Trueblood has given us an unusual gift by laying out his life so honestly and from the heart. The most impactful section, and the one which gives rise to the title, is about his year in Viet Nam, serving as a surgeon at a military hospital. His poem "Nine Time Zones From Hell," summarizes beautifully when he saysThirty-five years later, I findmyself weeping, uncontrollably weeping.I returned to the arms of those dearest to mewith a wound I did not know I had, buried deep inside.The next poem, "A Bag of Memories," fills in the story:I did not think I was woundedthat long year in Da Nang.The hospital was blown up the night before I arrived.We were fired on and shelledand yet physical danger was trivialcompared to the men in the jungle.I never shot or killed,but the wounded died in my hands.I cut off hundreds of mangled legs,unzipped so many body bags.As you can see this is not poetry of the rhyming variety. To my untrained ear it has the feeling of an Oriental art form, often with a simple, powerful concluding line.Trueblood's dedication is itself a beautiful, one line poem: "For making sacrifices greater than we have the right to ask, this book is dedicated to our men and women serving in wartime."The other sections also have power - for example "Autumn Tragedy," which describes the sudden death of a childhood friend in a freak accident. But it is in sharing his Viet Nam experience that Trueblood is at his best. For those who have experienced combat, I suspect it would help "to bind up their wounds." And, for those like me who have not, it helps give us a clearer picture of what we are asking others to do when we send them off to war.As I write this, I am receiving Christmas cards, many hoping for "Peace on earth, Goodwill to men." If more people read Trueblood's account, those wishes would have a better chance of coming true. I just ordered several copies to give as gifts. Highly recommended!