A Vietnam soldier. A federal indictment. A true story of war and protest in America’s most divided era.
AN ORDINARY LIFE, FOREVER ALTERED BY EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
In 1968, Peter P. Mahoney’s world was turned upside down when he joined the Army, became an infantry lieutenant, and was deployed to Vietnam. Upon his return, he found himself embroiled in the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) movement and indicted for conspiracy to incite a riot at the 1972 Republican Convention—the so-called Gainesville Eight case—where his friend surfaced as an FBI informer testifying against him.
In the early eighties, Mahoney played a pivotal role in establishing the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial and later joined a delegation of veterans to meet with Soviet counterparts from their Afghanistan War. He fell in love with a Russian woman, married her, and spent nine years raising a family in a world vastly different from the suburban middle-class life he had left behind.
Now, he shares the extraordinary stories from that finite period that forever changed the trajectory of his ordinary existence.
The book is a heartfelt journey that intertwines a personal story with a poignant perspective on the entire boomers generation.
– Darya Silman for Reedsy Discovery
An exceptional remembrance that illuminates both its subject and his homeland.
– Kirkus Reviews
This should be a part of the American history curriculum in high schools nationwide.
– Carol Thompson for Readers’ Favorite
About the Author
Peter P. Mahoney was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1948. He grew up in the suburbs of Long Island and studied to be a priest for three years. In 1968, he dropped out of college and joined the Army. After Officer Candidate School and Jump School, he was sent to Vietnam as an Infantry Lieutenant, and served for eleven months and twenty-two days. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. See More…
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I Was A Hero Once 