Reviews

I finally had a chance to read Letters From Tommy J. You and Connie did a great job putting it together. Reading the letters made me feel like I knew Tommy J, and after completing the book I am sad that I didn't know him.

Your uncle was a great patriot who loved his country, family and friends. Enlisting in the marines and giving up his "normal" life is the bravest sacrifice he could have made for this great country. Reading the letters, articles and viewing the pictures was exciting and moving until I reached "Last letter from Tommy J., undated". At that point I closed the book. It took me several days before I could come back to It because I didn't want to have this image I had of a guy who could have been one of my buddies or the guy next door to be crushed by his death. As I read on I must have used a box of tissues.

I was in the Air Force so I know what it's like to be a young boy away from family and friends. You write/call home as much as possible and make lifelong buddies with the other guys in your outfit. I sometimes wonder what I would have done if I was a ground troop in Viet Nam (which was possible if I hadn't joined the A.F.) I know I would have done exactly as Tommy J did, follow orders and protect my fellow troops.

To: Tommy J..."SEMPER FI" Marine...I STAND AND SALUTE YOU

This book should be a must read for every student in our sad public education system so they will know what sacrifices people have made so they can live in this the greatest country on earth.

Joe

I really appreciate the gift of Letters from Tommy J. I was able to look at it for a while on Sunday. It is a great book and a meaningful remembrance of his life, as well as a view through his eyes on the Vietnam War. I look forward to reading the entire book. It's obvious that you put a huge amount of work into the book, but I know it was a true labor of love for Tommy J and for his family. I'm glad you and Beverly have been worshiping with us on Sundays and that you feel at home here. Again, thank you so much for the book. And thanks for sending me the forwards. My heart goes out to Al who wrote about being in Vietnam and losing a son two years ago. We are coming up on the 5th anniversary of the loss of our son, Patrick. It is a difficult journey, this grief journey.

Blessings today,
Jim Ross
Madison Baptist Church

I just completed your book of Tommy J's letters, and was very moved by it. I sat down and read the whole thing without putting it down once. I grew up at the same time that Tommy J did. I am two years younger than he and went to Bass High School, not far from O'Keefe High School. I graduated in 1968. Bass and O'Keefe use to play each other in sports, and I was most likely at some of the games that Tommy played in when he was on the O'Keefe football team. I served in the US Army and was in Vietnam in 1971 - 72 in Pleiku, south of where he was stationed. I remember those days vivedly, and lost some friends there, most were boys like your uncle, good people that made a difference. I was touched by his request that part of his pay be given to his church so that he could tithe while he was in Viernam. I felt that I knew him after completing your book. I hurt for his parents and family in their loss, and also identified with it. On October 9, 2007, I lost my son in a car crash. The pain never goes away. One thing that I remember from my childhood was when my grandfather died. I was twelve at the time. My mother told me that as long as someone is remembered, they are never really dead. I believe that, and I will remember Tommy because of your book. I am writing a book about my life with my son, and although it will never be published, I hope that it will help people to remember him. Thank you for your efforts in putting Tommy's letters together. I'll bet he would be very proud of his niece.

Sincerely,
Al Stephens
Monroe, Georgia

I just had to drop you a line to let you know I have purchased two of the books as my b rother was one of the fallen soldiers that fateful day. His name was Ronald R Cormier and his picture is on page 48 of the book, he is the one far right with a cigarette in his mouth. I was 25 when he died and not a day goes by that we are not reminded of how our lives changed. I am grateful for your book and for sharing your letters with the public and for giving me a better understanding of what those boys went thru during that conflict. Thank you so much. Carol Cormier Boire Eliot Maine. Hi Terri, I just had to drop you a line to let you know I have purchased two of the books as my b rother was one of the fallen soldiers that fateful day. His name was Ronald R Cormier and his picture is on page 48 of the book, he is the one far right with a cigarette in his mouth. I was 25 when he died and not a day goes by that we are not reminded of how our lives changed. I am grateful for your book and for sharing your letters with the public and for giving me a better understanding of what those boys went thru during that conflict.

Thank you so much.
Carol Cormier Boire Eliot Maine.

I just finished reading your book "Letters from Tommy's J. ".It was very good. I was in country Oct 66 to Oct 67 far south from Tommy ,I was Army 1ST Inf. Div. You did a great job. It brought me back to many similar experiences and memories.For several years I have been working on a book . It is in the last stages. I got your book from one of my brothers in the Vietnam Brotherhood "B' CO.We are passing it around. My brother Jerry's Birthday is April 24 he is a Korea VET. 78 years old. I have been to the DC WALL several times.Always a moving experience. There are 58,479 stories on the healing Wall. I want to thank you for the book. If you have need of prayer for any reason ,please do not hesitate to contact me. God has blessed my wife and I with a Veterans prayer ministry with over 60 members in 17 states.

Thank you .
In His Service
Chaplain Tom Conti Vietnam Brotherhood " B "CO

I purchased your book last weekend at Madison, Georgia and you and your sister graciously signed it for me.

I was hesitant to purchase it because I am a Vietnam Veteran from 1969 and I really like to keep that part of my life in the past. However, once I opened the book and began to read, I could not stop until I finished it. It brought back feelings to me that I thought were long buried. Tommy's letters sounded very similar to my own. Tommy was a real hero and I feel like I know him.

You did a superb job and I feel that you not only brought honor to Tommy, but to all Vietnam Veterans who answered their country's call and served in a very unpopular war.

I am glad I bought and read your book about Tommy J.

Thanks!

Warren Robinson

Yes at O'Keefe, but I graduated in 1964. My sister, Barbara, actually went out with him after church sometimes. She was only one year ahead of him. I knew Mike and Pat Hogan and Cotton Phillips which the article mentioned, too. It is such a sad thing to lose someone like Tommy and at such a young age. I actually went to the Vietnam Memorial and found his name on the wall. I was un-prepared for the emotion that came rushing over me when I did. I knew and liked Tommy, but we were never close, so that reaction really surprised me. I will also remember him as one of the Brave who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

I am so glad you put together this book. What a wonderful way to honor a great guy. His story needs to be heard and I look forward to reading it.

Gay McMichen Caswell

Thank you very much for answering my messages and forwarding them. I think that I am very like Johnny as a brother and also you in that I also had an uncle for whom my brother was named and he was killed in WWII in Indochina. My mother kept pictures of her brother in a chest, but would never part with them. I also did a little research on him and found out some of the details of his life. In any case, you have done a fine beautiful job of a tribute to Tommy J. I also wish to thank you for that because what many people do not realize is that the people like Tommy J and my brother live on in the minds of those who are left behind. As long as those people are alive, their memory never dies, but neither does the grief or the sadness. These people, the casulaties of war, whose lives were cut short should never ever be forgotten, ever.

Tim

This book puts such a perfect honest face on War….The Soldier…no one should pass this book up if they truly want the true reality of fighting in War..especially in Vietnam…I think every person in America should read this story of Tommy J. in War….

Shad Meshad
President and Founder of the National Veterans Foundation.

Warriors never die as long as people remember the wars. Therefore, Letters from Tommy J. represents a bittersweet remembrance of one among 58,000 Americans who died in Southeast Asia: an 18-year-old kid from Atlanta named Thomas J. Holzclaw III. Tommy’s letters home from his time “in country” are set in context by chapters describing events that influenced his decision to serve, and how that service was conducted. This loving retrospective by the two nieces he never knew affords a look into one young life cut short by the ill-fated Vietnam “conflict”, and in the telling, the one represents the many.

Barrett Tillman

Co-author, On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War Over Vietnam with the late Cdr. John B. Nichols, III.

Letters from Tommy J. would be of interest to all vets of the Vietnam conflict. I am a vet of that conflict myself. It brings back memories that haven't surfaced in a couple of decades.

Charlie Mitchell

Blue Star Families - USAFNS

I can't thank you enough for the copy of the book and also for the efforts you and your sister put into it. As I figured, it brought back so many memories, there is no way I could mention all of them here. First was my memory of Tommy's relationship with his mother. He was always her protector and was looking out for her. I saw a lot of that in his letters. By the way, she had the ability to make the best hot dogs and hamburgers that I ever enjoyed. She had a steaming machine for the buns that was out of this world!! What a great person and was the source of Tommy's relationship with his friends. He very much had her personality and way with people. I first met him in the 8th grade at O'keefe. Believe it or not, he was even skinner than I was at that age. The reason he had on a suit in the Ke-O-Ke pictures was that he was chosen as a senior surperlitative. About 10 boys and 10 girls were chosen for that honor. You can see their pictures in various poses around the Tech campus in the year book. It was for either good grades or leadership qualities. In Tommy's case, it was probably both. None of us were considered "rich" in the terms that would be exhibited in some high schools today. Or riches came for our friendships and relationships. Most of us drove hand-me-down family cars once we were old enough to drive. It was however a great time and place to grow up because of the people we were and how we felt about each other.

Your friend,
Jimmy

Dear Ms. Walker,
I just wanted to thank you for the prompt response to my request for a signed copy of the book. I completely red through it the evening I received it, and I was very saddened to learn of his death in combat. Throughout the rest of the book, I had hoped that he had not only lived, but was possibly still in the Atlanta area from your mailing address.

An excellent compilation of his letters, life, and family. But, on we few continue to march to the drums ...

Thank you again, and I offer my condolences, much belated, to you and his family, and my salute and Semper Fi for his service and sacrifices.

Mark Stephen Tigh USMC
Call Sign: Major Ttrouble
1st Force RE/Con Co.