the plight of starving refugees from the civil war in Chad. Later, Brad spent four weeks in war-torn Uganda documenting the tragedy of children--many as young as seven years old--being used as Boy Soldiers.
Whether in Central Africa, Venezuela, Ecuador, Southern Mexico, or back in Vietnam in 1995, the author chronicles his adventures with both heart and humor . . . whatever it takes to get by.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HCX84QJK
• ISBN13: 9798181037311
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"